ArmchairAquariest
New Member
Has anyone tried to grow a Red Beard Sponge (Clathria prolifera) in their brackish tank? They are estuarine sponges that have been recorded living down to 15 ppt = 1.011 specific gravity in the wild (though admittedly that is pushing things pretty hard). One does see them exposed in salt-marshes from time to time at low-tide.
I am just curious as I have always loved the bright coloration of sea sponges, but I am too poor and incompetent to be able to take on a marine tank. Meanwhile freshwater sponges are just that exact shade of green goo that makes it look like you have just let the algae get grossly out of control -- i.e. as unappealing to me as brightly colored sea sponges are deeply appealing to me. A brackish tank with some red beard sponge seemed like a reasonable compromise if that is actually a thing and not too much of just wishful thinking.
... how I wish nature saw fit to produce some "does not look like snot and algae glommed together in a most unappealing wad" freshwater sponges. To that effect I have heard there might be a yellow freshwater sponge in spongillidae from Australia, Spongilla botryoides I think, but I am having trouble tracking down much info on it (or determining if it is a "nice" color of yellow instead of "different hue of snot and algae wad"-looking.) Does anyone maybe have some info on this thing? (<-beg pardon for this second question of a not-exactly-brackish-related-nature).
I am just curious as I have always loved the bright coloration of sea sponges, but I am too poor and incompetent to be able to take on a marine tank. Meanwhile freshwater sponges are just that exact shade of green goo that makes it look like you have just let the algae get grossly out of control -- i.e. as unappealing to me as brightly colored sea sponges are deeply appealing to me. A brackish tank with some red beard sponge seemed like a reasonable compromise if that is actually a thing and not too much of just wishful thinking.
... how I wish nature saw fit to produce some "does not look like snot and algae glommed together in a most unappealing wad" freshwater sponges. To that effect I have heard there might be a yellow freshwater sponge in spongillidae from Australia, Spongilla botryoides I think, but I am having trouble tracking down much info on it (or determining if it is a "nice" color of yellow instead of "different hue of snot and algae wad"-looking.) Does anyone maybe have some info on this thing? (<-beg pardon for this second question of a not-exactly-brackish-related-nature).
