Sponges, red berry plant and more questions

Sponges are a mixed bag. The ones I've purchased have never really thrived--I think in part to poor handling prior to purchase. Sponges should never be taken out of the water. Doing so allows air to penetrate their inner pores, and kills them. If this happens, the best treatment is to cut off the dead section, and shred the mass. It will float around, and the healthy bits will land someplace new and grow. The sponges that have been imported as hitch hikers have always done very well, and while they are not often the colorful ones, they have some very interesting shapes.

The fans are most likely gorgonians. The polyps build a stony tube to live in, and these can be very hardy (though still shouldn't go into a cycling tank). They filter feed from the water column, so an established tank with good calcium levels is a must. They shouldn't be kept with fish that will pick at the polyps, or bury them in sand.

I wouldn't advise you get any corals until your tank has cycled and been setup for 4-6 months. Many are filter feeders that will not survive in a new tank, simply because there isn't enough microfauna to feed them.

Several of the corals you have on your list are in the gorgonia family. Our LFS also told us they were easy keepers, however after perusing Eric Borneman's book on corals, he lists them as difficult to keep. We are so far having some success with ours but we use lots of phytoplankton. They apparently need heavy feeding. I wouldn't add anything coral wise until I bought or borrowed Borneman's book.