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You are here: Home / Saltwater Aquariums / Sponges / Sponges in the Marine Aquarium

Sponges in the Marine Aquarium

by greg.chernoff

Coral reef aquaria, and the science of maintaining them, have advanced by leaps and bounds in the last decade. Much of this owes to progress in the area of foods and feeding. Many marine creatures (especially filter-feeding invertebrates like sponges) that were once deemed difficult or even impossible to keep are now cultured with regularity. These developments will surely result in a much greater selection and availability of “oddball” aquarium livestock in coming years.

Sponges, at least as a group, are not rare in any way. Indeed, they are found in great abundance and diversity on most coral reefs. If anything, they are rather poorly represented in the aquarium hobby. Despite their sometimes stunning beauty, they are unusual to aquarists for one reason: They have a really, really bad record of survivability in captivity. This low success rate is attributable to several things. Sometimes, it’s as simple as bad pairing. For example, a single pomacanthid angelfish can consume a large sponge in a matter of days. Other reasons are not always so obvious; too often, improper harvesting/handling practices (e.g. air exposure) dooms an otherwise healthy specimen before it even reaches a retailer. But the biggest longstanding concern for captive sponges is nutrition.

To address this concern, it may be helpful to understand the basic anatomy of these “animals” and how they feed.

Many Many Mouths

Of all animals, sponges (Phylum Porifera) are most closely related to the colonial choanoflagellates that are the progenitors of the animal kingdom. These very primitive creatures are so simple in structure that they really are a lot more like colonies than distinct organisms. They lack nerves and muscles. In fact, overall, their cells are so unspecialized that they lack (at least in the opinion of some biologists) true tissues. In a lot of ways, sponges are really just a big pile of loosely associated cells.

That being said, individual cells can not only sense and react to environmental stimuli but communicate with other cells. The simplest of sponge bodies are composed of a hollow sack or sheet that is perforated with numerous tiny pores. The body is more or less composed of just two kinds of cells, the flagellated choanocytes and the wandering amoebocytes. The sponge draws water into itself through these pores whereupon it enters a central cavity called a spongocoel. From there, water exits through a duct called an osculum.

Alright, it can get a little bit more complicated than that. More advanced sponges exhibit modest structural complexity in the form of distinct body shapes (candelabras, vases, etc.), folded body walls, highly branched water canals, multiple oscula, etc. But the body plan of all sponges is very much centered on their feeding activity.

Sponges are (with few exceptions) filter-feeders. Aside from the frenetic activity of their many flagella, sponges are almost completely incapable of any kind of deliberate movement. Thus, to eat, they must push tiny morsels to and through their bodies via miniscule, self-generated water currents. It is the choanocyte that pushes water and traps food particles; it is the amoebocyte that engulfs and digests them. A sponge must, on average, filter approximately 275 gallons of water to capture enough food to gain three ounces of biomass.

[Phyto]

Feeding your Captive Sponges

The vast majority of sponges are nanoplanktivores, feeding upon the tiniest of plankton. This group includes bacteria and the smallest species of phytoplankton. In some cases, minute bits of particulate organic matter may be consumed. In just a few cases, sponges can harbor zooxanthellate algae much like corals and tridacnid clams.

Aside from good water quality and strong water movement, captive sponges need lots and lots of planktonic foods of the appropriate size. Some of this food certainly is produced in situ, as most systems have at least minimal amounts of bacteria and phytoplankton in the water column. Blooms of heterotrophic bacterioplankton, for example, take place for short periods of time following carbon dosing. Of all the planktonic organisms in aquarium water, however, nanoplankton are the first to be removed/killed by UV sterilization and protein skimming. And then, of course, there is competition from other filter-feeders. Corals, clams, tube worms and other filter-feeders can very selectively (and very quickly!) clear the water of choice planktonic food items, including marine snow.

For these reasons and more, successfully maintaining sponges long-term in aquaria requires that foods be added frequently. This usually cannot be the willy-nilly addition of artificial, liquid “invert” diets. While each sponge species has its own dietary requirements, sponges generally demand a live nanoplankter. Such can be supplied with the nutritious bacteria (Rhodopseudomonas palustris) in PNS Probio or PNS YelloSno by Hydrospace LLC, or with the very small algae (Nannochloropsis gaditana) in OceanMagik. Used as directed, these products likely supply sufficient nourishment for a single specimen in the average system. However, in a system that is packed with sponges and/or other fine filter-feeders, more frequent additions or even continuous dosing may be necessary!

The Future for Aquarium Sponges

There are many species of sponge that show up (albeit sporadically) in the trade. The red finger sponge (Haliclona rubens), for example, appears from time to time. Their curious and famous ability to regenerate from small fragments might cause one to imagine a day when they will be sold on small plugs. Attractive, fascinating and rewarding, these simple animals could become far more popular as quality live aquarium foods continue to become available.
[Phyto]

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Asad Khan says

    November 25, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    I did not know sponges had their own specific diet and needed to be target fed. very interesting.

    Reply
  2. Jonathan says

    November 25, 2019 at 6:33 pm

    Never have much luck with sponges.

    Reply
  3. Nickn says

    November 25, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    I find sponges very interesting and not just becaue of spongebob but i dont think id have the means to keep one happy

    Reply
  4. Mike Mijarez says

    November 25, 2019 at 8:38 pm

    Would it be a good idea for reef tank?

    Reply
  5. robert vice says

    November 25, 2019 at 10:18 pm

    I tried to save a spider so he for a friend with no luck

    Reply
  6. Kinue says

    November 25, 2019 at 11:38 pm

    Sponges very rarely do well in my tanks. Good info to try new things though.

    Reply
  7. dartagnon_1965 says

    November 26, 2019 at 3:21 am

    I believe my uncle had a sponge in his tank..it died.

    Reply
  8. F Fudge says

    November 26, 2019 at 6:26 am

    #nailedit

    Reply
  9. Joe car says

    November 26, 2019 at 6:58 am

    I need a sponge!!!

    Reply
  10. Becky says

    November 26, 2019 at 7:15 am

    I don’t really like any sponges but they help clean up the water so that is good.

    Reply
  11. Wilfredo Robles says

    November 26, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    in my refuguim i have a few

    Reply
  12. Cassandre-Leigh Klaasen says

    November 26, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Wow – didn’t know they were so hard to get rid of !

    Reply
  13. Richard Baer says

    November 26, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    There are definitely some beautiful sponges, but I find them less satisfying to care for an look at than corals and inverts, so I’ll stay away for now.

    Reply
  14. polygonreef says

    November 26, 2019 at 5:19 pm

    Never knew!

    Reply
  15. Michgander reefer says

    November 26, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    Not a big fan of sponges but good read

    Reply
  16. Matt Blefeld says

    November 26, 2019 at 7:57 pm

    Have a bunch in my tank, purple variety, and they help keep the water crystal clear

    Reply
  17. Joseph Striegel says

    November 26, 2019 at 8:27 pm

    Have a red finger sponge for 1 year now doing great

    Reply
  18. Joseph Striegel says

    November 26, 2019 at 8:27 pm

    Have a red finger sponge for 1 year now doing great

    Reply
  19. Steven Rodriguez says

    November 26, 2019 at 8:36 pm

    I have a couple in my tank they are awesome

    Reply
  20. liesle_memmott says

    November 26, 2019 at 9:05 pm

    I get a few hiding in my rocks and sump. I try to leave them alone due to the beneficial. I don’t think I’d like them taking over my reef though in an image fashion

    Reply
  21. Christopher Burns says

    November 26, 2019 at 10:00 pm

    cool

    Reply
  22. Dallas Tippie says

    November 27, 2019 at 12:40 am

    My tank is filled with sponges!

    Reply
  23. daroberts87 says

    November 27, 2019 at 7:18 am

    Happy thanksgiving

    Reply
  24. Brett says

    November 27, 2019 at 8:39 am

    Cool info!

    Reply
  25. whwhunt says

    November 27, 2019 at 9:59 am

    I really like the macro sponges but can never expose them to air.

    Reply
  26. Liz McDaneld says

    November 27, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    Would love to have a sponge oneday

    Reply
  27. Liz McDaneld says

    November 27, 2019 at 4:02 pm

    Would love to have a sponge some day

    Reply
  28. Feather says

    November 27, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    Good blog to read and learn more on sponges

    Reply
  29. Aaron says

    November 27, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    sponges would be kewl in my tank

    Reply
  30. Nicholas Steele says

    November 28, 2019 at 5:31 am

    Would be cool to have but I don’t think I could provide the food for them.

    Reply
  31. Richard Gorelick says

    November 28, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    Looking forward to trying some sort of Atlantic sponge in my Caribbean nano, should I be worried about my Cherub Angel?

    Reply
  32. Tim Kubajak says

    November 28, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    Thanks for the great info!

    Reply
  33. Echo says

    November 28, 2019 at 9:17 pm

    Sponges are really cool looking. I am thinking about sponges when I get a larger tank.

    Reply
  34. dcallahan56789 says

    November 29, 2019 at 9:02 am

    I have pineapple sponges on the underside of rockwork and everywhere in my sump and refugium. I know they are beneficial, any science on how beneficial? How much water they will actually filter? What pineapple sponges eat?

    Reply
  35. Wesley Spangler says

    November 29, 2019 at 9:05 pm

    Years ago I had a blue sponge that did really well until I started to carbon dose.

    Reply
  36. phyllis owens says

    November 30, 2019 at 8:22 am

    love sponges

    Reply
  37. Luis Aceves says

    November 30, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    Thank you for the info.

    Reply
  38. James says

    November 30, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    I have had sponges since I set up my tank, but any that I bought have not fared well.

    Reply
    • Carol L Brown says

      August 4, 2020 at 8:47 am

      I have had. Hundreds of the white sponges start growing in my seahorse tank? Will they affect or hurt my horses??

      Reply
  39. James says

    November 30, 2019 at 8:27 pm

    Store bought bad luck,hitchhikers good luck.

    Reply

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