Quote:
Originally posted by maryrosi
I strongly advise removing any sponges that are growing on the rock even if they appear to be alive. Sponges can cause the most fouling during the curing process. This is necessary as sponges that have been exposed to air for any length of time usually die as a result of the system not having a means for removing air that has gotten trapped in their tissues. So even though they appear alive, they are already dying due to this exposure. Also sponges tend to die slowly, so while they may appear alive on the rock, they are in the process of dying and could release organics into the water for an extended period of time. The worst offender on this account is the chicken liver sponge. This black or dark brown sponge encrusts a lot of the live rock that comes out of Florida and the Caribbean. If not removed promptly, this sponge will die over several months releasing organics the entire time. It is best to remove any fragment of this sponge. All of the macro algae should also be plucked from the rock as well. Not only will most of the algae die from the trip, releasing nutrients, but what is left will also grow profusely due to this excess of nutrients.
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Now I'm confused again
I'm 10 mins from Tampa Bay Saltwater. I'm about to buy 520 lbs of live rock and I'm getting myself confused about a couple of things.
I picked up a 15lb rock 3 weeks ago, for my 90G, with all kind of sponges on it brown,black and orange all seem to be doing well, vent tubes open. TBS said thier rock does not need to be cured because it's only out of the water a few seconds. All I needed to do when I got home was stick it in the tank. If I follow this article I need to pull off all the sponges.
Someone please clear up my clouded mind