Survival, Growth, and Antioxidant Activity of the Marine Sponge Aaptos suberitoides from Three Variations of Transplantation Treatment

The marine sponge Aaptos suberitoides has potential as a pharmaceutical raw material. However, its small yield (±5%) poses a risk to its sustainability in the wild. Therefore, it is crucial to find efficient methods for sponge mariculture. This study compares the survival, growth, and antioxidant activity of Aaptos suberitoides sponges in three different transplant treatments. The first treatment involved transplanting Aaptos suberitoides sponges alone on a rack (AO); the second involved transplanting Aaptos suberitoides sponges alongside Stylissa carteri sponges (AS); and the third involved transplanting Aaptos suberitoides sponges with Acropora genus corals (AC). After eleven months, it was found that sponges in the AO treatment had the highest survival rate at 33%, followed closely by those in the AS treatment at 32%, while the AC treatment had a survival rate of 21%. The AS treatment had the highest growth rate at 222%, followed by the AC treatment at 200% and the AO treatment at 189%. Survival and growth data showed that the AC treatment differed significantly from the other two treatments. Additionally, sponge samples from all three transplant treatments exhibited strong antioxidant activity, significantly higher than that of wild sponge samples, which exhibited weak antioxidant activity.