Lettuce nudibranch diet?

[Landers]

So I just bought a lettuce nudibranch (it’s temperature acclimating right now) and the guy at the LFS said it eats algae and it uses photosynthesis but currently my tank has no algae in it. My tank is only six weeks old and I’m worried my nudibranch isn’t going to have enough to eat. Is there anything else I can feed it or will it be ok finding food on its own?

 

[manlykady]

you can buy fish food which substitutes algae

 

[vetteguy53081]

Pretty much eats Hair algae, possibly tunicates and Bryopsis. They prefer the photosynthesis type algaes.

 

[Landers]

If I bought chaeto would it eat that?

 

[Ike]

Sorry, but this will be a lesson on why you should research before buying things. Despite what others said, they don't eat algae, well, not in the traditional sense. They drain bryopsis sp. algae of its chlorophyll and use it as energy, even storing some in their leafy folds. They're very specialized and they generally don't survive in tanks unless there's a lot of bryopsis.

 

[Kzang]

If I bought chaeto would it eat that?

It will eat film algae. What it does is it prefers caulerpa and bryopsis I think. I had one before my tank crashed. It definitely ate film algae.

Now if it would of lived without tank crash, I don't know. Basically it steals the chloroplast of the algae and incorporates it into its flesh, but it doesn't last forever so it has to keep eating the algae.

 

[lapin]

+++ above @Ike .Take it back or give it to someone that can take care of it

 

[Landers]

Sorry, but this will be a lesson on why you should research before buying things. Despite what others said, they don't eat algae, well, not in the traditional sense. They drain bryopsis sp. algae of its chlorophyll and use it as energy, even storing some in their leafy folds. They're very specialized and they generally don't survive in tanks unless there's a lot of bryopsis.

No need to apologize! You’re right, I should have done more research. I’m calling the LFS today to see about what they were feeding it, but I will definitely take it back if I need to. I’d rather waste my money than kill the little dude.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Take it back.

 

[jda]

Take it back. It will need a good amount of macro algae. I have some that have bred in one of my tanks, but I leave patches of algae for them - mostly hair algae.

 

[Landers]

Actually I think he’s going to be okay... I went to the LFS and they gave me nori and macro algae. He ignored the nori but when I put him by the macro algae he went right to it. Here’s a picture. He looks pretty happy to me

 

[SlugSnorter]

Sorry, but this will be a lesson on why you should research before buying things. Despite what others said, they don't eat algae, well, not in the traditional sense. They drain bryopsis sp. algae of its chlorophyll and use it as energy, even storing some in their leafy folds. They're very specialized and they generally don't survive in tanks unless there's a lot of bryopsis.

Zombie thread but one thing: there are multiple species kept in the hobby by the name "lettuce slug" with some being more "picky" about algae than others, although most do not eat algae pellets, I do however agree with doing more research before a purchase

 

[Bigfish502]

Do these lettuce nudibranch eat bubble algae?