lettuce nudibranch

[reef321]

How are lettuce nudibranches. Will they help eat my algae and are they easy to keep?

 

[Tennyson]

I think they are expert only, mainly because of their special diet. I believe they only eat a special algea called...briopsis? Anyway, people usually buy them to control algea, not knowing that they are slowly starving because there is no briopsis. Other's buy them to control briopsis if they know they do that.

Other than that I think there are no problems, except for them being sucked into power head pumps.

If I am describing the wrong critter please correct me, as i am not 100% sure.

 

[greenbean36191]

There are several nearly identical species of lettuce slugs (they're not nudibranchs). All of them have different, specialized diets. At least one feeds on bryopsis, but they don't really "eat" it like people thing of with typical snails. They puncture the cells and suck out some of the juice. So don't expect them to mow down bare patches in your algae. They should probably be considered more ornamental than beneficial.

Generally they fair poorly in the hobby anyway. I personally wouldn't recommend them to anyone who doesn't know exactly which of the species they're getting and that they have a sufficient amount of their specific food. Also, precautions need to be taken to prevent them from being sucked into pumps and powerheads. People also shouldn't really expect them to live very long either. Adults probably only have a lifespan of about a year at most.

 

[reef321]

do you know anything that would help keep my algae under control?

 

[Tennyson]

Sea Hares are excellent but once theres no more algae you NEED to feed them dried nori or something or they will starve.
Others that are also good are Emerald Crabs, Lawnmower Blennies, those tiny hermit crabs don't help much but are also a good addition.