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FAQs about Sea Slugs, the Opisthobranchs,
Identification 1 Related Articles:
Sea Slugs, Nudibranchs,
Related FAQs: Seaslug ID 2,
Seaslug ID 3,
Seaslug ID 4, Seaslug ID , Seaslugs 1,
Seaslugs 2, & FAQs on:
Seaslug Behavior, Seaslug
Compatibility, Seaslug Selection,
Seaslug Systems, Seaslug Feeding,
Seaslug Disease, Seaslug Reproduction,
& Marine Snails 1, Marine
Snails 2, Marine Snails 3, Nudibranchs,
Nudibranchs 2, Nudibranch
Identification, Nudibranch Behavior,
Nudibranch Compatibility, Nudibranch
Selection, Nudibranch Systems,
Nudibranch Feeding, Nudibranch Disease,
Nudibranch Reproduction, Berghia
Nudibranchs, Snail ID 1,
Snail ID 2, Snail ID 3, | 
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Fuge hitchhiker ID, Green Slug….. 1/28/07
Greetings Bob
& Crew!!
<Hello.>
The other evening, I wandered through my fish
(laundry) room and stopped to look at the pods crawling around my 40-gal
sump from my 125 reef in the next room. I swear I saw a leaf from one
of the algae move....and I realized that it was alive!!! It looks like
a land slug, but all green. Only about an inch long. No idea how long
it has been in there or when it came in. It seems happy to crawl around
the ample macro algae in the tank and just graze.
I've done a few
searches and can't seem to find anything like it.
Any ideas what it
is??? Pic attached.
<Well, from the photo it does appear to be a
Nudibranchia. I will say first off that by photo alone…even with the
actual specimen in front of you, it is quite difficult to i.d. by exact
species. They are mostly very, very difficult to care for and have
notoriously short life-spans in captive environments. However,
occasionally, some survive….as appears to be the case with yours. It
likely has a food source, and judging from the color of the animal, (as
you eluded to) it appears to negotiate a large sum of vegetable matter,
algae, into it’s diet. I would just observe and enjoy.> <<Mmm... likely
another Opisthobranch group... RMF>>
Thanks
<Anytime.>
-Ray
<AdamJ.>
PS GO BEARS!!!!!
<We don’t have a football team in
SoCal….lol.> | 
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Saccoglossan | Leslie's Lettuce Nudi -
10/24/05
Hi Bob and Fellow Crew Members,
I seem to have a
little troublemaker in my tank. This cute little guy showed up a
week or so ago. I noticed my gorgeous piece of Maiden's Hair or
Turtle Grass (Chlorodesmis) slowly getting smaller and smaller. I
wondered where it was disappearing to since there was no evidence of
it "shedding" and seemingly disintegrating like one I had a while
ago did. This afternoon I noticed this little guy in the middle of
what is left of my poor pathetic looking Maiden's hair and am pretty
sure he is responsible for it slowly diminishing in size.
Can
anyone ID this little guy or know what other trouble it might cause
in my seahorse corral? I have some gorgeous red macros Meristiella
and Botryocladia. The Meristiella seems to be a fast grower and is
growing amazingly well. I wonder if this critter likes red macro as
much as he seems to like greenery? Will my reds be next?
Thanks
so much, Leslie
<Although mine are paler in color, it looks
identical to my lettuce Nudibranch. HTH, Jeni/PP> |  
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<<Leslie,
This critter looks a lot like the group of slugs sold as
"Lettuce Nudibranchs". Ounce for ounce, they are quite voracious
herbivores, although sometimes they are quite specialized in what they
eat. There is no doubt what this one likes!
These critters are
totally safe to tankmates, but are often harassed and picked on. They
also are quite easily injured or killed by powerheads, drains, pumps,
etc. The most specialized can starve when their preferred food source is
exhausted.
I would suggest that you either remove it to salvage what
is left of your Maiden's Hair or enjoy it as long as it survives. If you
remove it, pass it along to someone else that is trying to contain a
nuisance algae problem. If it isn't all that specialized, they can
help. Adam C>> |
Leslie's Lettuce Nudi - de
Justin I'm about 99.999% sure that it is a lettuce Nudibranch.
The only thing that is stopping me for a second is the color. This guy
eats algaes of all types and its color becomes what it eats if you will
as it uses the plant chloroplasts and puts them in its skin and uses
them to make food for it as well. Very interesting character and other
than being very algae unsafe its a
great animal.
If you are a
macro algae loving person then remove it ASAP. Otherwise let it do its
maintenance chores and save you some scrubbing. If you don't want
it ill be glad to take it, I love the little tykes. Justin - Jager
Marine... slug
Here are 2 pictures of something I saw moving
around in my tank and I have no idea what it could be? Maybe you
have seen one before or no what it is. It is about a quarter of an
inch long and moves around the tank like a slug. The color is a
brownish green and looks like it has antennas on the front of the
head.
Thanks Shawn
<I see
it... good pix. Some sort of Nudibranch I think... please see here:
The Sea Slug Forum (great online scientific resource)
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nudispt3.htm
or this link at the
end of this area. Bob Fenner> |  |  |
Greek Goddess
I went to my local fish store and seen a Greek
goddess it was deep blue and purple. I have never seen colors so bright
before. Is this creature a slug, snail or what?
<yes on all counts...
AKA shell-less snail, sea slug>
also is it reef safe? thank you
frank.
<tough to say...no one can keep them alive. If your LFS
ordered this animal (as opposed to having received it on
substitution/without ordering it) the I have little respect or regard
for their irresponsible business practice. Please admire this animal
from photos for now. Anthony> - Mystery Slug -
Hi,
<Good morning, JasonC here...>
I have a 30 gallon tank that has been
cycling for 5 weeks now. I have a lot of algae so my first live stock
purchase has been 4 turbo snails. While at the aquarium store the sales
person told me that the black slug they have will also help clean my
tank. So I purchased it. Once in my tank I noticed it seems to be more
of a nocturnal creature and it is very active moving all over the tank.
However I don't notice it cleaning anything. I am wondering what it
really is and what I should feed it? I will try to describe it.......
It is a very interesting creature. it is a black velvet color with what
looks like veins running through it's body. The veins are iridescent,
greens, blues and purples pending on the light or its mood I guess. It
has two antennas with white tips and what I can best describe as a short
elephant like trunk on top of its head? On the mid/top portion of it's
body are the same elephant like trunks with two in back, two in front
and one in the center of the back. The trunk on the top of its head has
a small opening that opens and closes. It seems to be more nocturnal in
nature.
<Sounds to me like some type of Nudibranch which is a slug...
being any more specific than that is a challenge as this family is
incredibly diverse. For an eyeful of possibilities, look here:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/species.htm
And then for some further
reading on Nudibranchs, look here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nudibran.htm >
My question is, is this
creature/slug really good for helping to keep my tank clean and is there
some food supplement I should be feeding it and what kind of slug is it,
will it bother my anemones, corals and other inverts when I start to
stock these sort of things? <Well... again, it's hard to say
specifically. Most of the Nudibranchs are very specialized feeders and
will starve to death if they don't find the right food-stuffs. In this
case, it does sound like the animal you have is ill-suited for the
purpose it was sold to you for, which is unfortunate but not uncommon.
As to determining the proper food... well, you'll need to do some more
research in order to determine which slug this actually is, and then
you'll know more about what it eats. Bad news is that in the interim, it
could indeed be a danger to your corals and or anemones because there
are some that specialize in eating these things. Again, I don't know for
certain which Nudibranch you have and would suggest spending some time
on http://www.seaslugforum.net - that is
really one of the best online resources out there for Nudibranchs.>
Thanks,
Carmen
<Cheers, J -- > Sea Slug ID - coral eater
8/1/03
Hello,
<cheers>
I found this creature in my tank; I
think it has been eating my leather coral. Can you identify it? I have
attached two pictures. Thank you!!! Would
<any sea slug with
"tassels" [cerata] on its back is a give-away carnivore. The cerata are
structures which hold the noxious or stinging elements of its prey.
Yours is a familiar coral eater... commonly ascribed to the genus
Tritoniopsis (true or not). Bottom line... it is to be removed unless
your reef is large enough to grow enough soft coral to sustain it. A
beautiful creature indeed. Anthony> Sea slug/Opisthobranch
resources 8/2/03
Can you provide a little more info about it?
Where can I find additional information about it? Thank you.
<the
shell-less snails that we call "sea slugs" are well studied for their
magnificent beauty and fascinating physiology. The sheer number of
resources on the Internet alone is simply staggering. In our new book of
Reef Invertebrates (Fenner/Calfo)[insert shameless plug here:
https://secure.wetwebfotos.com/order_form.jsp &
http://wetwebfotos.com/store/nma-ri.html ]we give extensive coverage
to the group and list tens of resources in the bibliog.. One of the very
best to begin with is:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/
there are also resources/studies
listing the exact diets of many Opisthobranchs if you pursue other
species. Best regards! Anthony> Snail? Nudibranch?
>Hi, WWM Guys and Girl, I think that it is a Nudibranch. Someone at the
LFS suggested possibly a limpet, but I don't think so. Don't those all
have shells?
>>Girl Marina again. ;) To the best of my knowledge
this is correct.
>I'm going to try to send the pics again in a zip
file, perhaps they'll come through that way.
>>Do check the
extension of the file type, this may have been the initial problem,
though I'm hardly an expert.
>I'm inclined to think that it is not
predatory by the lack of cerata on it's back, is this a "fairly" safe
assumption??
>>This I cannot confirm or deny.
>I appreciate
all the hard work you guys do saving our critters from our lack of
experience.
>>Heh, we try. Do hope we've been of help to you and
everyone else who reads this stuff. Marina Sea Slug - Good or
Bad? 9/20/03
Hello everyone!
<howdy, Thanassis!>
I saw
today a sea slug o my LR and I tried to locate it in your book "Reef
Invertebrates" but I could not find something similar. It is white and a
little grey on the top. Its two antennas are white and on the top they
are yellow. I am attaching a photo.
It is really interesting to
watch, I just do not know if it is safe for my reef. Thanks, Thanassis
<alas, my friend... the picture is not clear enough and the subject does
not fill the frame (it is so tiny in the picture). Please try to capture
the animal and photograph is up close and clearly in a cup. Also look to
see if it is truly shell-less snail or if there is some kind of
internal or external shell. Best regards, Anthony>
Scutus antipodes
For the past 6 months I have been searching
for the identity of a sea slug that piggy-backed on some live Fiji
rock. I think I now know what he is: Scutus antipodes. Since I
spotted the first one I now have 3 and they are an amazing critter
to watch! Check out the attached pictures that I borrowed from
another site.
<Very nice>
They seem reef safe, are they algae
eaters?
<Yes... and can grow to 15 cm... six inches!>
Thanks,
Jeff
<Bob Fenner> | 
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Lettuce Sea Slug
Hey Gang, Happy Holidays! Anthony, (or whoever's
in charge of desktop pic on daily questions page), I took these pictures
earlier today. I thought they might look good on the WWM site for the
daily pic! Thanks from Denver! Stormbringer.
<What a coincidence... I
was just scanning an Elysia (Tridachia) crispata yesterday... Your
digital pix are better than my analog. Thanks for sending them along.
Bob Fenner> |  |  |
Sea Slug ID (12/23/2003)
Howdy wet ones! <Greetings. Steve Allen
here.>
Question for you. I found this sucker crawling around the
tank last night. I assumed he is a sea slug and not a flat worm. He
was a few millimeters thick, about 1.5" long and had what looked like
eyestalks on one end, like a snail. Don't know if there were eyes on it
or not though. I can't imagine it can be a snail could it, without a
shell? He looks like a stomatellid snail without the shell. I have
many of those in my tank. Wait a minute, I am reading in my "Reef
Invertebrates" book right now that they can have a shell completely
hidden within the mantle, hmm... But can they get this long? He moved
kinda quickly which is characteristic of the bunch. Anyways, the
picture is not real good, hard to get the camera to work with the flash
in the dark. Any ideas if it is sea slug vs. flat worm vs. hidden shell
Stomatellid? <Looks more like a sea slug to me. You might want to check
out this site and send the picture to them:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/welcome.htm
Thank you as always and
Happy Holidays! <Same to you!>
Paul
Carnivorous Slug 1/30/04
Hello, I hope your doing great.
<Hi Steve! Adam here. I'm great! Hope you are too.>
Last night
I happened to take a look at my reef tank through a video camera
with a night scope. I noticed that something large, as big as my
thumb, was on my button coral. I turned on the lights, and it was a
yellow Nudibranch. I think. Can you tell me by the picture if this
is a coral eating slug and what kind it is? It looks as though it
did damage to the button. I just lost a bubble coral recently, and
I never lose my corals.
<You had it right in your subject. The
critter is more likely a slug than Nudibranch. Nudibranchs almost
always have cetae ("Frills"). Although most Nudibranchs are
destructive predators, the same is rarely the case for slugs. I
would want to be certain that this beautiful critters is predatory
before removing it, but I am fairly bold that way. If you are
fairly certain that it is causing damage, you should be able to
catch it in the act at night and remove it.>
Thanks for your
help! Steven O. Garcia <Good luck! Adam> | 
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Introduced predatory sea slug II 7/31/04
Hello and thanks for
the prompt response!
<very welcome my friend>
Now that I have to
"put the tooth paste back into the tube" what can I add that will eat
these little buggers?
<Heehee... none in time, since any
new animal you would add would need to be put through QT for minimum of
4 weeks (ahem <G>). Else you just might add an Ich infection to the
fishes while battling the slug problem of the
inverts. Its questionable too what will eat these noxious slugs and
still be reef safe. We are not even sure of the slug species or what it
eats at this point. The best recourse for now is still manual
extraction>
What corals do they prefer (LPS< SPS< Softies< Zoos?).
<literally thousands of possibilities here. I cannot ID the creature
from the low res images as it is. You may care to browse the
seaslugforum.com with hope for seeing a familiar face and gleaning more
info from that>
Is there any type of dip that can be preformed?
<not needed for the adults and not recommended on the corals till you
know which if any they are eating (they may eat sponge ro tunicates
instead)/ No need to knee-jerk react here by adding a new fish or
stressing your corals with dips till you have more information>
We
have a large collection of rare zoos, should I remove them to another
tank? Got to love the ocean! Thanks again for your time & help! ~CK~
<no worries... and again, please do not knee-jerk react here. Pulling
corals that may not be the target of an obligate feeding slug will only
make matters worse. Manually extract, QT all new, and observe pending
further ID. Anthony> Nudibranch
ID? 8/2/04
Here is a better pic of the little pests. Is there any
other info you can give? Any help is appreciated, thanks
<again...
Ids from pictures are unreliable if even possible. I see that you
used/borrowed a pic from John Susbilla.
I know this chap... he's a
Bay Area club member (SeaBAY perhaps). Do e-mail John for an ID of
this/his snails.
He's a great guy. Anthony> |  |  |
Introduced predatory sea slug 8/1/04
Anthony, Thank You for the
fast and helpful response.
<always welcome my friend>
The good
news is that the tank it is in is a "holding" tank, and only has three
pieces of coral.
<excellent news indeed! So few people take the time
to properly quarantine new livestock before adding them to the display>
The sand is from a container on the bottom for an orange spot goby.
Since the sand is no longer needed, it will be removed.
<yes... very
good. Excluding those need-to-have cases like your goby, or a burrowing
wrasse, sand/substrate in QT is far too risky (harboring parasites,
pests, etc.). >
Once again I thank you for the advice.
<be
chatting, Anthony> |
Carol
at Ocean Rider, Hawaiian Sea Hares, pix of same
Hey Bob,
<Carol!>
So last time you called I got your message the day after
the party. What is with that? Did we misbehave at the last gig????
<Heeee! Not enough!>
Call my on me cell next time at 937 XXXX.
<Will do>
Hey I am working on a new web site with an invert
section. Do we have Aplysia juliana or californicus here in Hawaii?
<Juliana is, and a few others... See Hoover's "Sea Creatures" pp.
149-153...>
I thought it was Juliana but then someone said they
don't ink which ours definitely do! I need a nice photo of one too if
you have one.
<I just looked... don't have a decent pic of any of
the Hawaiian species!>
Aloha and Cya soon??
<Yes! Coming over
next month for a few weeks. Will definitely call... maybe we can all go
out diving... to find, take pix of Anaspideans! Hello to your husband
and the boys. Bob Fenner>
Carol
Nudibranch photos - 03/05/06
I wonder if this Nudibranch is
similar to the one Arthur found on his pipe organ coral (email
answered by Anthony on nudifaqs.htm page). Found this swimming
around in our quarantine system when we were finished unloading a
shipment from Indo. Enjoy.
<Don't know, but it's a beauty! Bob
Fenner> |
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Strange
Seaslug 3/22/04
Hi gang!
<cheers>
Last night, after the
lights had gone out, I was looking in my seahorse tank when I spotted
what I thought was a big piece of fluff on the glass, near the top. On
investigating with a torch it turned out that the fluff was, in fact, a
slug! It's about 2 inches long from the top of the antennae to the end
of its tail. It's creamy white in colour and looks like a fluffy
lettuce! The closest photo I can find on your site is of the lettuce
slug, only my one appears fluffier. I've tried the Sea Slug forum but
I cannot see anything that looks like him. (I did identify another, much
smaller, slug that I also have in this tank - perils of buying
macroalgae I suppose - this one is Elysia pilusa and is also a cute
little chap!) I am assuming that it is an algae eating slug and that it
is not harmful to my seahorses - it certainly is beautiful and I'd like
to keep it but the really bizarre thing is where it came from and why
haven't I seen it before?
<without a picture I cannot say alas if its
safe or what it even is, my friend>
I have had this particular tank
for 12 weeks now (I've had seahorses for
about 6 weeks). I did notice
a very small, not so fluffy white slug when we first started putting
macro algae in - could it be the same slug has grown into this monster
in only a matter of weeks?
<yes... very likely. They are so short
lived that the reproduce young and grow/die fast. Berghia sea slugs for
example go from egg to egg-laying adult in as little as 7 weeks!!!>
Is he likely to get any bigger? I am assuming that I don't need to
supplement his diet if he's got this big so quickly, he's obviously
found something he likes! Any information you could supply would be
gratefully received! Thanks very much! Lesley
<We should ID it
soon/first to see what it is and what it eats. Do consider
buying/browsing Debelius' Sea Slug book. TMC (The MarineCenter) in UK
deals this title. Best regards, Anthony> | |
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