Sponge vs skimmer

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zerokewl

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Does anyone run sponges instead of a skimmer on a nano tank ? I have a 15 gallon and I'm thinking of trying a yellow ball sponge instead of a skimmer . From what iv read they filter the same way ?

Screenshot_20230330_080537_Chrome.jpg
 

Miami Reef

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Bad idea. Sponges aren’t nearly as effective as skimmers, and the sponge will most likely die anyway because they are considered expert-only, whose requirements aren’t fully understood.
 

bushdoc

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I do not think it is sponge vs skimmer, they work on different principles and absorb different stuff.
Skimmer removes dissolved organic matter, sponge filters micro/nano plankton, including bacteria, but not DOM.
This particular sponge, you are considering is doing better in well established tanks, probably not in nano tanks.
 
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AquaticYeti

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I do not think it is sponge vs skimmer, they work on different principles and absorb different stuff.
Skimmer removes dissolved organic matter, sponge filters micro/nano plankton, including bacteria, but not DOM.
This particular sponge, you are considering is doing better in well established tanks, probably not in nano tanks.
75g is a minimal setup with no sump only filtering with live rock and a marineland polishing filter; no automation other than lighting so I gave fluctuations with parameters.
M
75g is a minimal setup with no sump only filtering with live rock and a marineland polishing filter; no automation other than lighting so I gave fluctuations with parameters.
 

AquaticYeti

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@bushdoc and @Miami Reef

I don’t mean to highjack but your commenting were interesting when thinking of my setup and this conversation could add value to future reefers.

I have pink and blue sponges growing throughout my tank, primarily around corals, and would like to eradicate so they don’t outcompete the corals.

As far as parameters, my 75g is a minimal setup with no sump, only filtering with live rock and a marineland polishing filter and 20% water changes biweekly. I have no automation other than lighting so I have fluctuations with parameters.

Y’all’s thoughts?
 

Timfish

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I wouldn't get a ball sponge as they tend not to do well long term. As far as using living sponges in general I think the research is pretty solid that at least some species are essential recyclers and can remove DOC(DOM) 1000X faster than the bacterioplankton removed by skimmers. They are a double edge sword though in they have been implicated in working with algae causing phase shifts to algae dominated reefs when they get too much labile DOC. Here's links if you're interested in reading more. FWIW the best source for cryptic sponges is maricultured live rock. (Gulf Live ROck, Tampa Bay Saltwater, KP Aquatics)


Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponge finding some species process labile DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop.
Sponges treat DOC from algae differently than DOC from corals

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.

Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)

The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs
 
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