Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Family Ianthellidae

Ianthella flabelliformis

(Pallas, 1766)

Giant Sponge

Likely Reef Tank Suitable

Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean

Natural Environment: Inhabits reef 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: Verongimorpha

    Order: Verongiida

    Family: Ianthellidae

    Genus: Ianthella

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!

 Ianthella flabelliformis (Giant Sponge)
Photo © Daniel Geiger
Ianthella basta Iophon laevistylus
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