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FAQs on Sponge Identification 9
Related Articles:
Sponges in Marine Aquariums Related
FAQs: Sponge ID 1,
Sponge ID 2, Sponge ID 3,
Sponge ID 4, Sponge ID 5,
Sponge ID 6,Sponge ID 7,
Sponge ID 8, Sponge ID 10,
Sponge ID 11, & Sponges 1, Sponges
2, Sponges 3,
Sponge Selection, Sponge
Compatibility, Sponge Systems,
Sponge Feeding, Sponge Disease,
Sponge Reproduction, | 
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Can't identify encrusting creature on my live rock; looks like old
chewing gum, but with mouths in it, living in a crevice. ( I know
that's weird) 6/23/08
Hello,
<Hi Alisa, Mich here.>
and thank you all for providing such a comprehensive resource for
aquarists.
<On behalf of Bob and crew, you're welcome!>
I
have researched for days trying to identify this strange thing, and
frankly my research may be inhibited by my inability to really
describe what I'm looking at, as I've never seen anything like it
before.
My closest approximation is that it is some sort of flat
tunicate or encrusting sponge, but I haven't found a picture of
anything very close.
<Mmm, doesn't look like a tunicate to me.
Looks like a sponge.>
Specs:
I have a 45 gallon long reef tank
with a 14 gallon sump. I have a wet/dry filter,
<I'd remove the
biomaterial, it increases nitrates.>
protein skimmer, an internal
overflow and two powerheads, and a 24 hour power compact fluorescent
lighting system with 2 AquaClear 502 powerheads. I have about 40 lbs
of live rock, all live sand and about 2.5 inches of substrate, 16
hermit crabs (scarlet, red leg, blue leg, and left handed),
<Not
a fan... Too opportunistic in my opinion.>
15 American star
snails,
<Mmm, I'm not familiar with this common name.>
two
true percula, a Midas Blenny, and a Coral Beauty, 1 four inch tall
brown pulsing xenia, and 9 polyps of blue spotted mushrooms.
Levels:
As of today my Nitrate is 0, Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0,
Ph is 8.1, Phosphate is 0, Alkalinity 11 DKH, Calcium 340, Salinity
1.024
<OK.>
Question:
There is a strange encrusting
creature on a piece of my live rock which appears to be growing out
of a crevice. It is light beige, and about 2 inches long and ranges
from 3/4 to 1/4 inch wide, and has six 'mouths' of varying size from
3/4 inch wide to 1/8 inch wide, that look just like clam mouths, and
they open during the day and close at night. It is not moving, or if
it is moving, it is doing so super slowly. I have included a photo,
and an wondering a) what is this thing? and b) is it safe, or should
it be removed?
<Looks like a sponge to me. As long as it is not
impinging on anything I would leave in place.>
Thanks for any
help you can offer!
<Welcome,
Mich>
--
Alisa Berman | 
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Can I rescue my sponge? And what kind is it? 7/29/08
Hi Bob and
crew!
<Kerstin>
Well, as usual, I have been searching your great
website and the web, and wouldn't you know it - I haven't been able to
identify my sponge.
I did find a great website
(www.poppe-images.com) with an amazing number of pictures of different
sponges; it complimented your articles on them. I have learned lots in
the process (as usual), and so I am wondering if you could assist me
with the following:
<Will try>
1. Do you have any idea which type
of sponge this is?
<Mmm, looks most like a Monanchora unguifera to
me... is it from the TWA, the tropical West Atlantic?>
I have only
seen orange pictures that have this kind of structure, and didn't know
if that would translate; my LFS had no record of what kind it is. I did
try to do research on the sponge before I purchased it, and I observed
it in the tank at my LFS for over a month - where it seemed to have no
problems.
<Mmm... the color... feeding type...>
2. Do you have any
suggestions of things I can do that will help it stay alive?
<A very
large refugium... culture of food there and elsewhere... careful
addition of small foods>
I have included a picture of where it is in
my 92-gallon corner tank; the tank has an Outer Orbit 250W HQI/T5 light
hanging ~8 inches above the tank frame, and the sponge is on the right
side of the light.
<I see... also another sponge toward the off right
on the bottom>
I added the sponge to my tank six weeks ago, and until
recently, it looked fine; only within the last week has it started to
develop some areas at the top where it is going pale white/green.
<Ahh, die-back>
I am wondering if it needs either more or less light,
current, food,
<Likely this, and time to settle in, but... again,
this is a non-photosynthetic species... some concern with alkaloid
release...>
or any combination of those? Or should I just re-setup my
quarantine tank and watch what it does there? I don't know if it would
be toxic to my tank if it dies, hence that question.
<Is...>
The
red sponge did come attached to a small piece of rock, which was in fact
encrusted with an orange sponge and a small feather duster (which has
since disappeared). The encrusting orange seems to have attached it to
the rock - but I am sure I can move it if I need to.
<I would leave
this as is>
I had rearranged my powerheads slightly lower about 2
weeks ago (when it was still doing well); I have returned them to their
previous position (higher along glass, but blowing in the same
direction) again as of yesterday; could the change in current be what
caused the sponge to start deteriorating?
<Mmm, much more likely just
from collection, being moved issues>
Other information about my tank:
- My fish are a Zebrasoma Xanthurum (Purple tang), Pseudocheilinus
Hexataenia (Sixline Wrasse), Ecsenius Bicolor (Bicolor Blenny), Gramma
Loreto (Royal Gramma/Fairy Basslet), Siganus doliatus (Barred Spinefoot
- Rabbitfish);
- Invertebrates are 2 Blood-red shrimp, 4
skunk-cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, and a serpent star, as well
as an unidentified crab (have seen his molted shell once, is about
3/4-inch wide).
- Corals include several different types of brains, a
Lobophyllia, 2 Acropora, a Stylophora, a Pavona, an Acanthastrea, a
small green Zoanthid rock, a Micromussa, a Turbinaria, two Fungias, and
2 mushrooms (I tried, but these are on the base of a 25-lb. rock, and
until they become a nuisance, I am not willing to dismantle my tank just
to scrape them off the rock...). Could any of these be proving a problem
for the sponge?
<Mmm, more like the opposite... again, for emphasis,
instead of hinting around, I would watch your Anthozoans... move the
sponge out, change a bunch of water, utilize carbon... should they show
rapid negative behavior>
- I also have several other sponges - a
yellow encrusting who is happy no matter where he is located, and an
orange encrusting sponge that has recently sprung up.
<A good sign re
the overall fitness of your system that these sponges are proliferating>
- Most of my parameters are in the general norms, with pH running at
8-8.2 (depends on time of day for the measurement), temp. running 80 +/-
.6 °F (MH tends to heat up the tank, the fan keeps the temp from
swinging too badly). I have been battling low alkalinity, which I seem
to finally (in the last 2 months), have under control around 8.5 dKH (I
seem to have an alkalinity sink in my tank,
<Yes... the
metabolism/growth of the biomineralizing life t/here>
with it
dropping sometimes below 7 (not since I have had the sponge)
<Mmm, it
may be supplying, and/or depressing the uptake therein>
while the
Calcium would spike above 550 (also finally stabilizing)).
- I do
weekly water changes of 5-10 gallons, and have gotten rid of my Bryopsis
algae (finally!) after weeks of raising the alkalinity and just
generally picking it off/sucking it up with water changes. I had a small
case of red slime about 3 weeks ago - it seems to be primarily gone, and
even the small HOT refugium (I used Steven's instructions to convert a
AquaClear 110 with Chaeto and Fiji Mud) is rid of the red slime.
<Good>
- My Tunze skimmer produces about 100ml of skimmate every 4-5
days, and the tank has been set up since I upgraded it from a 29-gallon
back in November last year. My powerheads for circulation are a Hydor
Koralia 2, Hydor Koralia 3, and a MaxiJet 1200 with the Hydor Flo
Deflector on it.
<Sounds/reads good as well>
I greatly appreciate
any inputs you can provide... I learn lots every time I research on your
site, and feel my tank wouldn't be doing as well without the excellent
information and opinions you provide. I am working on a sump/refugium,
<Ahh! Do go forward with this full steam>
but at this point want to
see what is at
MACNA before I build/purchase one; if that would help
my sponge, I may need to see what can be done to keep it alive until
then.
<Do hope to meet you in Atlanta>
Thanks tremendously in
advance for any information, Kerstin DeRolf:-)
<Cheers, Bob Fenner> |  
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White growth on live rock: Syconoid sponges and likely Ascidian -
4/21/08
Hello crew.
<Hi Bubba>
I have been looking for
answers for a while now.
<Heheee! Haven't we all!>
I have this
white growth on my live rock. I have felt it and it feels almost like a
gel of some sort?
<That's a helpful clue, thanks!>
I have tried to
blow it off with a power head and have tried to suction it off with no
luck. I had this stuff once in the past, same exact spot, and finally
got it off with a tooth brush. 2-3 months later and it is back. I have
included a picture for you to see. At the bottom of the pic there is
some of the stuff that comes out of the rock in little q-tip heads.
<Guess what one of their common names is? Yep, a Q-tip sponge, also
known as a harmless Syconoid sponge. See the FAQ’s/photos at the
following link regarding these neat little sponges:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm >
There are numerous pieces of
that type.
<Yes, these can be quite numerous at times, especially in
new systems or when there’s a high nutrient load.>
The middle of the
pic is the same stuff, but it just seems to be one big growth. The pic
is good so hopefully you can tell what I have. Do you think it is some
type of sponge?
<Mmmm, no. If it feels like a gel, that is - smooth
or slimy, it’s more than likely a harmless Ascidian (tunicate/sea
squirt) of some sort. For more information on these, please see this
link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.>
I have looked for sponge
pics but it seems they are mostly red or orange.
<Oh, you've been
missing out on some real beauties! Sponges come in a wide variety of
beautiful colors and interesting shapes, as can be seen at the following
link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm . Enjoy!>
Please help!!
Bubba D.
<Not to worry, Bubba. Sponges and tunicates are all part of
the diversity that makes for a healthy system. Take care, -Lynn> | 
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Help to Identify – Sponge 4/19/08
Hi,
<Hi Crystal>
This
was on a live rock that I bought from a local store. I have been told it
is a sponge and also told it was and encrusting Bryozoan. Please help
me, I have searched the web and not found anything that looks like it.
<It’s a neat little sponge! Please see the following links for more
information and photos (also note the associated links at the top of
each page):
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spongeidfaqs.htm >
Thank you,
Crystal
Coffman
<You're very welcome. Take care, -Lynn> | 
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Are these sponges? I hope? Yes! Syconoid Sponges - 3/31/08
Hello
crew!
<Hi Ben!>
I have been lurking since I started this hobby and
have sent one email that was answered by James 'Salty Dog' and really
helped me with my algae problems.
<Excellent!>
I appreciate the
database of information you guys have built up. It certainly helps us
relative newbies out.
<Hehee! It even helps this oldie out as well!>
(sorry for the re-mail, I forgot to attach the pic the first time
around!)
<No worries. :-)>
The reason I write today is that I have
a mysterious growth on my Neon Hammer and would love a little help with
an ID!
<No problem! It’s a harmless filtering Syconoid sponge,
commonly called a Q-tip or Pineapple sponge. Please see this link for
other examples/photos and more information:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm >
I admit, I looked around on
the site, but time hasn't permitted me to do an exhaustive
search,
so I apologize for that.
<Alright, well I’ll let you off the hook
just this once!>
This is the only place it exists in the tank, on the
stems of this hammer. I have attached a picture. There are quite a
number of them. They are best described as what look like tiny soft
white pineapples.
<Yep, hence the common name.>
Could they be
sponges? <Yep> Or egg cases? <Nope> I did notice a while ago that one of
my brittle sea stars was hanging out in there, but I haven't seen any
snails in there. Is this something that could be harmful?
<Not
likely.>
The Hammer is starting to sprout a couple tiny new polyps
so I hope it isn't.
<Should be fine.>
Also they popped up
relatively quickly. One week they weren't there, the next they were!
<That’s fairly typical. These neat little sponges usually appear in boom
and bust cycles, showing up in great numbers, then dropping off to a few
or none.>
Animals in tank: 2 Ocellaris, 1 algae blenny, 2 brittle sea
stars, 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, 4 peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs, and
a bunch or Cerith, turbo and Nassarius snails. Pulsing Xenia, Neon
Hammer, and clove polyp. Oh yeah, and some Chaeto.
Tank readings:
Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates- 0, pH 8.2, Calcium 380, KH 8 (on the ap
test- that's how they measure it) phosphates 0 and salinity 1.025. It's
a 40 gallon breeder.
Any help on an ID would be appreciated!
Ben
<You’re welcome, Ben, enjoy those little sponges while they last! Take
care, -Lynn> | 
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plant id... actually a Poriferan – 03/20/08
hello, I have an
unusual plant in my reef tank. It looks like coralline algae in color.
It grows slowly and has broad leafs/tissue.
Its pretty robust-- not
brittle, quite slippery. I have been searching for any similar
plant/macroalgae morphology, but have not found anything close. I would
appreciate any input to help figure this out. Thanks, rob
<Very nice
pic and organism... This is actually a Sponge. See the Net, or here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sponges.htm
and the linked ID files above. Bob
Fenner> Re: plant id,
Poriferan 3/20/08
Thanks a lot for the input. I did
actually frag it and find it to be one of the cooler parts of my reef
system.
<Is a beauty! And testament to your good maintenance. Cheers!
BobF> | 
Isn't that pretty?
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