Shell growing in my water sponge!

raginggnome · Post by **raginggnome** » 03 Jun 2010, 23:45

There's a shell ( don't know what kind... not a turbo, more like a snail shell common to snails in the lakes around my home in Minnesota) growing in my crabs' freshwater dish! Is this bad? Good?

emmac350 · Post by **emmac350** » 04 Jun 2010, 02:46

Could you post a picture of it?

raginggnome · Post by **raginggnome** » 04 Jun 2010, 03:29

Sure, in a step I should have previously taken, I'll snap one at home tonight.

ladybug15057 · Post by **ladybug15057** » 04 Jun 2010, 09:35

Did you buy the sponge at a pet store or? Would it happen to be an almost dark coffee brown colored sponge? (I do not use the Estes sand, or have since this picture) but dark brown as in the white plastic food jar and the shallow water pond I use to use?
http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x276 ... n-Tank.jpg

If so these are natural sea sponges and are rarely cleaned before sale. It is not uncommon to come across small shells, corals, rock, in these sponges. (aka shell grit...at least that is what is was referred to) Our hermies would eat at these dark sponges and tear them apart to eat them. These are one sponge that do contain a small amount of chitin in them as well.

raginggnome · Post by **raginggnome** » 05 Jun 2010, 04:42

I bought it from the crabbage patch, it's natural. i'll go snap a picture right now.

raginggnome · Post by **raginggnome** » 05 Jun 2010, 04:47

Here's the pic - lighting is awful, I'll try to remember to photoshop it at work on monday if I have time.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3 ... d=74603368

Post by **Wai** » 05 Jun 2010, 09:17

So is the shell increasing in size? If yes, there's probably a snail in it.

ladybug15057 · Post by **ladybug15057** » 05 Jun 2010, 11:40

Yep, that is about as natural as a sponge gets.

I use to order my sponges from Steve who owned PetDiscounters. His sponges were HUGE and not expensive at all. I would boil them before use, and they did have the scent of the ocean when boiled too.

raginggnome · Post by **raginggnome** » 05 Jun 2010, 22:41

It's definitely growing, but there appears to be some sponge coming out the hole, as though there's another hole in it and it's growing around the sponge (or vice versa?)

I don't think I boiled it when I got it, I suppose I should buy another one and boil it first, I've had this one for a long time.

ladybug15057 · Post by **ladybug15057** » 06 Jun 2010, 02:46

How do you sterilize the sponge? So the 'sponge' appears to be reproducing, not the shell itself growing?

Shell growing in my water sponge!

Shell growing in my water sponge!

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