Orange Paddle Sponge and Red Tunicate

[Bvhtaz]

I have an 8 month old 25 gallon rimless cube tank running a kessil 360w a korelia 400 powerhead and a filtration system that adds another 200.

My parameters are:
SG 1.026
80 degrees F
0 ammonia, nitrite, nitrate
Calcium 480
Magnesium 1320
Alk 3.5 meq or 9.5 Dhk

Livestock:
Assorted snails
Mithrax

Gramma
Midas blenny
Diamond watchman blenny
Bengai cardinal

Xenia
Zoanthid
Paly
Blue mushroom
Green star polyp
Clove polyp
Waving hand polyp
Toadstool
Ricordia Florida
Monticapra capricornis
Acro
Birdsnest
Favia
Coralimorph
Euphyllia
Duncan
Caulustrea

Maintenance:
Weekly parameter testing, filtration cleaning, and 20% water change.
Daily check filtration, temperature, salinity, top off, and feed.
Food is reef nutrition ROE and either rods frozen food, 1/3 cube of marine cuisine, or 1/3 cube of mysis shrimp.

Yesterday I got an orange paddle sponge and red tunicate. They are on the sand bed and not in direct light. Both are tucked into rock work. Ghetto tunicate is still on its ceramic plug. I know they are filter feeders and need plankton.

My concern is what do I need to do to make sure the tunicate especially has enough to sustain?

 

[Sk8r]

I'd say, and this is guessing, that if you have mechanical filtration, this may be a problem. I have lps, use only a massive cheato ball in the direct flow to stop particulate, insert a filter sock only if something's gotten kicked up that's needing to be pulled, and otherwise don't run one. Trying to keep a tunicate alive may be at odds with clear water. You might take a page from the clam folk and simply use an inverted clear bucket with some few holes in it, to hold a cloud of diffuse food available to the creature occasionally, until it has cleared the water. I've never had an environment where i could keep a tunicate longterm.

 

[Bvhtaz]

Thank you for the response, Sk8r. I have about 20+ pounds of live rock but not cheato or macro. Good idea to try an inverted plastic bucket with holes to give the animal time to feed. Since I mostly have soft coral - except the birdsnest, montipora and acro and lps- duncan, caulustrea, euphyllia, I feed a little heavier than you might think. I will try to post a picture of my tank.

Thank you for your response and suggestion.