Hitchhiker sponge!!!!

[saltyfishy]

I just got 50 lbs of live rock and found a bunch of sponges on it!! :happy: What do they eat?Do they need strond lighting in the curing tank?

Steve

 

[saltyfishy]

Here's a pic.

 

[ophiura]

No, in fact many sponges grow best behind LR in dim light. They don't really require light. And they don't really need excess food. THey will grow or die off, like many critters do, as the tank matures and nutrient levels fluctuate :yes:

 

[saltyfishy]

Thanks. I was wondering if it was even a sponge.

 

[traib]

They eat suspention feeders. Nutrients like phytoplankton, roto-rich,etc. if you what to keep it, and they are a good guys, feed it DT's for a while until your tank matures.

 

[ophiura]

IME with these sorts of hitch hiker sponges, they will grow even without the addition of stuff like DTs. Good stuff by all means but not cheap. I've got several different types of sponges, don't use DTs or similar. I do feed heavily with my own preparations so there is a lot of fine particulates for sure. By no means is it a "clean" SPS tank. So you don't need to do an express to the store for special food Anyway, even if you lost these (in a cycling tank you might), I am sure more will turn up :yes: along with loads of other cool critters. The fun begins with new LR!