Sponges by the hundreds!!!! What to do?

jpc763

Active Member
Ok, I thought it was pretty cool that sponges were growing on a piece of live rock in my fuge. Here is the pic.

I wanted to show my son the sponges when I noticed that there were others in the fuge, not on the rock. Then I noticed that there were hundreds of little ones on the fuge glass (acrylic).

So I know that sponges are good, how about hundreds of sponges!!!
 

mcbdz

Active Member
Thoughs look like Q-tip sponges. They increase with the nutrients in water and will decrease when water is stablelized. Shouldn't hurt anything.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by mcbdz
Thoughs look like Q-tip sponges. They increase with the nutrients in water and will decrease when water is stablelized. Shouldn't hurt anything.

 

jpc763

Active Member
Thanks, so they won't overgrow my fuge? I put some chaeto in there and they showed up. I was hoping for some pods, but I got sponges instead!

I will monitor them.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
Originally Posted by reefking121212
the lfs store told me those where copepods. I had them all over my tank
Um, find another lfs and quickly, lol.
 

gharner

Member
thank god they're harmless! i had one growing on my zoa colony(i think thats where the original one came from) i left it go and it slowly doubled in size....then i looked into the back filter compartment and there they were....probably one every square inch!!!!!!!!! will they do anything bebefitial for the tank???
 

ophiura

Active Member
THey appear and succeed, quite simply, because there is enough food for them to do so. If you are concerned about their numbers, you need to assess the amount of food. They commonly "bloom" in new tanks and then die off.
 

octoman

New Member
Originally Posted by jpc763
Ok, I thought it was pretty cool that sponges were growing on a piece of live rock in my fuge. Here is the pic.

I wanted to show my son the sponges when I noticed that there were others in the fuge, not on the rock. Then I noticed that there were hundreds of little ones on the fuge glass (acrylic).

So I know that sponges are good, how about hundreds of sponges!!!

those are not sponges but babies of Sabellastarte giganteus(aka feather duster)
 

nick76

Active Member
Originally Posted by octoman
those are not sponges but babies of Sabellastarte giganteus(aka feather duster)
No their deffinatly Q-Tip sponges.
 

tinmanny

Member
don't worry they come and then go as quickly because they are pigs and eat themselves right out of food then gone or almost just enough to sustaine life
Good Luck
Manny
 

xdave

Active Member
Not a good reason to stop using an lfs. If you don't bring him any in to actually see with his own two eyes, then his conclusion is based on how you desribe them combined with what other people have described in a similar manner turned out to be. Anything identified in this way should be considered as a "sounds like it could be" response.
Q-Tip sponges are real nice to have in a fuge. If you start to get too many you should add a prefilter and rinse it often to avoid it turning into a biological filter.
 
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