Sea sponge help. Will it survive?

[Karliah]

I received two sea sponges while picking up some frags from someone. More like forced upon me; I didn't even realize they were in the bag until I got home. After a few texts, he said they're from the Gulf of California, and I'm hoping he didn't just take them while on vacation there.
Regardless, they are now in my possession.
They are bright orange. One looks like it possibly grew over a gorgonian skeleton or the like. The other looks like it grew on some sort of macro.
I tried to do some research on sponges in general but haven't come up with much, but the things I have seen concern me. If it's a sponge that will release toxins when it dies, I don't want it in my tank.
When I opened the bag, holy cow did it stink. A horrible horrible smell. I remember watching a show about people who collect sea sponges to dry and sell them to the cosmetic industry and such. I remember them saying how terrible the smell was as the sponges die and "bleach".
Does a sponge stinking awfully indicate that it is dying or will die? I don't want them in my tank if the smell doesn't go away. Also don't want to nuke it if they're toxic.
Sorry for the long post. Here are some (bad) pictures. I'll try to get better ones tomorrow if needed.

 

[nuttyd]

If they ever were exposed to air then yes they will likely die.

 

[Karliah]

I haven't exposed them, but don't know if they were before they got to me.

 

[Karliah]

What about the stench? Do they always smell like that or is that a bad sign?

 

[gogo7]

they look ok. give them a good rinse in some tank water, trying not to expose them to air. don't keep the water you rinse them in. keep the bits that fall off. sponges regenerate fast and even the smallest pieces will form new colonies. keep them out of direct light, under an overhang if you have one. that species likes a medium flow on them. they grow with the flow. they feed on fine foods and suspended detritus. phyto will colour them up. the whiter parts may be dead, i'm not too sure. they don't do too well in newer tanks. up here in canada, two pieces that look like that will cost you around fifty bucks so you've got a deal. i honestly think you don't need to worry about the pollution. i've kept that species before i understood their husbandry and was surprised to find them overtaking my hob after disappearing from the display.

 

[Karliah]

they look ok. give them a good rinse in some tank water, trying not to expose them to air. don't keep the water you rinse them in. keep the bits that fall off. sponges regenerate fast and even the smallest pieces will form new colonies. keep them out of direct light, under an overhang if you have one. that species likes a medium flow on them. they grow with the flow. they feed on fine foods and suspended detritus. phyto will colour them up. the whiter parts may be dead, i'm not too sure. they don't do too well in newer tanks. up here in canada, two pieces that look like that will cost you around fifty bucks so you've got a deal. i honestly think you don't need to worry about the pollution. i've kept that species before i understood their husbandry and was surprised to find them overtaking my hob after disappearing from the display.

Thanks!
Can I attach them with super glue? Or another way?

 

[nuttyd]

If they were wild, then stench is somewhat normal. Theres a lot of stuff that lives inside the sponge that would die off in the move. The sponge itself might make it. There is likely to have a side where theres some rubble left over from being taken. You can use the coral glue on that side to glue down to a rock.

 

[gogo7]

you can net them down too. but that looks ugly. like nutty said, look for the rocky bits to glue. sandwiching them between rocks works too. just watch they don't get direct light. they seem to do much better in the shade.

 

[Karliah]

Thanks everyone!

 

[saltykisses]

Red ball sponges difficult to keep [emoji52]

 

[saltykisses]

Be careful not to take them out of the water EVER!!!!!

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

And adding sodium silicate is very beneficial too. Randy Holmes-Farley has a great article floating around somewhere.

 

[ICE JUICE]

new to the hobby need identification

new to the hobby need identification



What is on this rock?

 

[Karliah]

Please don't hijack my thread, and post instead in the ID thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2095557