What animal is this?

[nanome]

Hi all, I saw this cute something at a LFS. Upon close inspection for a minute, he said it's something like a pulsing coral, and I bought it thinking it's would make nice coral. When I put it in my tank within a minute it disappear. Looking around I saw it crawling like a snail. It dawns on me that it's not a soft coral; it must be a nudibranch of some sort. It crawls all over my tank, and finally settling right in front of the water stream not moving anywhere (it's a 10 gallon tank--JBJ nanocube--so the stream is not all that powerful.) It sits on top of the magnetic cleaner in front of the stream. I turn the cleaner around, and it crawls back to the side with the stream blowing at it. Could you guys please id this animal, and what does it eat? I wonder what functions those frilly appendages on its back perform?

 

[blmichael]

Yes, Looks to me like you have a Sea Slug, not sure what variety. You can read about them here. I beleive the frilly appendages are camouflage. Most eat algae (or something in the algae) but some need other food substance. This link will take you to a very informative web site.
http://www.seaslugforum.net/

 

[nanome]

Thanks blmichael
I followed the URL you provided, and after a lengthy search the real culprit emerge:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=triteleg

(mine looks identical the the picture on top) and

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=tritfryd

 

[wrightme43]

If your over run with lobo corals I guess it would be nice to have. Since the LFS sold you a coral parisite as a coral have you talked to them about returning it for credit or exchange? HTH Steve

 

[Boomer]

Nice work nao D: I'm sure you saw that they eat leathers and some other corals . The advice on these always is to get them out.

 

[blmichael]

I would take it back to the LFS and have a word with the person that sold it to you and return it!

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Shame on the LFS! :evil:

 

[Angelscrx]

Someone doesn't know what they are talking about if they can't distinguish between a coral and a seaslug! Take it back and get what you wanted a Coral and then never shop there again! Next thing you know is they will try and sell Cyano as encrusting montipora! :lol:

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

lmao, good one angel!!!

 

[reeffan]

Take it back......take it back....take it back. Ok, gotta control my self =)

reeffan

 

[wrightme43]

Just for the sake of argument. LOL evil grin LOL Maybe that person at the fish store was new. And for me at any fish store, "some kind of pulsing coral" just doesnt cut it for me, I always ask this question of people who sell me fish. How many reef tanks do you have, how long, its easy to work this into a conversation so it doesnt hurt thier feelings. I have been guilty of that before. I hope this helps. Steve

 

[nanome]

You guys are giving me some ideas here. I don't know whether I should just walk up and whack him on the side of his head to physically incapacitate him thus preventing him from working at that store ever again, or just insult him to death :badgrin:. Well, on second thought, I guess I am as much to blame here, given that I bought a species I don't know much about; buying on impulse is not a good thing in marine hobby .

Actually I think nudis are kind of cute (espcially the human female kinds :lol: ) I am thinking of starting a new small tank for these guys, and may be try to feed him with some cheap soft corals, assuming he'll consume them. This is like buying a Harlequin shrimp and feed it with live star fish. I kind of feel bad about it, but carnivores are abound in nature anyway.

By the way that nudi just loves to sit right (literally) in front of the water stream. I noticed the place he sits before I went to sleep last night, and he's still pretty much in the same place this morning. Maybe he wanders around in the middle of the night.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[blmichael]

Sounds like a plan if you really like the little guy.
Whenever I am in the LFS and they try to sell me some animal that I am not familiar with and is sooo cute, I walk over to the book section, pick up a book and read about it. I usually read myself right out of the impulse buy!

 

[Angelscrx]

Sounds like a plan if you really like the little guy.
Whenever I am in the LFS and they try to sell me some animal that I am not familiar with and is sooo cute, I walk over to the book section, pick up a book and read about it. I usually read myself right out of the impulse buy!

Great idea, something I can use just to brush up on new stuff in the store.