Glass sponges live at very great depths, and consequently relatively little is known about their physiology. The sponges are anchored to the sea bed by spicular rooting tufts . Much of their construction appears designed to take advantage of slow moving currents found over the ocean bed. The osculum is notably large, as are the other pores and canals, allowing an easy flow of water around the organism. Hyalospongiae range from around 7cm to over a metre in size.
Radial symmetry is common, and the characteristic body form is funnel-shaped.
The complexity of glass sponges suggests that they naturally fall into the sycanoid and leucanoid levels of body organisation. A variety of commensal organisms have been asociated with these sponges, particularly deep sea crustaceans and the epizoic anemone, Epizoanthus . Euplectella - also known as Venus flower basket. This is a classic Hexactinellan form with a particularly attractive spicular lattice. Both of the examples given are commonly dredged off British waters.