Paul B's thread
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Paul B
paul b
I collected 50 gallons of very cold water. The water is "scurvier" today than it usually is in the winter when it is normally crystal clear but we had a huge storm here a couple of days ago. The water is probably full of nitrates from all the golf courses we have here so I may get an algae spurt. 
The silicates here are very high so I will remove them because my encrusting, annoying sponge grows on the stuff.
I am cleaning it up now as it is full of chopped up seaweed and the stuff that is in the Hot Dog carts in Manhattan.
The silicates here are very high so I will remove them because my encrusting, annoying sponge grows on the stuff.
I am cleaning it up now as it is full of chopped up seaweed and the stuff that is in the Hot Dog carts in Manhattan.
Chlorinated
Non-member
I would take walks ever morning if I had views like that.
BiGGiePauls33
Current BRS President
Paul B
paul b
I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with my tank. The sponge took over most of the real estate and it killed all the hard corals and some of the others. I have been having luck killing it by injecting vinegar into it but as it dies it creates hair algae and a stringy slime which I am sure isn't good. It doesn't affect the fish at all as they are still spawning and looking great.
I don't have another tank (yet) but I may have to start one just so I can take out the sponge infested rock and maybe leave it in the dark for a few weeks. I am doing an experiment now with some heavily encrusted rocks that I dipped in tap water for one minute to see if that kills the stuff.
I would rather not dip all my sponge infested rock in tap water because it is loaded with brittle stars, bristle worms, copepods and amphipods that I want to keep and I am not sure if the fresh water will kill that. I know it kills brittle stars in a few seconds but I have thousands of them.
I know I can't keep it going like it is because I can't put anything else in there. My workshop is full now with non-fish projects so I have to finish those before I start this difficult, time consuming task. My wife also takes up much of my free time now as her MS is slowly progressing so she can't do much.
I don't have another tank (yet) but I may have to start one just so I can take out the sponge infested rock and maybe leave it in the dark for a few weeks. I am doing an experiment now with some heavily encrusted rocks that I dipped in tap water for one minute to see if that kills the stuff.
I would rather not dip all my sponge infested rock in tap water because it is loaded with brittle stars, bristle worms, copepods and amphipods that I want to keep and I am not sure if the fresh water will kill that. I know it kills brittle stars in a few seconds but I have thousands of them.
I know I can't keep it going like it is because I can't put anything else in there. My workshop is full now with non-fish projects so I have to finish those before I start this difficult, time consuming task. My wife also takes up much of my free time now as her MS is slowly progressing so she can't do much.
Joe Rice
Well-Known Member
Is it just on the left side or has it spread to the whole tank?
Even if it's spread to the whole tank, if it spreads slowly enough, could you removed half the rock on one side and replace it with dry rock, wait some time until that get's matured and then replace the other side?
Still a lot of work...
Paul B
paul b
No, it's on everything. It has had 5 years to spread and I can't keep up with it.
I will remove a bunch of it and put it in a dark vat for a month or so and see what happens. I dipped a large iece in tap water and put it back in the tank. If that starts dying I will do it to all the rocks. The dark vat won't kill the pods or bacteria but I am sure I won't be able to eliminate all the sponge but If I kill most of it I can keep it in check.
The hardest part is that this tank is old so the corals are not on plugs but growing on the rock. I will need to cut them all off the rock and re glue them on clean rock. A real pain.
I wished some fish geek lived near me and had nothing to do for a few hours. But I will get through it. I have to collect about 80 gallons of water because when this sponge dyes, I will have to change all of the water in the vat.
It is the light blue and purple stuff everywhere. It is nice looking just like montipora. If it didn't cover the corals it would be great.
I will remove a bunch of it and put it in a dark vat for a month or so and see what happens. I dipped a large iece in tap water and put it back in the tank. If that starts dying I will do it to all the rocks. The dark vat won't kill the pods or bacteria but I am sure I won't be able to eliminate all the sponge but If I kill most of it I can keep it in check.
The hardest part is that this tank is old so the corals are not on plugs but growing on the rock. I will need to cut them all off the rock and re glue them on clean rock. A real pain.
I wished some fish geek lived near me and had nothing to do for a few hours. But I will get through it. I have to collect about 80 gallons of water because when this sponge dyes, I will have to change all of the water in the vat.
It is the light blue and purple stuff everywhere. It is nice looking just like montipora. If it didn't cover the corals it would be great.
Paul B
paul b
I am in the process of mixing a lot of ASW. I am going to make the biggest water change I ever had, maybe 80 gallons because I think all the silicates from my NSW are feeding this invasive sponge. I will change the water then in the old water in a huge vat I will put the sponge rock in the dark until the sponge croaks.
I will have enough clean rock from the bottom of my aquascape to keep the fish happy and I also have some dry rock laying around if needed.
I have not cleaned my tank in the 5 years I am here and a undergravel filter needs this cleaning eventually anyway so this will give me an opportunity to do this.
Unfortunately I will lose many corals and anemones because none of my corals are on those frag things and all of them are growing on the rock so I will have to cut off what I can save and leave them in the tank. I can't save them all as they are stuck everywhere but it is what it is.
I only have enough capacity to hold about 80 gallons of water so I will need to buy another garbage can or big vat to do such a large change because I need to save water to put the rock in and due to the sponge hopefully disintegrating, I will need to change that water often.
After all the sponge is eliminated, I will again start using NSW for water changes.
I am also getting much to old to do this myself.
I will have enough clean rock from the bottom of my aquascape to keep the fish happy and I also have some dry rock laying around if needed.
I have not cleaned my tank in the 5 years I am here and a undergravel filter needs this cleaning eventually anyway so this will give me an opportunity to do this.
Unfortunately I will lose many corals and anemones because none of my corals are on those frag things and all of them are growing on the rock so I will have to cut off what I can save and leave them in the tank. I can't save them all as they are stuck everywhere but it is what it is.
I only have enough capacity to hold about 80 gallons of water so I will need to buy another garbage can or big vat to do such a large change because I need to save water to put the rock in and due to the sponge hopefully disintegrating, I will need to change that water often.
After all the sponge is eliminated, I will again start using NSW for water changes.
I am also getting much to old to do this myself.
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