Red Tree Sponge
- Thread starter Phoenix19
- Start date
Tennyson
Active member
I have never had one in my tank but from what I've heard, they need strong current and low lighting.
The reason for low lighting is because they are vulnerable to being overtaken by algea. If they are exposed to too much light they will soon become covered in algea since sponges have no defense system and will die from lack of circulation.
And sponges must never be exposed to air for too long. I think the air gets stuck in their porous structures, causing a lack of circulation in the sponge, creating dead areas which kills them.
The reason for low lighting is because they are vulnerable to being overtaken by algea. If they are exposed to too much light they will soon become covered in algea since sponges have no defense system and will die from lack of circulation.
And sponges must never be exposed to air for too long. I think the air gets stuck in their porous structures, causing a lack of circulation in the sponge, creating dead areas which kills them.
philter4
New member
Actually they can defend themselves against algae if they are healthy and well fed, that is the biggest problem with them, keeping them fed, they require huge amounts of planktonic sized foods and most tanks can't support that kind of feedings. If you could target the food along the entire body with a turkey baster type of system and add phyto and zooplankton to the water they have a limited success rate, I've kept them for over 2 years feeding them this way. Also remember they can't be exposed to air, if air gets trapped in their body it will eventually kill them.
Good luck, as you say they are beautiful.
Good luck, as you say they are beautiful.
sl-atl
Member
+1. I have a red tree sponge too, and it looks great. If you do see algae growing on it, it probably means that it is starting to die back. You can tell if this type of sponge is in good shape by looking closely at it- you can see the little (about .5mm) openings it expels water through (oculae). They are semi-transparent, and are all over the surface of the sponge, right above the surface of the sponge's red body structure. This is the part of the sponge that goes first.
In addition to air, build-up of sediment on the sponge will smother parts of it by filling the little pores (ostia) it pulls water through. I clean mine regularly by blowing it off with a turkey baster like I do my corals. I'm not sure if these sponges are partially photosynthetic or not (some are) so keep this in mind too- I doubt that having it under VHOs or near the bottom of a system with Metal Halides will hurt it.
Here is a good article on sponges. Best of luck!
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/invert.htm
In addition to air, build-up of sediment on the sponge will smother parts of it by filling the little pores (ostia) it pulls water through. I clean mine regularly by blowing it off with a turkey baster like I do my corals. I'm not sure if these sponges are partially photosynthetic or not (some are) so keep this in mind too- I doubt that having it under VHOs or near the bottom of a system with Metal Halides will hurt it.
Here is a good article on sponges. Best of luck!
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/invert.htm
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