Sponges: good or bad?

[tenurepro]

Greetings - I have these sponges growing in my overflow and in the crevices of my rock work in my 6 year old Reefer 250.

i am in the process of setting up a new tank and I am debating about transferring some of this in my new build ?

i always assumed that sponges in reef tank are beneficial. Also recent scientific research indicates that sponges play an important role in nutrient cycling in natural reefs.https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1241981

However, there is these article by jake Adam’ on reef builders that suggest that sponges are ‘bad’. I dont see him reference any research that backs up his point of view so it is hard to know if it is simply his opinion, or if it’s evidenced based advice
https://reefbuilders.com/2019/10/07/sponges-dont-belong-in-a-reef-aquarium/
https://reefbuilders.com/2018/04/02/five-reasons-sponges-are-bad-for-a-coral-reef-tank/
so any ideas about if sponges in general, and my sponges on particular, are beneficial or detrimental in a reef tank ?

 

[REEFER-RICK]

I think they are beneficial for your tank you can cut back as needed

 

[Spare time]

I like them