Friend or foe? Never seen'em before- what are they?

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

Hi all,

I was just about to attach a nori clip to my tank and my eye caught something on the refigium's front glass. The lights were off, but I knew there wasn't anything on the glass before and only things I have there are some conch and my seahorse.

At first I thought they were sponges, but too big to be sponges. Then I thought nudis, thinking that the appandage looking things were their sex organs. I took them out and they can extend their body like snails, so I'm thinking those may be that too.

No idea honestly, never seen anything like these before -- the 'skin' around their body is wrapped around like a blanket.

Here are pics:

from the front glass:

from the top of refigium:

took them out to a little container (didn't want to take any chances):

Thank you very much in advance,

JuniorMC8704 · Mar 6, 2009

looks like harmless lettuce nudibranch....but there are a million different species of nudibranch

cherokee_dude · Mar 6, 2009

+1 Def a LNB

JuniorMC8704 said:
looks like harmless lettuce nudibranch....but there are a million different species of nudibranch

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

thanks a lot JuniorMC, I think they are lettuce nudis. I just had never seen one in person
would they hurt my zoas if they got to my DT?

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

thank you cherokee_dude as well

JuniorMC8704 · Mar 6, 2009

if that's what they are, you're fine. but they will find the overflow or power head more than likely. mine always did =)

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

i'm really happy you guys came to my help and in no time at all! thanks again.

when they die, would they poison/faul the water?

i found them in my refigium, and perhaps i can cover the drain with some mesh, no powerheads there, just incoming water from a hose through the cooler.

JuniorMC8704 · Mar 6, 2009

that would be a good place for them.

if your tank is of decent size, i wouldnt worry.

They are just NASTY when they are dead.

giant sticky booger...

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

and one more thing - i had recently gotten some maiden's hair from an LFS who imported them and told me it came straight from the ocean.
just yesterday i saw it was like dying, some strands were coming out. i thought it didn't get enough flow and changed its location.... but maybe it was these guys that came with it and were eating it? anyone know if they eat maiden's hair algae? (i mean i think this is the case since maiden's hair is considered green algae and so is hair algae)

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

Well, after doing a little research online; I am starting to think these guys are actually Elysia Clarki; mostly coming through mangrove swamps.

I had just added about 6 mangroves like a month ago, perhaps they came from there; not the maiden's hair.
but i still blame them for the downfall of it.

--- just to clarify, since they are actually 'slugs' even though they are called lettuce nudis; they wouldn't hurt my zoas right? (any zoakeepers out there with experience on these suckers

?
and they won't actually leak anything bad to the water like poison when they die? other than the sticky nastyness like juniorMC mentioned?

ahayes13 · Mar 6, 2009

i have two lettuce nudis in my display tank. they are a diff. type than yours but still a lettuce nudi. i have a decent zoa collection and they do not bother them or anything else. they do eat algae though so it is probable that they were eating your maidens hair algae...

ahayes13 · Mar 6, 2009

no they are not toxic. i havent had any die but they are just little sticky like bugger things. ive had mine get into my filter sock and they live through it. but when i have to grab them to put them back into the tank they are like a ball of slime

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

thank you very much for the answers amanda, much appreciated.

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

Ok, so now that I've figured out the green guys are lettuce nudis, here's another question. i think this may be a little tougher, since they are way smaller about 2-3 mm each.
they tend to be on the glass in my refigium, and seem to be almost 'surfing'
the only other thing i can say is that they have like a v cut out of their tail end.

p.s.> sorry i'm new to this refigium business, and it amazes me how and what can grow when they find refuge from the predators.

aquarius77 · Mar 6, 2009

The v'd tail on them smaller guys tells me its a flatworm. Most likely nothing to worry about.

JuniorMC8704 · Mar 6, 2009

get yourself a yellow coris wrasse and they will be gone in no time.

memorisa · Mar 6, 2009

oh alright, i was worried it would be something worse -- i have these guys in my refigium, where i have some chaeto, some red macro algae and some maiden's hair which is going to be consumed by the lettuce nudi

and also i have a oceanic seahorse and 4 conches (and of course the two lettuce nudis) i dont think they would cause much trouble in the refigium? (would the seahorse eat em? no right?)

and if they make it to my DT, there i have a yellow coris, i had bought it when i had a zoa-eating nudi scare. i also have a carpenter's flasher wrasse, an exquisite and a clown fairy wrasses. so i may be covered in the wrasse department

and thank you guys very much again for all your help.

Hypertek99 · Mar 6, 2009

It looks like a lettuce nudi to me too. They eat algae. But they always get blown around by the powerhead.

Kalmedswife · Mar 7, 2009

2nd Item is a Flatworm

I had brought home a frag that had one on it. Freshwater dipped it and well got them in my 46 anyway. I just treated it because they were reproducing to quick for my taste. Anyway, the treatment was not as scary as I have read about. I just followed the FlatwormExit instructions and no ill effects, I am assuming because I did not have too many.

I loathe them.