Acclimation: like all invertebrates it is very sensitive to even minor changes in water chemistry; acclimate it slowly, by floating or drip, without rushing. Above all, NEVER take it out of the water, whether at purchase, in transport or during acclimation: even brief contact with air traps bubbles in its pores that block the flow of water, and the colony then starves or decomposes.
Placement: put it in moderate to strong flow that brings food and carries waste away, but never where air bubbles can be forced into the colony (skimmer outlet, agitated surface). For most sponges light matters little; strong light grows algae on the colony, which clogs its pores and stops it feeding.
Difficulty and risks: Quality Marine rates it 'difficult', under low light, with water at 22–25.5 °C, SG 1.023–1.025, pH 8.1–8.4 and KH 8–12 dKH. It is a boring sponge: it lives in limestone and erodes it. Never place it against stony corals or clams, which it can kill, and know that once it is in a rock it cannot be removed from it.
Signs to watch: a sponge that has been exposed to air often dies slowly, in patches; a colony that loses colour, gets covered in algae or decomposes is starving or smothering. Do not leave it to rot in the tank. Also avoid copper treatments in an invertebrate tank.
