Quote:
Originally posted by Vicboy--
My yellow polyps are shrinking and dying.
|
A photo of the affected polyps would help here. They are prolly one of any number of genus from Parazoanthus (esp. gracilis) to Palythoa and/or Protopalythoa and, depending on which genus (sometimes which specie as well) will require differing amounts of feeding to thrive in most home aquaria. Without the necessary bright lighting, these zooanthids may have a difficult time getting the necessary nutrition they need to multiply, or even sustain themselves. In tanks that use "chum" to feed the corals, there is usually enough suspended material from target feeding the primary corals that it is unnecessary to target feed the Zooanthids. However, if you don't chum the tank, or use Golden Pearls, etc., then it may be necessary to target feed them with either
frozen brine shrimp or some other finely divided nutrient/protein source. Although the brine shrimp are not normally my choice for feeding as they are not nutritious enough by themselves, they will give the zooanthids what they need in addition to
at least moderate lighting to be able to grow and thrive.
Quote:
|
My blue sponge in the same tank is also shrinking and there are large holes in it.
|
Some tank conditions just do not favor the growth of sponges, especially young tanks without DSB or systems that do not have refugea. Skimmerless systems will favor the necessary suspended material for these organisms to thrive, although it is not necessary to go skimmerless to keep sponges if you feed your tank with finely suspended material, or "blast" the rock every few days to suspend detritus and orther organic particles for these filter feeders to strain. One of the primary reasons that sponges decline in aquaria is inadequate measures to prevent their exposure to air; the air trapped in the structure of sponges will lead to the development of large necrotic areas that spread into healthy tissue until the ultimate demise of the sponge occurs. If this has happened, it will sometimes help to cut away pieces of healthy tissue and place them in dark slowly moving water without exposing them to air. If conditions are right, they will begin to grow in these areas without the problems of the original colony. Keep in mind that sponges will require low amounts of organosilicates
in appropriate amounts to really grow well. This can be supplied using regular water changes with a good salt mix, as even RO/DI water will pass some silicate (enough for sponges). Sponges compete with diatoms for silicate in the water column, outcompeting them when they are healthy, and eliminating the silicate source for diatoms to bloom.
