Sponge Damage?

maffu · 04-04-2004, 05:12 PM

Hi all...

Added a lovely little colony of yellow polyps yesterday and when manipulating the rock, found what I thought to be a break in the rock, so split it to get two colonies for the price of one!

The break in the rock was in fact where a bright yellow sponge had slipped through the rock....

Will I have killed the sponge by splitting it? ..... or have I just made two sponges for the price of one ??

Thanks for your help as ever

Matt

Montanareefer · 04-04-2004, 07:53 PM

I imagine it should be fine. Just don't expose them to air from what I hear.

wooddood · 04-04-2004, 08:03 PM

i agree with johnny dont expose them to air, you will kill the sponge. but i would say you now have 2 congrats.

addict · 04-05-2004, 03:04 AM

Sponges are pretty hardy... I heard from somebody that if you want a lot of sponges in your tank, just throw one in a blender and pour the slurry back into the tank... like magic you'll have a sponge garden in a few months.

Congrats on the 2-for-1 deal.

maffu · 04-05-2004, 12:48 PM

Excellent news ... thanks everyone for your input.... had a minor panic that I had just put my first corals in to find I had droppped the ball already!

Matt

nigle · 04-05-2004, 07:01 PM

Oi!

I also believed the idea about the 'blender' untill you think about it for a minute. If there is 'air' in the 'blending' then the 'air' might kill the sponge.

A better idea is to take a clean tooth brush and scrape off the surface of the sponge in question and the little 'bits' will find new homes and start to grow a new colony. I did that with a yellow moon sponge and it worked.

If you can 'blend' the bits without folding in 'air' then you are fine. I have never actually heard any one doing the blender thingy and they saying it did actually work. I think it is a 'submurgen' myth, but what do I know I clean sponges with a tooth brush, HA!

To answer you initial question as long as it never came out of the water it will survive. Remember that sponges do not like the light, that is why it was 'in' the rock. They also like [need] good water movement so if you have sponges that are growing then that means that your tank is doing well, CONGRATS!

Cheers!
nigle
!~!

04-04-2004, 05:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
maffu Limpet Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Midlands, UK Posts: 127 View Gallery Karma Komment	Sponge Damage? Hi all... Added a lovely little colony of yellow polyps yesterday and when manipulating the rock, found what I thought to be a break in the rock, so split it to get two colonies for the price of one! The break in the rock was in fact where a bright yellow sponge had slipped through the rock.... Will I have killed the sponge by splitting it? ..... or have I just made two sponges for the price of one ?? Thanks for your help as ever Matt __________________ Aquamedic perc 90 with upstream fuge

04-04-2004, 08:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
wooddood the wood dude Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CARMEL. INDIANA Posts: 3,450 View Gallery Karma Komment	i agree with johnny dont expose them to air, you will kill the sponge. but i would say you now have 2 congrats. __________________ 120 gal/in wall tank/starboard substraight/2 250 watt 10k xm metal halides/ 4 55watt 03 actinics/150lbs lr/scwd on return/scwd on a closed loop/aquaclear aquatics 200 pro wetdry w/skimmer. ask all the questions you have if we cant answer it we'll make up some thing. remember patience is the key to a kick ass reef. dave.

04-05-2004, 03:04 AM	#4 (permalink)
addict Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sierra Nevada Country Posts: 1,621 View Gallery Karma Komment	Sponges are pretty hardy... I heard from somebody that if you want a lot of sponges in your tank, just throw one in a blender and pour the slurry back into the tank... like magic you'll have a sponge garden in a few months. Congrats on the 2-for-1 deal. __________________ -David *addict's tank specs:* Coming soon!

04-05-2004, 12:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
maffu Limpet Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Midlands, UK Posts: 127 View Gallery Karma Komment	Excellent news ... thanks everyone for your input.... had a minor panic that I had just put my first corals in to find I had droppped the ball already! Matt __________________ Aquamedic perc 90 with upstream fuge

04-04-2004, 07:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
Montanareefer Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,334 View Gallery Karma Komment	I imagine it should be fine. Just don't expose them to air from what I hear.

04-05-2004, 07:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
nigle Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gary, Indiana Posts: 292 View Gallery Karma Komment	Oi! I also believed the idea about the 'blender' untill you think about it for a minute. If there is 'air' in the 'blending' then the 'air' might kill the sponge. A better idea is to take a clean tooth brush and scrape off the surface of the sponge in question and the little 'bits' will find new homes and start to grow a new colony. I did that with a yellow moon sponge and it worked. If you can 'blend' the bits without folding in 'air' then you are fine. I have never actually heard any one doing the blender thingy and they saying it did actually work. I think it is a 'submurgen' myth, but what do I know I clean sponges with a tooth brush, HA! To answer you initial question as long as it never came out of the water it will survive. Remember that sponges do not like the light, that is why it was 'in' the rock. They also like [need] good water movement so if you have sponges that are growing then that means that your tank is doing well, CONGRATS! Cheers! nigle !~!

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