psionicdragon
Guest
How many have sponges (not the hitchhikers) in their tank and how hard are they to keep? Do they grow pretty fast?
Sponges
- Thread starter psionicdragon
- Start date
racrumrine
Guest
Sponges like tanks without skimmers. In fact, Steve Tyree uses sponges instead of skimmers on his tanks.
I have a few different colored ones (blue, yellow, pink/white, deeper pink, orange). I feed DT a couple of times a week.
Once they have successfully made the transition to your tank and are established, they seem to do pretty well. Most don't like a lot of light. If there is a lot of food, they can grow pretty quickly and you can see changes in them from one day to the next.
Tyree has written a book on them. Here is his site http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com
Best of luck,
Roy
I have a few different colored ones (blue, yellow, pink/white, deeper pink, orange). I feed DT a couple of times a week.
Once they have successfully made the transition to your tank and are established, they seem to do pretty well. Most don't like a lot of light. If there is a lot of food, they can grow pretty quickly and you can see changes in them from one day to the next.
Tyree has written a book on them. Here is his site http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com
Best of luck,
Roy
psionicdragon
Guest
Oh cool,
Did you get those sponges from that site? Do you have any pics and if you do, could you upload em?
thanks Roy
Did you get those sponges from that site? Do you have any pics and if you do, could you upload em?
thanks Roy
racrumrine
Guest
I haven't bought any sponges from Tyree. Though I did buy his sponge book and he was nice enough to sign it for me.
The book identifies lots of sponges (12 pages of color pictures) and discusses his rational and techniques for using them instead of skimmers. On his website, he supposedly has a Video lecture you can buy that covers his techniques.
Since most of the sponges are in the low light section of the tank, and we're still learning how to use the digital camera, we haven't yet come up with a decent picture of the sponges.
Since it is difficult to acclimate the free standing sponges that you sometimes see at an LFS, probably the best way to collect and diversify your collection of sponges is to get them on live rocks from other reefers (or people breaking down their tanks). That's how I recently got the deeper pink one.
I tried to frag my pink/white one a couple of times. I could never get it to work by cutting and attaching it. It seems like the best way would be to set a rock near an existing sponge and hope that a grows on to the rock and then carefully cut it off and try to duplicate the same lighting/flow conditions in the new location. The next time I try it, that's what I'm going to do.
Best of luck,
Roy
Best of luck,
Roy
The book identifies lots of sponges (12 pages of color pictures) and discusses his rational and techniques for using them instead of skimmers. On his website, he supposedly has a Video lecture you can buy that covers his techniques.
Since most of the sponges are in the low light section of the tank, and we're still learning how to use the digital camera, we haven't yet come up with a decent picture of the sponges.
Since it is difficult to acclimate the free standing sponges that you sometimes see at an LFS, probably the best way to collect and diversify your collection of sponges is to get them on live rocks from other reefers (or people breaking down their tanks). That's how I recently got the deeper pink one.
I tried to frag my pink/white one a couple of times. I could never get it to work by cutting and attaching it. It seems like the best way would be to set a rock near an existing sponge and hope that a grows on to the rock and then carefully cut it off and try to duplicate the same lighting/flow conditions in the new location. The next time I try it, that's what I'm going to do.
Best of luck,
Roy
Best of luck,
Roy
G
GreshamH
Guest
My sponges thrive in my skimmed tank 
this whole skimmerless idea is pretty bogus IMO if you feed your tank I do Phyto-Feast and Roti-Feast daily and my sponge and tunicate growth is insane.
Most LFS bought sponges are going to die IME. They're usually collected roughly and exposed to air during transit.
this whole skimmerless idea is pretty bogus IMO if you feed your tank I do Phyto-Feast and Roti-Feast daily and my sponge and tunicate growth is insane.Most LFS bought sponges are going to die IME. They're usually collected roughly and exposed to air during transit.
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
Hmmm I thought I replied to thise thread already...
anyways I'm with anthony the "hitchhiker" ones are great, I've had populations rise and fall in my overflow box where it's nice an dark and they get first dibs at the nutrient rich waters before going to the skimmer.
anyways I'm with anthony the "hitchhiker" ones are great, I've had populations rise and fall in my overflow box where it's nice an dark and they get first dibs at the nutrient rich waters before going to the skimmer.
Vincerama2
Guest
sfsuphysics said:
My overflow box is also where the biggest aiptasia grow... out of my reach and in the nice surface skimmed water ... *sigh* ...
V
Raddogz
Guest
I have the hitchhiker variety - black, yellow, and flourescent green.
Vince - Attach a filter sock at the end of the overflow pipe which leads from the tank to the sump. Pull the overflow pipe and the return as well - ummm turn off the pump first). Scrape the aipstasia out and rinse out the overflow area out so it falls into the sock.
Vince - Attach a filter sock at the end of the overflow pipe which leads from the tank to the sump. Pull the overflow pipe and the return as well - ummm turn off the pump first). Scrape the aipstasia out and rinse out the overflow area out so it falls into the sock.
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
aiptasia in your overflow are great! Well as long as they don't make it back into the display. Aiptasia rock as filter feeders.. infact that's why they're so big there.
Vincerama2
Guest
I actually did try and get rid of them. I broke my overflow standpipe while I was at it. Well, actually, the screen.
Yeah, they make their way back into the display tank via a long travel through the sump system. I seem to have a new crop of them. I thought I clobbered the big ones with Joe's Juice...I think I was wrong! They came back...
I think I'm going to use a turkey baster and blast my overflow aiptasias with kalkpaste...
V
Yeah, they make their way back into the display tank via a long travel through the sump system. I seem to have a new crop of them. I thought I clobbered the big ones with Joe's Juice...I think I was wrong! They came back...
I think I'm going to use a turkey baster and blast my overflow aiptasias with kalkpaste...
V