Help please with Slug ID...

[Darth Chingas]

Found this guy crawling on my glass this morning. Tan with brown spots and two antena like a snail without a shell. Reef Safe or other ideas?

Thanks in advance.....

 

[Elysia]

I am loathe to suggest that anyone hurt a slug, but this does appear to be a nudibranch. I'm thinking a Dorid, but I am not on my own computer so I can't be completely sure and would need to do a bit of checking. I know (if I remember correctly) that some dorids eat sea pens, so there is a chance that this slug, although predatory, will not find anything suitable to eat within your tank and could, therefore, live out its life safely within the confines of the tank without causing any problems.

 

[Darth Chingas]

I am loathe to suggest that anyone hurt a slug, but this does appear to be a nudibranch. I'm thinking a Dorid, but I am not on my own computer so I can't be completely sure and would need to do a bit of checking. I know (if I remember correctly) that some dorids eat sea pens, so there is a chance that this slug, although predatory, will not find anything suitable to eat within your tank and could, therefore, live out its life safely within the confines of the tank without causing any problems.

Thanks for the response. I looked up pics of the Dorid and the stalks seem to differ from any pics I was able to find. The one in the tank has a V shape where as the nudibranchs look more spaced out like this.... \____/

I have it floating in a fish box but am cautious to release back in as I heard that if a nudibranch is threatened or dies it releases a toxin. Thanks again for any additional help......

 

[Darth Chingas]

Any other opinions before I drop this guy back in????

 

[seahorsedreams]

I would not put that back in.

 

[t11t5]

Put it in your sump if you dont want to kill it.

 

[pagojoe]

It's a coral-eating arminid nudibranch. You won't want to throw it back in the tank.

Cheers,



Don

 

[Gamepro_inc]

I would be cautious you never want to put something in your tank if you dont know what it is. You could try putting a coral frag in with it and see what it does if it eats it then you know. If it were me I would send him to the porcelin goddess

 

[Darth Chingas]

It's a coral-eating arminid nudibranch. You won't want to throw it back in the tank.

Cheers,



Don

Thanks for the responses guys. Unfortunatley I did not see the replies before I let it back into the tank. I searched for Arminids and only found one or two pics that sort of resembled the slug but came across this thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1056246

I crapped my pants whey I saw post #6 which says they love Clove Polyps because when I let it back in it went straight to my clove rock and disappeared. I looked for it to no avail but checked my tank before the lights came on and there he was, I assume munching on a Clove....

So I got him again but now am looking for something to do with him.. What do you guys think I should do with my Clove Killer?

1) Dry him out?
2) See if they LFS wants him?
3) Set him free in my FOWLER tank?
4) Set him loose in my mantis tank?


What's the jury say???

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

1, 3 and 4 all sound like reasonable ideas.

 

[Elysia]

Don certainly knows what he is talking about. Sea slugs can vary so much in appearance between species that if you do not look have a good photo resource for each it can be very difficult to say which species or even genus a hitchhiker belongs to. And although a few can be cosmopolitian about their food choices, most are fairly specific about what they will (or even can) consume. I guess that is, in part, what has allowed there to be so many different kinds of sea slugs.
Sea slugs (IMO) are interesting animals. You might as well enjoy it and let it live out some additional days in your FOWL. Most of what I have read says that sea slugs don't preserve very well.

 

[Darth Chingas]

Couple more pics of the catch o' da day.....

 

[Darth Chingas]

Peacock Mantis did not like him... LOL....

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MiEBqolEKRM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MiEBqolEKRM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[bobbychullo]

lmao

i like how he kicks sand at it at the end of the video, like, "get that away from me" lol

 

[SushiGirl]

hahahahaha! That's great!