jeffisme Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I'm trying to jump start a patch and would be glad to pick up some from anyone who has extra. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandoftiki Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I have about a baseball sized clump. I has some pineapple sponges in it, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffisme Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 thanks, but I think I'll avoid sponges if I can (not experienced enough). jeff I have about a baseball sized clump. I has some pineapple sponges in it' date=' too.[/quote'] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardedsmurf Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 thanks, but I think I'll avoid sponges if I can (not experienced enough). jeff The correct answer is: "Yes! Those will be very beneficial additions to my tank that will help filter out all the unwanted detritus and crud from the water column but otherwise requiring no additional care from me!" Trust me, you want sponges in your tank doing all the work FOR you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffisme Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 heck, I don't want to appear ungrateful because I'm not. I read either here or elsewhere about someone who got pineapple sponges in his/her skimmer and then in the tank and then when they died got some kind of diatom bloom, and I was just thinking, "Oh, no, I'm having enough tough luck and work as it is." That's the issue with forums (not necessarily this one). Someone says you should do one thing, and someone else disagrees (and pretty vehemently) and vice versa. It's hard for a newbie to know what to think. jeff The correct answer is: "Yes! Those will be very beneficial additions to my tank that will help filter out all the unwanted detritus and crud from the water column but otherwise requiring no additional care from me!" Trust me, you want sponges in your tank doing all the work FOR you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have some if happens that you have to be in N Portland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardedsmurf Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 heck, I don't want to appear ungrateful because I'm not. I read either here or elsewhere about someone who got pineapple sponges in his/her skimmer and then in the tank and then when they died got some kind of diatom bloom, and I was just thinking, "Oh, no, I'm having enough tough luck and work as it is." That's the issue with forums (not necessarily this one). Someone says you should do one thing, and someone else disagrees (and pretty vehemently) and vice versa. It's hard for a newbie to know what to think. jeff Hi Jeff, No worries! Sponges will grow where they will grow, usually in shady spots under rocks. If they were causing the skimmer to have issues or be less effective, than that was a maintenance issue that individual was not taking care of. As for them dying in the tank, it's not common for most things to have a mass die-off without a specific cause. I would say that person had a pretty unique case if a massive sponge die-off were the sole cause of a nutrient spike that caused a diatom bloom. We've already established they didn't maintain their equipment properly, so it's not a stretch to assume that they had let other water parameters/maintenance get out of whack for a long while as well. ------- ^^^ Aside from this ^^^ It's very common to get diatom and various nuisance algae blooms for the 1st few months to a year of a new tank, particularly if you have fish that are being fed/overfed (high nutrient systems). It happens to pretty much everyone and as your tank matures (and properly maintained...) these will fade and hopefully never happen again. In general, sponges act like free water purifiers. They take in cruddy water, absorb a lot of the nutrients, and kick out cleaner water - all for free! Mass die-offs are not common and will likely be traced to an external cause (that will probably be taking a lot of other flora/fauna with it, too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandoftiki Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Jeff, It's there if you want it. It's just stuff that I've taken out of my main display tank as it overgrew the refugium. It's just floating about in my 7.5 gallon pest free emergency tank. I mentioned the pineapple sponges because the vast majority of people like them. I certainly understand any apprehension or confusion regarding what's good/bad in your tank. This is one of the biggest challenges in this hobby. Reliable information. And do be honest, most of the best advice I've received came from local reefers with years of experience. Online forums are a great source of information, and unfortunately, disinformation. If you want some of the best advice and suggestions around, come to the happy hour that I'm setting up for next week. It'll be in SE Portland this time. I should be posting it up in the next day or two. We usually have at least a couple experienced reefers join us for drinks and saltwater chit-chat. We all have something to offer. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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