Red Ridge Sponge Dying

[phastroh]

I have had this Red Ridge Sponge in my tank for about 3 weeks or a bit longer. It was exposed to air a few times and it seems the tips are now not red and looking almost transparent but deteriorating very very very slowly.

Would this be enough to make my tank cycle be extended extra long.

I have removed almost all the sponge that was on the rocks but I have noticed this is the only sponge that is visibly looking like this.

 

[little_fish]

It might be, but its slowing dying either from the air or the constant ammonia level. But i would cut off the parts that are dying and try and save the healthy stuff.

And even though you have remove all the other sponge, it was in there long enough to keep the cycle going.

 

[Smitty]

+1 little fish...remove the white tips and try to save the rest of the sponge. They aren't suppose to touch air at all and is suppose to stay submerged at all times, which is the reason why it's dying.

 

[phastroh]

Yeah it happened when I did a water change twice so I moved it down to where a 20% change doesn't expose anything to air.

 

[PRC]

Sponges are also supposed to be in lower light...So if you had it at the top of the tank where a 20% water change was exposing it to air that's not helping.

Sponges need to have alot of flow, low light, and they need to be fed to survive.

They also need perfect water conditions, so if you're tank is cycling it probably wasn't the best time to introduce a sponge.

 

[phastroh]

Yeah I got all my sponge when I put in part 2 of my TBS.

All the other sponge has been fine except some on the rocks. I removed a lot of healthy sponge recently and have watched a lot grow. Starts as little tubes looking things and then kind of melts together it was cool to see.

I feed the tank phyto and some other liquid food but not a lot. The plants in there are happy somehow and everything else is doing fne. It is a miracle I guess.

My 2 Anemones are waving all around and are loving it.

But I don't know how it is all living with high nitrates. The ammonia and nitrites are not 0 either.

 

[PRC]

If you're still cycling...stop putting in phyto....That is probably the cause of the tank still cycling. In fact, if you're putting anything in the tank at this point...stop.

 

[phastroh]

K

I barely put any in so far so.I wont anymore