Chelidonura varians in aquarium

December 4, 2003
From: tlp

Hi,
After managing to locate a few of these slugs [Chelidonura varians] and introducing them into my reef tank - they seem to have disappeared! I'm pretty sure they were properly acclimatised, and they were observed to be active, moving around and eating some of the abundance of flat worms that I have.

For 4 days they were doing this, eating, sleeping (they seem to produce a spider-web like mucus coating when they sleep) and then eating again. I've even observed them poo'ing, releasing a long string of bright orangy/red colour which I'm assuming it's the concentrated pigment from the reddish FWs.

Can't see any traces of them now though - none of the 5 that I've added. Are they likely to be dead? Or just very well hidden in the rocks somewhere (I normally see at least one or two moving around)? I don't believe any of the fish have preyed on them.
tlp

tlpreef@yahoo.co.uk

tlp, 2003 (Dec 4) Chelidonura varians in aquarium. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11592

Dear tlp,
I have no knowledge of how they survive in aquaria. They sound as though they were healthy enough so it is possible they have burrowed into some sand. However it is also possible they have died but as you had five I find it strange you didn't see signs of at least one of them rotting
Cheers
Bill Rudman

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