sponge

[vizia2]

I have a question about sponge, I have a red tree sponge about 7in long, I have had it for about 2 weeks and it is starting to turn white and spreading upwards. Does that mean its dieing. What should I do, should I cut it and if so how much of it and is there a setain place and way I should. Help
Thanks
Ps this is what my tank looks like know want to add another 50lbs of live rock this weekend what do u think

 

[spsfreak100]

Yes,
Your sponge is dying. Most likely it has touched air at one point or another, correct?
Air and Algae will both clog the pours of the sponge, therefore, suffocating the sponge to death. The dead area's will often be tan/white. You should cut the infected areas off with a sterile razor blade, leaving the fresh areas behind. This should prevent any air from spreading throughout the sponge. Remember to never take the sponge out of water at any times while doing this procedure.
Graham

 

[jarvis]

Yes, you should add the live rock. It is probobly cheapest to go mail order for live rock which means you will have to cure it. I would recomend that you remove the fake coral and go with more live rock down the road but just a matter of personal taste. I did read you tank specs and there is a major problem. I am not trying to be an a$$, but a manderin NEEDS to be in a well established tank with at least 100lbs of live rock for a food source. Also I noticed that you have a few anemones. Just a gut feeling, what type of lights do you have? They NEED strong light. The regal tang will indefinatly grow to large for your tank. Its not a problem if you decide to upgrade later. I would suggest doing more reseach on the message board to gain knowlege of the inhabitants that you want to keep vs taking the LFS advice. It is fairly common to hear stories of a LFS employees having little knowledge of the requirement for a fish or coral and yet they sell it anyway. A properly set up tank can bring years of enjoyment where as a misinformed person will just be frustrated and watch the tank rapidly decline. There is plenty of good advice from the people on this message board. Best of luck to you.

 

[newbe reefer]

I agree with Jarvis, too many manderins die of starvation, they eat only pods and you only have pods in a well established tank wiht LOTS of live rock. They are beautiful fish and would be a shame for yours to waste away.
Just my 2 cents
NewBe