Sponge Takeover

I've just started another semester of schooling so I haven't had a whole lot of time to just sit in front of my fish tank and stare at it. Well I got a chance today and I noticed what I believe to be hundreds of sponges, maybe thousands. They are translucent tubes that taper near the end, much like the business end of a turkey baster.

I don't know how I know these are sponges... I just know. What I know about sponges are that they are somewhat delicate and can be difficult to grow. I didn't notice these sponges a week ago and now they are impossible to miss, so they have substantially grown without question. This tells me that my water quality is good, but I'm also afraid that if my water quality becomes bad at some point then I will have a tank full of dead sponges.

If you woke up and saw sponges all over your tank, what course of action would you take? What would it tell you about your tank and your maintenance habits? What does it mean to have a tank infested with sponges? What are the benefits and consequences? What if a sponge is in a spot where I want to put coral? Lastly, how big does the particular species of sponge that I described get in aquaria?

Sorry for the 20 questions but I couldn't find any reliable reading on the subject.

I do know that saltwater sponges are filter feeders and are generally considered a good thing to have in your tank. (just to clarify)

Thank You,
Doratus

 

If you woke up and saw sponges all over your tank, what course of action would you take? None, unless it was growing over and/or killing nearby corals.

What would it tell you about your tank and your maintenance habits? That you have a lot of dissolved organics and particulate food in your water.

What does it mean to have a tank infested with sponges? That you have a lot of food in your water/system.

What are the benefits and consequences? None that I know of. Once they run out of food, they will slowly die off and you'll end up with a healthier, more balanced number.

What if a sponge is in a spot where I want to put coral? Chemical warfare is possible so keep an eye on the coral.

Lastly, how big does the particular species of sponge that I described get in aquaria? Very hard to tell as there are thousands if not millions of species. Even with a good photograph, it would be difficult at best to identify the species that you may have.

All that being said, it's possible that what you have may also be a sea squirt and not a sponge at all

 

Thank you.

I've done a couple simple google searches on "sea squirt" and what I have doesn't really look like anything I can see there. The anatomy of a sea squirt also seems far too complex to be what I'm looking at in my tank but I'm no expert by any means. I suppose a sea squirt basically has the same ramifications as a sponge? (assuming it isn't a rare predatory variety)

 

Some sea squirts can definitely be mistaken for sponges and vice versa by a novice, that's for sure. Since they feed on the same stuff that sponges do, I'd say that the same answers would apply regardless of whether you have sponges or sea squirts.

 

Cool, for now I'll chalk it up as a good thing.

 

These might help. I've had instances of sponge craziness

http://www.3reef.com/forums/id/some-type-sponge-71677.html
^ that sponge got out of control. I ended up nuking rock and getting rid of a frag it came on. I no longer have this crazy sponge.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/id/some-webby-thing-65486.html
^ that sponge basically covers half that rock now. It's very pretty, very slow grower.

 

If they look like this,they are pineapple sponges

 

Well no, they aren't like either of those. They are just tubes almost like a tube worm without the tube, and translucent, or semi-clear, transparent. Also the tube is noticeably wider at the base then at the end.

Thanks anyway. I'll try to get a pic.