Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Family Esperiopsidae

Amphilectus fucorum

(Esper, 1794)

Orange Branching Sponge

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank

Range: Northern Atlantic Ocean: European Waters

Natural Environment: Inhabits rocky areas along the shorelines.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home tropical aquarium trade.

Best left in the wild.

Taxonomy:

    Kingdom: Animalia

    Phylum: Porifera

    Class: Demospongiae

    Subclass: Heteroscleromorpha

    Order: Poecilosclerida

    Family: Esperiopsidae

    Genus: Amphilectus

FYI: Shown here for identification purpose only.

Has a temperature range of 50 to 65°F (10 - 18°C).

Sponges posses no nervous, digestive or excretory systems, and feed by filtering suspended bacteria and fine detritus. Strong water movement is vital to almost all, not only for carrying food to these sessile creatures but also to carry waste/unused matter away. In fact, a sponge the size of a baseball can filter about fifty gallons of water per hour!

 Amphilectus fucorum (Orange Branching Sponge)
Photo © Keith Hiscock
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