Help! Green, snail but no shell?????

Dog Whiskey · Oct 27, 2022

Found this on the glass today. It's about 1.25" long when fully stretched out but can also compress into a ball. It kind of looks like a nudibranch, but the skin is super smooth. The center of the body is kind of chunky, but it can stretch out long on the ends. Should I be worried?

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Oct 27, 2022

@ISpeakForTheSeas

ISpeakForTheSeas · Oct 27, 2022

Oxynoe sp. sacoglossan slug - unless you have a macroalgae tank, these are good guys (algae eaters). Elysia spp. are more common, so I haven't looked into the Oxynoe genus much yet. There are a few different species it could be from what I can see, but none of them should be harmful.

billyocean · Oct 27, 2022

^^^^now that's a tag and answer!

Dog Whiskey · Oct 27, 2022

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
Oxynoe sp. sacoglossan slug - unless you have a macroalgae tank, these are good guys (algae eaters). Elysia spp. are more common, so I haven't looked into the Oxynoe genus much yet. There are a few different species it could be from what I can see, but none of them should be harmful.

Thanks -- The tank has macro but it's also dealing with an explosion of hair algae. Back in it goes!

vetteguy53081 · Oct 27, 2022

Agree on snail and you will need a few others depending on severity of Algae
Any pics of tank under white lighting ?
Also what is your current phosphate and nitrate levels?
Are you using RODI water or tap water from faucet ?
Is tank at or near a window?

ISpeakForTheSeas · Oct 27, 2022

So, looking at their diet a bit more, these guys seem to only eat Caulerpa spp.

Assuming yours is a hitchhiker from around Florida, I'd guess the most likely species you could use for feeding it would be Caulerpa cupressoides, but some other good candidates for trying to feed it would be C. racemosa, C. paspasloides, and C. sertularioides.

Dog Whiskey · Oct 27, 2022

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
So, looking at their diet a bit more, these guys seem to only eat Caulerpa spp.

Assuming yours is a hitchhiker from around Florida, I'd guess the most likely species you could use for feeding it would be Caulerpa cupressoides, but some other good candidates for trying to feed it would be C. racemosa, C. paspasloides, and C. sertularioides.

Again, thanks so much! I've been using it as a grow out tank for algae and it would explain why the Caulerpa is "disappearing>"

And yes, it likely came in with the algae from Florida. Didn't see it because, green and when rolled up looks just like a leaf.

Dog Whiskey · Oct 27, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Agree on snail and you will need a few others depending on severity of Algae
Any pics of tank under white lighting ?
Also what is your current phosphate and nitrate levels?
Are you using RODI water or tap water from faucet ?
Is tank at or near a window?

Thanks. This is a grow out tank for macro (10G) and I'm also using it to isolate one fish who is an a%&#)@&. It is by a window, but all of the parameters are pretty consistent: Ph was 8.2 when I checked today and nitrate 40 ppm. I just saw this guy on the glass and wanted to make sure it wasn't something harmful.

I've been moving snails over from the display, where the ceriths have been breeding like crazy, and I can always dump in a few more. I actually don't mind the hair algae because I have a Rainford goby in the DT who thinks hair algae is filet minon. Once a week or so I move a huge chunk in and its gone in a few days.