Sponge issue?

[srqmike]

Does anyone know what this hard green substance is growing on this sponge? Is it harmful?

 

[Allmost]

the sponge is dying, and algae taking over.

 

[srqmike]

Thanks for the quick response. I thought there might be an issue. I'll pull the sponge out. I also noticed my nitrates running a little high...could this be related to that?

 

[JSeymour]

Don't give up on it so quickly, note the osculums(large openings) are still doing well. Do you have a cycled quarantine tank to put it in? How long have you had it? I've often noticed after ordering "assorted tree sponges" from dealers that parts of them will die off due to mishandling, air bubbles, polluted bags, etc. The only problem with this beyond the obvious is they often release a lot of toxins, hence a quarantine tank and plenty of carbon. The die off looks fairly clean without any infections. If you can keep the algae from growing on it (no light in a quarantine tank) and provide it with food and high flow, I bet it recovers.

 

[rssjsb]

Yeah, I've also had the experience of a little die-back as the result of a tank transfer. The sponge eventually recovered completely.

 

[AliciaP]

Don't give up on it, give it lots of flow and little light.