ID Please

[StacyS]

Last night my husband and I were attemping another unsuccessful pistol shrimp trapping when this very cool, unfamiliar creature landed in our trap. Any idea what he is and if he is reef safe? Thanks!

 

[Pentagona]

Looks alot like a lettuce Nudi to me.....some say harmless in a reef, while others would warn of the risks associated with them dying in your tank and possibly poisoning your tank. I know many people that have them and love them, though for myself the risk is not worth the reward.

 

[Reef Setup]

I thought lettuce nudi's were kinda greenish white? I could be wrong! It looks like some kinda nudi, the tigerish patterns are koo tho!

 

[StacyS]

Looks alot like a lettuce Nudi to me.....some say harmless in a reef, while others would warn of the risks associated with them dying in your tank and possibly poisoning your tank. I know many people that have them and love them, though for myself the risk is not worth the reward.

Very interesting! That's kind of what we thought he was. I wonder what it came in on? It did not care for the light at all and that probably would explain why we have never seen it and why he showed up in our black trap. It was pretty mad by the time it got back in the tank. Are they all poisionous? Perhaps he'll just poison the pistol shrimp!

 

[returnofsid]

That's a nudibranch. Unfortunately, there's A LOT of species of nudis and most are NOT reef safe. There are a couple that are, one being the Lettuce Nudi, though yours looks different colors than the lettuce nudi.

Most nudis take on the color of what they eat. Most nudis are "obligate" feeders, meaning they have ONE thing they eat. Once that food source is gone, they usually starve. Unfortunately, most eat our corals!!! There are also some that eat flatworms, some that eat algae...etc. Because of this, it's kind of important to properly ID it before putting it back in your tank!! Hopefully Leslie will hop on soon and give you an ID. She'll know!!

 

[StacyS]

That's a nudibranch. Unfortunately, there's A LOT of species of nudis and most are NOT reef safe. There are a couple that are, one being the Lettuce Nudi, though yours looks different colors than the lettuce nudi.

Most nudis take on the color of what they eat. Most nudis are "obligate" feeders, meaning they have ONE thing they eat. Once that food source is gone, they usually starve. Unfortunately, most eat our corals!!! There are also some that eat flatworms, some that eat algae...etc. Because of this, it's kind of important to properly ID it before putting it back in your tank!! Hopefully Leslie will hop on soon and give you an ID. She'll know!!

Oh great...we tossed him back in! We practice catch and release at this house

 

[LeslieH]

Oopsie, that's not a nudibranch at all. It's a polyclad flatworm, and the most common type that shows up as a hitchhiker --- the dreaded mollusc predator. If you have clams or snails or any sort and you've noticed mysterious deaths & injuries this guy is to blame. I would rebait your trap with a sacrificial snail or maybe a steamer clam from the market and get it out as soon as possible.

 

[LeslieH]

Incidentally, if you do ever get a lettuce nudibranch relax and enjoy it. These beautiful animals are specialized algae eaters. The two Caribbean species likely to show up in tanks are Elysia crispata and Elysia clarki. You'll find a lot of information about them and other branchs on the Sea Slug Forum. Here's the page for E. crispata http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=elyscris There's a link to E. clarki on the same page.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Have to agree with Leslie who knows her stuff!


http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/polyclad-flatworm-110174.html

 

[StacyS]

Oopsie, that's not a nudibranch at all. It's a polyclad flatworm, and the most common type that shows up as a hitchhiker --- the dreaded mollusc predator. If you have clams or snails or any sort and you've noticed mysterious deaths & injuries this guy is to blame. I would rebait your trap with a sacrificial snail or maybe a steamer clam from the market and get it out as soon as possible.

Lesson learned...put all pretty hitchhikers in the sum until you know what they are! Good thing is my flatworms taste palette has not included my clams, but the fighting conches must of been a favorite. Wish he liked large pistol shrimp! We will bait the trap with another piece of dead shrimp and hope for the best! Thanks for the ID, Leslie!