Sponge management - do I keep or remove it?

[Army_of_mantis_men]

Hello fellow reefers,
title pretty much says it all - I've noticed some of the sponges that grow under my rocks merged and formed a colony-like structure. Now I don't really mind sponges but this area is starting to look a bit crowded, I eventually want Xenia to take over that area - do I go ahead and scrape it off of the rock, or should I not mind it and let Xenia do it's thing? If I get rid of it, it shouldn't be a major issue for the environment, right?
How would you approach it? Thanks,
P.

 

[Utubereefer]

Keep it! It’s beneficial and beautiful

 

[Army_of_mantis_men]

Keep it! It’s beneficial and beautiful

Allright, I'll let it do it's thing :)

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Generally, sponges aren't going to cause any harm. I would just let the sponge do its thing