How Long Can a Detached Sponge Live?

Sponges are hardy and adaptable. Their cells have an amazing ability to renew and regenerate. In experiments, sponges have survived being mashed up, pushed through a stainer and poured into a beaker of water. When transported, however, they are more vulnerable. You have to take specific steps to ensure their survival.

  1. Purchasing the Right Specimen

    • Purchase your sponge from a reputable dealer. The dealer should know what kind of habitat the sponge came from and is best suited for, as well as how to best take care of it. Look for a healthy sponge with no dying parts. Avoid sponges with discolorations, fuzzy spots or clear spots. Make sure the tank environment the sponge is coming from is similar to the one you're introducing him to.

    Detached Sponges

    • Most sponges live anchored in a single spot, attached to a rock or substrate layer in water. Although they shift a bit and slowly change shape, they generally stay put. Introducing a new sponge to your tank requires uprooting him from his home. This can shock the sponge; he'll stress as he tries to adapt to a new ecosystem. It's important to get him settled in the new home promptly and to carefully take the proper steps to ensure his survival.

    Transporting the Sponge

    • While sponges can live detached long enough to be introduced to a new tank, you should begin acclimating him to the new environment immediately. It's vital that the sponge is not exposed to air at any point. A few seconds out of water will kill most sponges. Float the sponge, still in the sealed bag, in the tank for a few minutes to equalize the temperature. Place the bag in a bucket and drip water from the tank into the bag at a rate of two drops per second. When the bucket fills up and the bag is submerged, close off the bag and place it in the tank. Ensure that the bag is completely underwater before removing the sponge.

    Placement in Your Aquarium

    • Note where in the seller's tank the sponge lived before. His placement in his new home should be similar. If the sponge was originally thriving in an open place with high water flow, you don't want to hide him in a corner of your tank with low water flow. Place him on a live rock. Talk to your dealer for specific guidance. Healthy sponges will change size and shape in order to fit the flow, light and food availability conditions of the new environment.

    Feeding and Nutrition

    • While some sponges create their own food from sunlight like plants, others eat small prey like shrimp. Most aquarium sponges, however, feed on small particles in the water. They get their food by pulling water through small openings called ostia. They capture food particles such as dissolved organic matter and push out water with waste through their oscula. Learn about the needs of your specific sponge species so you can place them in the proper flow conditions. Some tanks can harm sponges if water pumps over them too rapidly, inhibiting an efficient exchange of oxygen and waste. Generally, most sponges do better in high flow conditions, as it allows them to spend less energy pumping water through themselves.