Porifera
Red Tree Sponge
Sponges belong to the Porifera phylum. They are one of the perfect examples of simple creature without any organ and studying their morphology, it shows that they are just collection of individual cells bonded together. Sponges can attain irregular and different shapes. They are somehow colorful, easy to care, requiring very little attention from the aquarist. But however, they can also be extremely fragile and the worst threat to their survival is often suffering from dehydration. Thus, it is imperative that during transportation of sponges and transferring into reef tank, they must never be exposed to the environment air or else even for a slight and brief exposure, it can have dire consequences.
Sponges just like the fanworms and anemones, are also filter feeder as they sieve out the bacteria and other fine particles from the moving current as foods. For them to survive and propagate well in the reef tank, a person must find a suitable spot whereby the sponges must not be overly-exposed to the strong metal halide lighting or else it will promote abundance of algae growth on their body. Usually they can attach to live rocks or any other substrate including the bottom sand but if possible, it would be best to look for caves and rocks openings so that they have perfect shade and cover. Hand feeding this creature is not necessary, and often, even without intervention from the aquarist, they will do just fine.
Some of the sponges like for example Haliclona compressa, simple name “red tree sponge” can be very attractive and is often sought after by anybody into the reef hobby. Just ask anybody in the reef business and they will tell you why not having any of these sponges will mean your reef collection is not complete.
Related invertebrates:
Getting to know the Crustaceans
Sponges just like the fanworms and anemones, are also filter feeder as they sieve out the bacteria and other fine particles from the moving current as foods. For them to survive and propagate well in the reef tank, a person must find a suitable spot whereby the sponges must not be overly-exposed to the strong metal halide lighting or else it will promote abundance of algae growth on their body. Usually they can attach to live rocks or any other substrate including the bottom sand but if possible, it would be best to look for caves and rocks openings so that they have perfect shade and cover. Hand feeding this creature is not necessary, and often, even without intervention from the aquarist, they will do just fine.
Some of the sponges like for example Haliclona compressa, simple name “red tree sponge” can be very attractive and is often sought after by anybody into the reef hobby. Just ask anybody in the reef business and they will tell you why not having any of these sponges will mean your reef collection is not complete.
Related invertebrates:
Getting to know the Crustaceans
