Nudibranch or sea slug pest in my aquarium

October 29, 2002
From: ronman

I have discovered a pest. I think they are nudibranchs - they are small like a ball of a pen and what ever they are, they are attacking my polyps. What could this be and what should I do about it?
ronman

sebag@videotron.ca

ronman, 2002 (Oct 29) Nudibranch or sea slug pest in my aquarium. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8301

Dear Ronman,
Describing nudibranchs as 'pests' is a very brave thing to do on the Sea Slug Forum - maybe that's why you didn't give us a full name. But I forgive you.

Your little animal certainly looks like it could be an aeolid nudibranch. Although I can't see much detail, it certainly seems to have typical aeolid cerata on its back. There are species of aeolid nudibranch which eat Palythoa and some that eat anemones. Have a look at the Fact Sheet on Palythoa feeders for some background information. It is possible your animals are juveniles of one of the species there.

What should you do? Well if it was me I would wait with interest to see what they grew into and just hope they didn't eat too many of your polyps. However I suspect your attitude to them will be a little sterner, which is unfortunate. However I don't know of any simple way of getting rid of nudibranchs from aquaria.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Oct 29). Comment on Nudibranch or sea slug pest in my aquarium by ronman. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/8301

Factsheet

Feeding on Palythoa

Related messages

  1. Re: Polyp-feeding nudibranch
    From: erik, April 20, 2007
  2. Aeolidiopsis sp. in aquarium
    From: Scott Smith, March 13, 2007
  3. Re: Polyp-feeding nudibranch
    From: Jack Kryppy, November 7, 2006
  4. Re: Polyp-feeding nudibranch
    From: David Sherrer, October 27, 2006
  5. Re: Perhaps a gorgonian feeder?
    From: Leslie Harris, August 26, 2006
  6. Re: Perhaps a gorgonian feeder?
    From: Jon Humphreys, August 26, 2006
  7. Perhaps a gorgonian feeder?
    From: Jon Humphreys, August 25, 2006
  8. Polyp-feeding nudibranch
    From: Mark Johnson, December 7, 2002
  9. Another Palythoa-feeding slug
    From: Michael Mrutzek, October 17, 2002
  10. Palythoa -feeding nudibranch
    From: Michael Mrutzek, October 16, 2002

Show factsheet and all related messages