Environmental position
At Swanpool, the trembling sea mat can be found growing on any hard surfaces such as stones, traffic cones, and concrete structures but has a particular predilection for submerged stems and rhizomes of Phragmites australis.

Associated fauna
Several taxa are consistently present living amongst Victorella pavida colonies, and on the Phragmites reeds, forming a community of aquatic organisms collectively termed 'Aufwuchs'. Taxa typically present include: chironomid larvae, nematodes, protozoans Stentor spp., and Zoothamnium spp., green and brown algae, mites, Nais spp., freshwater bryozoan Plumatella repens, and various small freshwater crustaceans including Gammarus chevreuxi.

Growth rate
Approximately 8 cm of linear growth over 1 month was observed in cultured colonies of Victorella pavida (Carter, 2004).