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Originally Posted by jtReef So I have a good question then. I alwasy thought sponges are conisdered good because they do a great job filtering the water. |
Not as much as you would think.
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Now the fact that they are growing is leading me to believe they are filtering too much and my water quality is not as good as I originally thought.
Can you confirm?
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Some species of sponge build their skeleton out of silica and some build their skeleton out of Calcium carbonate. Our tanks, even if you have the biggest skimmer in the world, still contains plenty of Dissolved Organic Materials and particulate detritus. In other words, if you have naturally growing sponges that were hitchhikers, your water condition isn't necessarily poor.
With that said, don't go out and buy any decorative sponges. Non-photosynthetic sponges often don't get sufficient current in our tanks and they slowly starve. They are also typically bigger than hitchhikers and therefore require more food. I.e. you would have to be feeding plankton substitutes on a regular basis in addition to good current.