Sponge ?’s

Hi, guys! I have never had luck with sponges, but i couldn't resist these
tree sponges from MA. I went there saw a blue tort frag, and still went
home with these guys! I even went back for the orange one!!

So, what do i need to take care of them? I know they are filter feeders,
so I've been giving them an algae paste bath once a day, and adding
some golden pearls, just in case. They are in with my seahorses, and the
equines love 'em. They all hitch on them to sleep!

Crap! i knew that , but I wanted the tank to look cool for the tour! But you
know, I've been pouring my fry water in there, so if crud is what it
likes......I got crud! I'll keep adding the phyto paste, red water and baby
seahorse poo!

Suzy,

I had an orange tree sponge in my 55 gallon. It lasted about a year. It declined steadily unitl it wasted away to nothing. I think what you're doing will go along way towards keeping it alive. Good Luck.

Algae paste bath twice a day? I turn the pump off, then add the paste
mixed in seawater while I feed my sunpolyps. then turn the pump on to
"push" it through the sponge....

Think there's something else that would help? How can i imitate the
environment where it lives?

I'm only going to do it twice a day 'till it catches up with being away from
the ocean, then only when I feed the polyps..

Algae paste is sooo easy! I hope it works!

Thanks for the nice stuff guys! You are sweet!

I also have a ball sponge that is growing. I would recommend NO light high current. They no light will keep it from getting all covered with green/brown  slime and high current keeps them fed.  I have not target fed or done anything special for it.... I have had it for over a year now...

Update! First, let me say I am not recommending anybody get one of
these guys!

I don't know how to tell if these tree sponges are healthy. With a
frogspawn or sunpolyp, you can see if tissue is receeding or part is
dead or dying...I think buying them is risky, first because of that, and
second, because they are filter feedrs. So, if you skim out the DOC
(filter food) or don't add enough crap, it will starve. I do add a ton of
crqap to our system, but I also have a ton of nuisance algae!

I kinda like the look!

With our system (different tanks hooked together with one common
sump), it's possible to "overfeed" one tank, underfeed another, grow
a ton of "nuisance" algae in on and SPS in another!

So, I've been adding BSD algae paste almost everyday. I turn the
pump off and 'bathe" the sponge in paste water. I think it can't suck
in the water, though, it must be pushed through the tissue by water
flow.

Small signs of life (maybe) : The yellow seems to have "puffed" up a
little. It looks more swollen on one side. I can see the entry and exit
holes! The orange has extended lots of little "mouths" along it's
sides. I can't see any change in it's tissue, though.

IMG]

You can see an area of "bad" tissue on that previous pic, right behind
where I think I'm seeing growth (the two fingers in the front).

Check out the orange: (You gotta look really close to see the mouths)

Sun polyps get whatever the fish are eating! They will eat mysis &
Brine shrimp, or crab, or squid or anything they can get their little
polyps around! In this tank, they are sooo easy to feed, 'cause
nobody steals their food. I can give them a big hunk o' something,
then throw the hermit coming around the corner to the other side of
the tank. By the time he gets back, the food is engulfed!

Suzy
I think your sponge trees are gorgeous and I hope that you can keep them alive for a long time.  Are you going to be on the reef tour?  I have some friends out Riverton way that I'd love to have see your new tanks.   Also my daughter that was with us last year asked about the new ones you set up down stairs.  I'll have to bring her out some day unless she can come during the tour.

Suzy - I had a kooky idea.  To bathe your lovely sponges in their food, could you cut the top 3 or 4 inches off a 2 liter soda bottle, then cut a little hole in the base, invert the bottle over your sponge, then force the food in through the hole in the soda bottle?  (The food hole is the one that used to be the bottom of the bottle, but now is the top since you inverted it.)  Then leave it sit over the sponge for a while (couple of hours?) so that the sponge gets plenty of food.