Blue Encrusting Sponge

[djmuzzi]

sorry but the search feature is down.

I just bought a Blue encrusting Sponge from the lfs. it Has been sitting in their tanks for 2-3 weeks and seems healthy.

I have read conflicting info about their care however. Some sites have the sponge requiring Bright light and others still say it should be shaded? It was shaded at the LFS BTW.

Anyone have suggestions?

 

[mr.wilson]

The only blue sponge I know of in the trade is photosynthetic, so it needs good lighting.

 

[djmuzzi]

I am fairly certain that it is Xestospongia caycedoci.

 

[boomsticks]

In my time here on Earth I have never heard of a photosynthetic sponge. As far as I know no species of sponge can produce their own food. Except of course Spongicus Photosynthesis...LOL sorry...I am at work loosing my mind right now..but seriously I have never heard of one but this hobby is full of surprises.

Good luck DJ

 

[djmuzzi]

There are a couple that do need bright light.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I've had/have several species of sponges groing in my tanks at different times over the years. I've had a blue species of spong before as well. It wasn't a encrusting type but did encrust at the base. It grew up into "stalks". I had it grow both in and out of light. The only probelsm I ever had with it was it died when I had a amoina spike or I did a water change down to a point where it was totally out of the water.

I do have a yellow encrusting sponge that is growing all over my tank, again both in and out of light. It however has survived both an amoina spike as well as being out of the water for a while.

I have other colors of encrusting sponges in my tank that grow mainly out of the light and have aslo survived under the same conditions as the yellow sponges.

Don't know if that helped you any or not.

 

[djmuzzi]

Picture

Picture

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Yep, looks just like the one I had. Grew in both high light and low light. Just didn't like the ammonia spike I had and didn't like to be out of water very long.

I'm looking for another one to replace it with.

 

[djmuzzi]

How long did you have it?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I've had one for about 2 years I beleive before I had my problems.

Just remember they are filter feeders so they need "dirty" water. Sponges seem to grow great in my system.

 

[djmuzzi]

I have mine Mostly shaded, I wonder if I should bring it out?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

If you have it where you like it and it gets some flow, then just leave it for now.

 

[SBJim]

I have a blue encrusting sponge that came as a hitchhiker, more "spider-web-like" than yours. FWIW, it grows better in shade. when I removed an sps colony that was shading some of it near the top of my tank, that portion that was newly exposed to bright light did not fare well.

 

[djmuzzi]

Sounds like good advice.