nudibranch

[PufferGuy]

anyone know how hard/easy these are to keep? also are they reef safe? any tips on them would be appreciated..

 

[Melosu58]

Most of the ones that you get at the LFS like the lettuce nudibranch are herbivores and OK but the ones that come as hitchikers on your LR are not.

 

[yote]

Their also specilized feeders and without the right food,they'll starve to death.
The ones with the pretty bright colors are also toxic.

 

[PufferGuy]

so if i got a nudibranch id have to spot feed it the right food? Or are you saying they basically cant be kept in aquariums because thier food doesnt exist in our tanks? The guy at the LFS said that they just let them graze algae off the tank but i dont put much trust in them... also, they had like 3 nudis in there, one was pink with white outlines, one was whitish with blue and the third was grey with a few blue dots

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

I have a Sea Hare, which is a nudi. I've had him for about 6 weeks. He's completely obliterate my algae. I've been feeding it some vege fish food. He seems happy. Don't know if you want one for simply for looks or if you want one for the destruction of algae. But I recommend the latter for destruction.

 

[yote]

Their diets are usually so specilized that we cant provide enough for for em.
Like Bergia's,they only eat aiptasia and will starve without em.And I'm pretty sure you wouldnt want to be actually putting those in your tank:D
The Lettuce nudis do good as long as you have hair algae and bryopsis.
Their get to have when you got something that needs to be cleared up,but they normally dont last long term.

 

[yote]

I have a Sea Hare, which is a nudi. I've had him for about 6 weeks. He's completely obliterate my algae. I've been feeding it some vege fish food. He seems happy. Don't know if you want one for simply for looks or if you want one for the destruction of algae. But I recommend the latter for destruction.

Yeah,the hairs are the easiest nudis to keep alive.

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

Yeah,the hairs are the easiest nudis to keep alive.

I love my Dirt Bag

 

[PufferGuy]

if i get the pink one i was talking about, if it dies will it wipe my tank?? Also, you think it will eat cyano? thats what i have most of... for that matter, does anything eat cyano?

 

[Smitty]

Most things will not eat cyno, but you may get lucky...Rule of thumb when it comes to the nudibranchs...the prettier and more colorful they are, the more toxic they are and hard to keep.

 

[yote]

+1 Smitty.

 

[PufferGuy]

so would it wipe my tank if it died?

 

[yote]

Depends on just how big the nudi is.
The risk is there.

 

[winyfrog]

You should not support the collection of nudibranchs such as the brightly colored ones. The pink one that you are talking about eats coral, nudi's look like what they eat. It WILL STARVE!! you will not be able to spot feed it. What you need to do is do some research on what is eats specifically and then you would need to buy coral for it to eat.

 

[Bifferwine]

Most nudis are not reef safe. There are only a few species in this hobby that can be safely kept in our tanks (and that number is probably less than 5). The lettuce leaf nudi eats only bryopsis algae, and will usually die within a few weeks of being introduced into the tank. Nudis do not live long in captivity.

 

[dcantucson]

:grumble: I have tried several lettuce ones without long term success. :grumble:

 

[Bifferwine]

I tried one once. It lasted 3 weeks I think.

 

[PufferGuy]

i decided to stay away from them... i cant believe that the LFS sells them as "sea slugs" that just feed off the algae on the glass.

i obviously knew what they werre but never looked into how hard/easy they were to keep

 

[Sharkie]

i had a pink one in my tank i found last night munchin' on the star polyps... now hes gone (i took him out) and the stars are back out and happy. from what i've read they are too hard to maintain in our small ocean pieces :(