Help! New red tree sponge has white junk on it!

[sean]

I need some help. I just bought a nice large red tree sponge, Ptilocaulis species, and it was looking very good for about 4 days. I noticed this morning that it has several large white areas now that look as if if might be dieing off. I never exposed it to any air, so I don't know what could be wrong. My water quality is good and there is plenty of current. The areas most affected are in the shade near the bottom, but there are a few areas in the bright light up top as well.
Is there anything I can do to stop the progression of this 'white' stuff? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sean

[Geoff]

sponges like a slower current. they need to be able to draw the water into themselve from the outside and expell it out the top. if the currents are to fast then it makes it difficult for this to occur on some sides of the sponge. are the spots more on one side then the other? maybe you do not have enough organics in the tank to feed the sponge. do you have any of the white ball sponges growing on the undersides of your LR? if not then maybe your water quality is to good. you could try turning of the skimmer for a day and see if that helps. light is not important to the sponge.

hth,

G~