Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Family Microcionidae

Clathria basilana

Levi, 1959

Red Vase Sponge

Likely Reef Tank Suitable

Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable

Range: Western Pacific Ocean: Philippines.

Natural Environment: Inhabits caves, crevices, and slope areas where current is swift.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home aquarium trade.

Best left in the wild.

Taxonomy:

    Kingdom: Animalia

    Phylum: Porifera

    Class: Demospongiae

    Subclass: Heteroscleromorpha

    Order: Poecilosclerida

    Family: Microcionidae

    Genus: Clathria

FYI: Shown here for identification only.

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!

 Clathria basilana (Red Vase Sponge)
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