Nudibranch hitchhiker

[yaksplat]

anyone know what kind this is:

Thanks
Jim

 

[reefrunner69]

looks like a lettuce nudi to me.

 

[Bang Guy]

Yep Elysia crispata

great hitchhiker!!!

They eat algae exclusively but need bright lights. This is because they "capture" the chloroplasts from the algae and are able to use them for supplememtal nutrition.

 

[BillyZ]

he'll likely need to spuliment tank algae with some nori, etc.... correct?

btw... that's an awesome hitchhiker... i've seen them sold in LFS for $30-ish. Where'd you pick him up? on the LR?

 

[yaksplat]

Yeah, he just showed up last week. He was about 1/8" when i first saw him on the glass. Then yesterday he appeared on the LR and was about 1/2". So he's growing well. How big do they get? I have some nori in my tank for my tang and there's plenty of algae. So I don't think he'll be running out of food anytime soon.

Jim

 

[Bang Guy]

Here's one from my lagoon. It's about 2". I believe their natural lifespan is about a year max, probably shorter. If you have two they have been known to reproduce in captivity.

I've never seen mine show any interest in any algae other than Hair Algae, Bryopsis, and Caulerpa Racemosa.