Sponge problem

[ckrhone]

I have a lovely dark orange piece of sponge under an outcrop of rock in my reef wall. However, it appears to have a couple of whiter patches on the vents?

I think I have a problem with my sponge and would like some help as to how I can get this sponge to recover?

All water parameters are within natural range.

 

[ckrhone]

Has anyone got any ideas??

 

[Marinemom]

Sponges do not like to be exposed to air at any time. Was the sponge out of the water for any amoount of time?

Marinemom

 

[mthedude]

my tank is full of sponges that came on/in my rock. I've tried killing them and they always come back so I can't immagine trying to save a sponge, but just let it be, don't expose it to air and continue doing what you're doing, it'll either thrive or die, there usually isn't any in-between w/sponges.

 

[mthedude]

my tank is full of sponges that came on/in my rock. I've tried killing them and they always come back so I can't immagine trying to save a sponge, but just let it be, don't expose it to air and continue doing what you're doing, it'll either thrive or die, there usually isn't any in-between w/sponges.

 

[Sk8r]

I like sponges: I have a blue one that makes my purple rock look as if its covered in veins...very anatomical looking. I've got yellow and white ball sponge, and an orange one I only wish would grow more.

I feed phyto: that's what they eat, and they grow like crazy. You must not expose them to air during water change or transfer of rock: this kills areas. These will slough off, in my experience, or if a large patch, just pinch the bad area off and let it regrow.

I can't say enough good about them for water filtration. I think one's fondness for them is probably dependent on the species you end up with: some are encrusting and large and pesky. The best ones are fairly cryptic, well-organized, and bring bright color to hidden nooks.

You can kind of see the veiny one here and there about the rocks. There's a yellow one deep in the rock to the right, which may or may not be visible. There's one that looks like a potato back in the cave, and the red stuff comes and goes where there's shadow.