It is attached to the rock base of a very large unknown Sarcophyton. I'll post pics of that toadstool at another time in the hopes of getting an ID as well. I need to get good pics of it.
Black Sponge ID?!
- Thread starter ReyDeFarts
- Start date
It is attached to the rock base of a very large unknown Sarcophyton. I'll post pics of that toadstool at another time in the hopes of getting an ID as well. I need to get good pics of it.
Alexander1312
Supporting Member
Looks very interesting - totally random but I uploaded the picture into Perplexity Pro to see if it can identiify it. This is what it said, curious what the real answer is though.
Thanks for sharing that. I've never tried Perplexity. I appreciate the insight. I'll plug in that genus and species and see what more I can learn.
Although, it definitely does not have the ball shape indicated by the pictures of that species.
@TheRealMadMax had these in his tank as well
Patio
Supporting Member
My black sponge grows more blob like than your silo like towers. Maybe just different stages of growth but same type? It has been in the tank for several years and grown at a slow rate and mostly in shaded areas.Slow enough that I have let it ride.
Here is a pic from the web that shows similar blob like growth to mine:
Here is a pic from the web that shows similar blob like growth to mine:
That's the kind I had on my old rock, very slow growth like you said.
I agree with this. Very slow growth. I'm not concerned about it taking over. I'm intrigued and would prefer to keep it alive the best I can. It is currently only shaded by the structure of the large toadstool. It doesn't seem to mind that it gets quite a bit of light. Would it be better to try and put it in the sump area instead? Or just leave it?
Don't expose it to air if it's something u wanna keep. Container it under water. I heard Air kills some sponges immediately.
I dunno it seems to have gotten some light but grew now towards the dark.
Yours is growing toward the dark? This one doesn't have much of a choice where it's at.
Also, it is attached to a very large rock base. I'll try to get a better pic of the whole thing later. It would be nice to see if I can somehow get a piece off to throw it in the sump to see if it does better.
tribbitt
Supporting Member
Kenny @under_water_ninja also has a really cool black sponge in one of his displays (a different one)
Sponges are pretty hard to positively ID
Might vary sponge to sponge. I have one of the more invasive sponges wrapped around one of my lords. Scraped off, then peroxide, then wiped down with a dry paper towel, it comes back. My next course of action is to drip vinegar on it to dissolve the spicules but idk at this point lol
Apparently the pigment can either be a sunscreen - some sponges produce melanin, or it can come from endosymbiotic cyanobacteria that actually use the light. I've got no clue what your sponge is though, so the sump test would be cool to see
Sponges are pretty hard to positively ID
Might vary sponge to sponge. I have one of the more invasive sponges wrapped around one of my lords. Scraped off, then peroxide, then wiped down with a dry paper towel, it comes back. My next course of action is to drip vinegar on it to dissolve the spicules but idk at this point lol
Apparently the pigment can either be a sunscreen - some sponges produce melanin, or it can come from endosymbiotic cyanobacteria that actually use the light. I've got no clue what your sponge is though, so the sump test would be cool to see
Thanks bud! I appreciate the insight and wisdom. I'll get a piece and throw it in the sump to see what happens. I didn't consider either of those as a reason for why it's that dark.