Reef Tank Hitchhiker

May 21, 2002
From: Mike Nolette

I am writing you today because I seem to have found something in my reef aquarium that worries me. What I have found looks like the picture of Phyllodesmium hyalinum [or possibly (Phyllodesmium magnum]. I am uncertain which it was. When I tried to net the Nudibranch the pieces fell off just like it mentioned in the article on "the tail of a lizard". There were two of them on the Funger Coral and they looked very healthy, around 3 inches long and had a lot of long pieces hanging off of them. First of all I am wondering how much damage these could do to my Reef Tank, if there are ways to get rid of them if they are going to cause problems and lastly will they just stay on the one coral or are they prone to attacking other corals as well. I have had the tank set up for about 3 years but that one coral has only been in there for about 2-3 months. If you need anymore information just let me know. Thanks for all your help with this in advance.
Mike

mmotorcycle69@aol.com

Nolette, M., 2002 (May 21) Reef Tank Hitchhiker. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7012

Dear Mike,
From your description it seems you do have a couple of Phyllodesmium. Without a photo of the slugs or the "Funger Coral' I'm afraid I can't identify the species with any certainty. Species of Phyllodesmium feed on soft corals and their close relatives, and it seems that most tropical species feed on only one species, or at most a few closely related species. For example, Phyllodesmium hyalinum feeds on species of Xenia and it seems that Phyllodesmium magnum feeds on species of Sinularia.

I guess identifying the species isn't that important to you. You are more concerned with what it will do to your tank's well-being. I suspect, as you do, that the animals arrived on your new soft coral which I can fairly confidently assume is their preferred food. If they are 3 inches long now, I guess they were much smaller when you put the new soft-coral in your tank or you would have seen them then. So it seems they have grown quite happily, without causing any outward signs of discomfort to your tank.

Should you keep them? I am of course biased in favour of the nudibranchs. I am not sure how long they will live but the worst they can do is eat all of your new coral. Unless you have other examples of the same species in your aquarium, I don't think they will move on to other things. When they reach maturity they most likely will mate and lay eggs but it is unlikely that the larvae produced will survive. If by chance some do, then the worst that can happen is that they will settle on the same soft coral and hasten its departure. My feeling is that here is a great opportunity for you to have a nudibranch in your tank - as long as you don't mind buying a new soft-coral [of the same species] every now and then.
best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (May 21). Comment on Reef Tank Hitchhiker by Mike Nolette. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7012

Factsheet

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