Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Family Chondrillidae

Chondrilla nucula

Schmidt, 1862

Chicken Liver Sponge

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank

Range: Indo-West Pacific and Atlantic Oceans: Widespread.

Natural Environment: Inhabits rocks and other hardpan surfaces in current swept areas.

Aquarium Suitability: Usually arrives attached to live rock and should be removed, as it's an invasive species.

Furthermore, keep in mind, if a hitchhiker sponge arrives attached to a coral specimen or live rock, it is reasonable to assume that at one time it was subjected to 'air' when the specimen or rock was harvested/shipped/transferred to various storage areas, thereby endangering the ongoing lifespan of the hitchhiker sponge, as it should never to subjected to air! Therefore the ongoing culture of hitchhiker sponges is dismal at best!

Taxonomy:

    Kingdom: Animalia

    Phylum: Porifera

    Class: Demospongiae

    Subclass: Verongimorpha

    Order: Chondrillida

    Family: Chondrillidae

    Genus: Chondrilla

FYI: Shown here for identification only.

Yields a strong anti-feeding chemical to withstand being fed upon by fishes.

 Chondrilla nucula (Chicken Liver Sponge)
Photo © nhmi.org
 Chondrilla nucula (Chicken Liver Sponge)
Photo © Wikimedia
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