sick sponge

[melissfish]

my sponge is wasting away underneath its colonial anemone which still looks ok and continues to flower occasionally (it only ever flowers occasionally) but i dont know why the sponge seems to be going brown and droopy at the tips. ive tried moving it and increasing currents to no avail. any advice on how to save it would be much appreciated[/img]

Can you post a pic? Sponges can be a tricky, do you know what species.

Cheers
Steve

[melosu58]

You did not expose him to air when you put him in the tank did you? It most likely will not survive if it had contact with open air.

All sponges, including the Moon Sponge require some very special care in order to survive in the home aquarium. The most critical concern is that the Moon Sponge should never be exposed to the air. If it is, the air becomes trapped in the matrix of channels that line the inside of its body. With air blocking the path for planktonic food to reach its cells, it will basically starve.

This is copied from Live Aquaria

[melissfish]

i tried to post a pic but my digi camera will not take them small enough to be accepted for posting, too many megapixels. no idea what species it is orange, with a white growth on it. i later found out this is a colonial anemone, it flowers sometimes and it looks healthier than the sponge.

The explaination provided by melosu58 is most likely what's happened. Either that or your "colony" has caused cell damage. Basically the result is the same though.

You can try fragging it to see if a healthy piece can be saved but in all honesty most times once it begins there's no saving them.

Cheers
Steve

[melissfish]

will it damage the colonial anemone if i frag it

Depends on the colony and how you frag it. I'm guessing by colonial anemone you mean Zoanthuds? If that's the case, they shouldn't be bothered too much by fragging the sponge. I would actually seperate the sponge from the zoo colony completely.

Cheers
Steve

[melissfish]

not sure how i would seperate them

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissamurray/

and if i should trim the tips

Any chance you can get a better (clearer) pic? That one is quite blurry, at first glance it looks more like a branching tunicate species, not a sponge.

Cheers
Steve