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.