Please Identify Sea Slug
- Thread starter travis958
- Start date
LeslieH
Premium Member
Sure, it's Nembrotha chamberlaini. http://www.seaslugforum.net/nembcham.htm Members of the genus Nembrotha are specialized feeders on tunicates. I hope you didn't buy it unless you're prepared to keep buying tunicates for its food.
LeslieH
Premium Member
It's eating algae? Nembrotha feed by placing the mouth over one of a tunicate's 2 openings then everting the oral tube into the tunicate. See http://www.seaslugforum.net/message/15797 for some great pictures of one feeding. If yours is really eating algae that's a noteworthy bit of new information.
At any rate, this "guy" (all branchs are hermaphrodites so s/he would be more appropriate) is reef safe in terms of what it eats & wouldn't harm seahorses. Some branchs produce toxic chemicals that can nuke a tank if secreted or if the branch dies. Nembrothas aren't listed among the really toxic ones but I'm not sure how they rank. Does anyone know?
At any rate, this "guy" (all branchs are hermaphrodites so s/he would be more appropriate) is reef safe in terms of what it eats & wouldn't harm seahorses. Some branchs produce toxic chemicals that can nuke a tank if secreted or if the branch dies. Nembrothas aren't listed among the really toxic ones but I'm not sure how they rank. Does anyone know?
romsoccer12
New member
i sware that looks like a killer whale with red horns..
LeslieH
Premium Member
I think the most highly scenario is that the Nembrotha is starving & searching through the algae for something suitable to eat. If Travis actually sees them eating algae & can provide solid evidence (like a photo of the mouthparts extended & sucking in algae) I will immediately send it off to my nudibranch-expert friends. They would all be astounded!
romsoccer12
New member
its the devil killer whale! he will try to kill your sea horsies
