Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

I read the lengthy discussion about using natural sea sponges as a place to cultivate food for shrimp. I apologize if this is yet another stupid feeding question, but does anyone else worry about the sponge spicules hurting their shrimp? Spicules are silica-glass structures that form the skeleton of the sponge, so it's probably exactly what we're buying.

See these pics of spicules



Do any of the sharp ends stab the shrimp? Does the repeated feeding from dry sponges wear down their claws and mouth-parts over the long-term? I'm thinking it might be analogous to humans who eat food with sand in it (such as ancient desert civilizations), and their teeth become much more worn down and degraded than those who don't.

Even if the spicules did wear down the mouth parts of the shrimp feeding on them, they would be replaced with the next molt. In any case, it's unlikely the shrimp would spend enough time gnawing on the sponges to be damaged.
Then there's the recently discovered shrimp species that spends its whole life scavenging diatoms and other food from FW sponges...

ToddnBecka wrote:Even if the spicules did wear down the mouth parts of the shrimp feeding on them, they would be replaced with the next molt.

great, thank you!

I'm going to start seeding my sea sponge today and am excited to see my shrimps' reactions. I made sure to get the 'natural' ones that come in mesh, not plastic. The label also said they're safe for hermit crabs so I think I covered all my bases, now that this question's been answered. Thanks again.

It's a good idea to soak your sponges prior to putting them in a tank. Just in case there's some type of residue, dirt if nothing else.

The shrimp don't eat the sponges. They pick at the stuff that grows on it. The stuff growing on it is eating the sponge.