Nudibranch?

greentherapy

New Member
About a month ago I purchased a small amount of live rock from my local store. I believe it's from the Caribbean. It wasn't like the normal almost lifeless 'live rock' you usually see around. It's caked with coralline, feathers, soft corals. Even came with a few invertebrates. It's crazy stuff. The longer it's in my tank the more stuff keeps appearing and growing.
A couple days ago I noticed my 'daisy coral' wasn't opening and looked off color. I was afraid it wasn't doing well cause my urchins favorite spot to hang out is on a rock across the way and his spines agitate the daisy and cause it to close up and not reopen.
Well inside of it I found multiple of these 'white slugs' and an egg sack. I have seen just one crawling around before but didn't think it was a nudibranch because it's so small and it's body is perfectly smooth except for it's eyes sticking up. Now that I find it in this dead coral I can't decide if I think it killed it or it's just taking advantage and eating the dead tissue.
Please advise! There are new enough of them I'm not quite sure how to rid the tank of them if I have to.


 

speg

Active Member
hmm.. certainly looks like a nudibranch. Them seem to have a specific diet and getting rid of whatever foods they need will ultimately destroy their population.
I've never seen the kind you have so I couldn't comment on the diet.
Did it kill your coral? Possibly.
Watch them and see what they do I guess is all I can say. It looks like a lettuce nudi without the 'lettuce' (lol).. maybe it's simply an algae eater.. or maybe not ;)
I'm no help...sorry.
 

ibanez

Member
Did you get it from fish, aquariums, and stuff?? I am from near there and used to live in Boise.
 

greentherapy

New Member
Speg- No your a great help. I have been watching them. I counted probably 10 of them when I moved the rock around and saw 2 egg sacks. So i'm really hoping they didn't kill the coral but are just taking advantage of the 'extra food'. Since it seems that now it might be hard to rid the tank of them.
IbanEz- No I didn't get them from fish aquariums and stuff. They are a good shop but not much to offer in variety and high prices. I go to a new local place called aquatic supply. He allows me to buy small amounts of stuff so it's much more affordable, and has many many many tanks of things. They have educated me a great deal on what to do.
But they couldn't identify the little bugger either.
Hopefully it turns out to be a scavenger
!
 

ibanez

Member
I would love to know where that is, is it in the phone book? Could you give me the cross roads because I will be in town in a couple weeks and would love to check it out.
 

greentherapy

New Member
Ok, figured out what they are. Lots of back and forth taxonomy but when it comes down to it they are sponge and soft coral eaters! so I will be trying to figure out how to kill them off at this point.
http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/dermspp
Oh and the lps here in boise, Tang is located way down Fairview. Don't remember the cross street but it's a small diner called 'wagon wheel' that literally has a giant wagon wheel on it. You turn at the restaurant and head down that street. There is an odd strip mall almost amongst some neighborhood and it's in there.
 
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