sponge attack?

[klg1824]

Has anyone heard of sponges attacking corals? We think we have a white sponge thing in our tank. It's about the size of a half dollar and looks gooey. It doesn't move much. Should we be concerned? Thanks!
Katrina

 

[snapcrackler]

I have a couple of sponges they just sit around and grow a little - mine are pink and brown, respectively.

I found this in an article, though..

"The sponges here don't look like Sponge Bob Square Pants. They also don't look like the square sponges......."

WAIT.... that's not it... here we go....

"Some sponges grow on the undersides of corals and help hold pieces of corals together like glue. Other sponges can damage the coral. These sponges have an acid that eats into the corals. These sponges bore into the corals and can cause them to break apart. "

Here's the link.
http://www.theoceanadventure.com/VIie02/DAY7VI.html

So now we gotta figure out which sponges are the acid-eating kind... and mine looked so harmless! 8O

Hope this helps a little.

 

[steve-s]

Has anyone heard of sponges attacking corals?

Yes, but it does not sound like you describe. There are types of >>boring sponges<< but are generally some sort of color.

The "gooey" sponge sounds more like a calcerous sponge (Leucosolenia sp) unless it's actually growing on the coral and causing damage it may also be a type of boring algae.

Best suggestion is to take a pic and post it. Words often do not relay the proper info that a picture can...

Cheers
Steve