Anyone have experience with sponges?

[Coralreefdiver]

I recently aquired a beautiful chunk of Blue Sponge. It is a very pretty blue purple color, and it shaped very neat with holes and arches and such. It was attached to a small rock, but as I was trying to figure out where to stick him, the rock came off. Now I just sorta lightly wedged him in some crevices in my rockwork.

Whats the good, bad, and the ugly with this stuff? I have a much smaller bright orange sponge on some live rock I collected in the keys, that is doing great, with no problems. This about 4 inches by 3 in sponge.

What is recommended to feed this guy? Will frozen Cyclops work and live Brine shrimp?

What does it look like if its dying?

Thanks in advance...

K

 

[skipm]

I don't know alot about sponges but here is what I do know. You have to keep them submerged at all times, if they are exposed to air for even a few seconds air will become trapped in their cells and cause them to die. They are filter feeders but I think cyclopeeze is a bit big for them to eat, one of the liquid foods for inverts would be more suitable. I am not sure but I think they begin to turn black when they die, or maybe its that they darken. You should see some kind of color change at any rate.

 

[Jennie]

Everything Skip mention is true to what I have experienced with sponges. I did have a sponge that got caught up with micro bubbles but instead of it turning colors it just sort of crumbled. Keeping it fully submersed is very important!