Sponges and sand

[quazi]

I just got a couple of sponges. I was told to put their bases in the sand. Done, now I they have sand on them. Does the sand smother them? How do they cope with sand?

 

[greenbean36191]

Yes, the sand smothers them. Whoever told you to stick them in the sand didn't know what they were talking about. If the sponge is already attached to a rock you can glue the rock where you want it just like a coral. For sponges not already attached to a rock there are only a few good ways to anchor them. You can use a needle to thread a couple of pieces of fishing line through the base of the sponge and then tie the ends of the line around a rock. Just be careful since if you tighten the line too much it will just rip out of the sponge. You can also stick a few toothpicks through the base of the sponge and then glue the toothpicks to a rock. You don't want to stick it into the sand or wedge it into a hole in the rock since any area that has its water flow blocked will die. As that tissue dies, it releases toxins that kill the tissue next to it and cause a cascade of necrosis and can kill the whole thing if you don't take aggressive action.

 

[quazi]

I got my red ball sponge out of the sand, got most of the sand off him, and placed him in the middle of my tank. After 2 days, he expanded, somehow shed almost all the sand and is looking great!