Kamden's Nudibranch Thread

[Kamden Uelton]

So just a disclaimer I do not own a Nudibranch however I have done tons of research and have identified most of Nudibranchs and their food sourse

The First Nudibranch i'm going over is Chromodoris Quadricolor, These Nudibranchs are an easier species to feed IMO, They feed on the Sponge Ircinia Arbuscula which is found along the coast of South Africa these Sponges are often imported on Live Rock from South Africa, They can also be found along the Australian Coast.

Here is the Sponge in my Aquarium

Here is a photo of Chromodoris Quadricolor eating the sponge (credit SeaSlugForum)

 

[Kamden Uelton]

The Nudibranch Nembrotha kubaryana unlike the Chromodoris Quadricolor is a tunicate feeder and not a sponge feeder. This Nudibranch feeds on Clavelina Tunicates by piercing the "sack" the tunicates internal organs are Nembrotha kubaryana than uses it's mouth and teeth to suck out the insides of the tunicate, They are often found in groups around their preferred food like other Nudibranchs.

Nembrotha Kubaryana eating tunicates (credit Wikipedia)

 

[Kamden Uelton]

It would help us a lot if you give us the names of which Slugs/Nudibranchs you would like us to research the diet of , So far we are just going off of nudibranchs that are popular in the aquarium hobby.

 

[Mark Derail]

We would love to host a nudi in our mixed reef tank. Diving at Maui, we saw a few in the lava tubes.

We got our picture taken by a big rose left by a spanish dancer.

Now in our DT we sometimes see the little orange guys that are like 3mm long. Just like the asterina stars, breaks our hearts removing the little guys.

 

[wattson]

which nudi eats hydriods? and where do you buy one ? or two

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@wattson Hello! What type of Hydroid do you have? Most Nudibranch also only eat one type of Hydroid but I have found that Cratena peregrina eats all Hydroid types. You will have to ask you're LFS if they have a wholesaler in the Mediterranean Sea that is where the Nudibranch comes from.

 

[wattson]

Thanks for the reply ..I have digitate and colonial hydriods

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@wattson Phidiana lynceus also known as the Lynx Nudibranch eats all Hydroids, I have never seen they imported, I am trying to find a Nudibranch for you that is commonly imported. You could again ask you're LFS if they have a wholesaler in the Caribbean and see if they could collect one for you.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@Mark Derail Have you considered a Sea Slug? Elysia sp. are very beautiful slugs and come in amazing colors. Most of they will eat Bryopsis Algae but some of them have specialized diets like Nudibranchs. Elysia rufescens has a beautiful color, eats hair algae and bryopsis but isn't imported, An easier Elysia to find is Elysia Crispata. Based on diet their colors can change drasically from a light-ish blue to a dark-ish green.

 

[wattson]

@wattson Phidiana lynceus also known as the Lynx Nudibranch eats all Hydroids, I have never seen they imported, I am trying to find a Nudibranch for you that is commonly imported. You could again ask you're LFS if they have a wholesaler in the Caribbean and see if they could collect one for you.

thanks for the info,,please let me know if you can locate a lynx or any other option on how to get rid of these hydriods verses a chemical tank treatment..

 

[cristata.reef]

@Mark Derail Working together with @Kamden Uelton on this thread. Elysia are a type of kleptoplastic animal meaning that instead of actually eating the algae they simply transfer the chloroplasts into their body (essentially its a photosynthetic slug). As Kamden said, they come in a variety of different species and morphs. I recommend the E. crispata, E. clarki, E. diomedea, or E. chlorotica as they seem to have the most info on them. I wish you luck on your search!

 

[Kamden Uelton]

New day new Nudibranch!​

Todays Nudibranch is Hexabranchus sanguineus, also known as the Spanish Dancer Nudibranch.​

Hexabranchus sanguineus is a fairly large Nudibranch, reaching a maximum size of 16 inches. Unlike most Nudibranch
Hexabranchus sanguineus has 4-6 "gills" instead of one! This is because of their size. The Spanish Dancer Nudibranch isn't as picky as most Nudibranchs and will eat many different species of sponge, Hexabranchus sanguineus would make a wonderful addition to a mature aquarium with a large about of sponges as food. They have been documented eating Red Tree Sponges (Ptilocaulis sp.) and Red Ball Sponge (Psuedaxinella lunaecharta) in the aquarium

Juvenile Spanish Dancer feeding on Encrusting Red Sponge (Diplastrella megastellata)

 

[K. Steven]

Awesome thread here! Look up Terry Gosliner. He's a leading expert on nudibranchs, though I'm sure you've come across him already in your searches.

 

[wattson]

http://www.baue.org/projects/nudibranch/nudibranch_ID_pres.pdf
are some of these hyriod eating nudi available in th USA ?
first 4-6 pictures shown

 

[samnaz]

Nudibranchs are so fascinating, each species incredible in its own unique way, and they’re all beauties. One of my fav sea creatures. Thank you so much for this thread, following intently.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

@wattson They are most likely found in the U.S the only problem is the fact that most people don't import Hydroid-eating Nudirbanchs.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Todays nudibranch is.......
Notodoris minor, also known as the Banana Nudibranch​

_____________________________________________
The Banana Nudibranch is a very attractive Nudibranch they are sponge feeders and feed on calcareous sponges belonging to the family Leucettidae. They are the exact same color as their food which is a lightly colored yellow sponge. These sponge aren't commonly imported so feeding a Banana Nudibranch would be extremely hard however some people get lucky and end up getting them on live rock. These Nudibranch can be found from in the Indo-West Pacific, now enough talk lets get to those pictures

(keep in mind not all sponges of a certain genus are the same color, this one happens to be brown)

 

[Kamden Uelton]

http://www.baue.org/projects/nudibranch/nudibranch_ID_pres.pdf
are some of these hyriod eating nudi available in th USA ?
first 4-6 pictures shown

Hey wattson! Sorry for it taking this long to get back to you I finally found a place you can buy Hydroid eating Nudibranch https://www.mysaltwaterfishstore.com/fringeback-nudibranch/ (if you still have the hydroid problem)

 

[CEReefer]

@wattson They are most likely found in the U.S the only problem is the fact that most people don't import Hydroid-eating Nudirbanchs.

Why? Some of the ones that eat hydroids, are found in the US, lynx is found in FL, Scyllaea Pelagica is found in FL, TX and NC waters.. Why the heck people don't sell them as a natural way to get rid of hydroids?

 

[Trouble1375]

I think I am awakening an old post but I am on the hunt in US for hydroid eating nudibranchs. I have colonial variety.