Low IQ Lettuce Nudi question

[2by2]

Somehow one of my lettuce nudi's must have gotten himself stuck in a power head....I think anyway. Which is wierd since they're fairly well guarded. But I guess these little guys have their ways of squeezing into tight spots because this little nudi is only half the nudi he used to be. I noticed part of him floating around the tank. This piece was much to small to actually be him. Then I saw him on the back wall crawling around seemingly eating algea like nothing ever happened.....except he got sliced in half from almost that little hump thing on his back to his tail. He didn't just lose his ruffles either. He literally lost half of his body with half of his ruffles. I figured he was a goner....but he's still crawling around 4 days later. I'm about as newby of a reefer as it gets so this may be a dumb question. Do these guys have the ability to regenerate missing body parts? Can he actually live for an extended period of time without half of his body? Or is this guy a goner as I origionally had thought.

Param:
PH: 8.4
amonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0

Tank is a 55, only 3 months old and just coming out of another anoying algea bloom. So there is a good amount of different kinds of algea (mostly diatom and a good bit of hair) for him to munch on.

 

[petoonia]

I had one that got o few chunks taken off by a powerhead, they all regrew. I would keep an eye on it to make sure it doesnt die, otherwise just let it be there is a good chance it will grow back.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Hoobahans]

I had one that went through a powerhead and ended up in a few more than a couple chunks...and none of them regrew. However, my other one somehow got into a seperate part of a HOB refugium that I used to add concentraged alkalinity buffer and it was half dissolved by the buffer. Secreted a ton of slime and lost almost all of his ruffles but they have all grown back. Wierd animals.

 

[2by2]

Your telling me. I'm just kind of confused as to why they apparently have no internal organs of any type. I mean I'm sure they do.....somewhere....its just wierd to see this thing litterally half of its former self and still functioning.

 

[greenbean36191]

Most of the organs are in the "hump" on the front half.

 

[2by2]

that makes sense. thanks.