# Have you ever seen this??



## pinkjell (Apr 22, 2010)

I was shining a small flashlight into my discus tank tonight..and this jumped out at me. Ive never seen my sponges look like this..the first pic is of a new sponge i just put in the tank, the second pic is a sponge that has been used for awhile in this tank. I looked at both sponges really carefully and there are little skittering bugs going in and out of the sponges...is this normal????? The tank is completely wiped down once a week, but I am scared now to squeeze that weird looking sponge and scared as to what these little bugs are..

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn176/pinkjello900/HPIM5307.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn176/pinkjello900/HPIM5304.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn176/pinkjello900/HPIM5303.jpg


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Is it discoloration in the sponge? Or somthing on top of it


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## Adz1 (Apr 21, 2010)

some type of bacteria growing in the sponge?


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## ~Lynae (Apr 21, 2010)

Are you talking about the little white worms??


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## Crazy_NDN (Apr 21, 2010)

the white'ish discolored blotchy spots? cant say ive had that happen before? maybe take it out and give it a fresh clean?


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

Sometimes my sponges look like that after & do a squeeze/cleaning.
After the air is released the sponge goes darker.
I've never had any bugs though,but I never checked or noticed any.

I don't see anything strange, other than the white thing in the last pic.


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

The white spot looks like it is either planaria or a detritus worm feeding on uneaten fish food and microorganisms trapped by the filter. They are harmless and found in the sand or gravel of all tanks, and can occasionally be seen on the glass or on filter sponges.


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## pinkjell (Apr 22, 2010)

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn176/pinkjello900/HPIM5304.jpg

the white stuff is what i was looking at - if you look at it closely, the large white areas dont move, but it does look like its something inside the sponge. I checked it again this morning and you can see it now even in normal lighting. Maybe i should throw it away just to be safe? i thought maybe thats what "seasoned" sponges looked like so i thought id post to see if others had the same thing happen to their sponges.

Im going to take it out tonight and inspect it..hopefully its nothing wormy. If it is..ill post the gross pictures


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

i would just get rid of it and start new.I would go with the azoo sponges that april has. I like them a lot better than the other brand..


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## seanyuki (Apr 22, 2010)

Seems to be uneaten food and got molds on the sponge .....soak the sponge in hot water and bleach it after.


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## darb (Apr 21, 2010)

I would simply leave them. Bacteria in an aquarium is perfectly normal and desirable. No need to be afraid!

If you bleach your sponge you are killing your biofilter and are thus going to ammonia problems to deal with for several weeks.

The "skittering bugs" are they smaller than a pinhead and swim in a jerky manner? If so, then probably copepods. A normal and harmless part of an established system.


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## pinkjell (Apr 22, 2010)

yes, the bugs are very jerky...and teeeny...but they are not only on sponges but on the sides of the tank as well - should they be skittering around the tank? I guess i thought beneficial bacteria was not visible ....


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

rinse your sponges and cut down on the food for a bit. no big deal..that looks like alage the bigger lighter spots.


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