identity

here is a lil better pic it moved away from scratchs

looks like a berghia nudribranch

hmm guess they are good seems they like to eat the aiptasia but once the supply runs out it will starve.

you can also say that thing looks just like a zoanthid eatting nudiabranch... smash it I say! smash it 



Edited by Nick801 - February 18 2011 at 12:18am

well i went to look again and now it is gone so guess I will have to watch for it

Most Nudibranchs are harmless. I wouldn't worry about it unless I noticed it eating something I want but that's just me.

Let me clarify.
Most nudibranchs do not survive in our tanks.
We don't have an environment where their food is available.
In the several years I've spent intensely enjoying this hobby, I've seen that most Nudibranch are harmless to coral. Some do eat coral of course, but that may be because they cannot find their main food.
Of course they eat something, but most often it's surface biofilm, surface algae, detritus and dieing/dead things. They can't move fast enough to eat anything that can get away from them.

The fact that this nudibranch was seen in the tank, means that it was looking for food. The fact that it was on the glass, means it hadn't yet found any food on the LR. This is a newly set up tank. There is nothing much in there for a Nudibranch to eat and it will eventually die.

If it were me, I'd watch it carefully because it's very fascinating. I'd let nature take it's course. Over the years, I've found that our tanks do much better if we let the amazing diversity of life flourish and even help it flourish by not trying to kill anything, except the known pests, of course.  If left alone in this tank this Nudibranch will eventually fade away. If by chance it does end up on a coral (Zoanthids are the most common dinner) and starts munching away, then I would immediately remove it. It's that simple.

Here's a story.
Last night I was at Asad/seti007's home enjoying his company and his reef aquarium. As he moved a coral in his coral recovery tray, I noticed a crab that I at first assumed was a pale colored Emerald Crab. I said "Hey look there's an extra big emerald crab." Asad replied "Emerald Crab?? I don't have any Emerald Crabs in there." So I chased it down and caught it. Sure enough, it was a Rock Crab not an Emerald. Asad took it from my hand, as it pinched me, and tossed it into his Refugium. Anyone that has seen Asad's system, will acknowledge, that's why it all looks so amazing. Because he keeps every living thing and those things grow and they make for an amazingly beautiful and diverse reef environment.