Name this Coral

dakotaman728

dakotaman728

New Member

I got this in West Palm and I have been wondering what type of coral this is. I have been reading up about taking care of coral but if you have any other recommendations or warnings please let me know. Should I put this in my display tank or just return to where it was? Thanks
 
koralkid

koralkid

Member
I wouldnt really know but it looks like a sponge to me. but it looks like to have alot of brittle stars very good.
 
dude23455

dude23455

Member
I would just return it to where it was. Some things taken from the beach can have pollutants or parasites that can harm your tank.
 
dreamer44

dreamer44

Member
cant it be QT'd for a bit, to get rid of pollutants over time...its pretty cool, and I have to say, if I lived in a warmer climate, I would probably bring things home for my tank....I know alot of you think its wrong, but if its already broken off the reef....why not? How can it differ from people collecting shells and stuff when they go?
Lori
 
meleerock

meleerock

Member
I agree on putting it back. If the sponge has been exposed to the air it will most likely die. They require high flow and a good amount of food and waste in the water column. They tend to be hard to keep and even more hard to grow in an aquarium. IMO.
 
kazzy

kazzy

New Member
I agree with the above advice, but you can keep sponges fairly easily by feeding them with phytoplankton stuff every other night.The real pain is moving them while not exposing them to air. It's a must for sponges. Mine has already had 3 arms cast off as babies. Eventually gets to be a pain feeding all of them, but IMO, it's worth it to have a sponge in your tank. Keeping calcium levels high is also a smart move with sponges.
 
mscarpena

mscarpena

Member
You should put it back. Also you should check it is illegal to take things from most of the oceans in the USA. There are some pretty stiff fines.
 
jmj6239

jmj6239

Member
this is an excerpt According to the Florida fishing regs. sponges are Legal depending on the species.
"Sponges - Any species of the Class Demospongia, except sheepswool, yellow, grass, glove, finger, wire, reef, and velvet sponges, Order Dictyoceratida."
But being it is attached to live rock you broke the laws both state and federal! The regulations are on Florida's state web site: www.myfwc.com that is unless you posses the proper permits.
 
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