Sea slug ID
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22655
Printed Date: September 14 2025 at 6:30pm
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Topic: Sea slug ID
Posted By: MadReefer
Subject: Sea slug ID
Date Posted: December 20 2007 at 11:49pm
Anyone know what kind of sea slug this is? What does it eat? Attached is a picture of its belly on the glass. It's the best pic I could get. The slug is about 3mm long.
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Replies:
Posted By: jeffras
Date Posted: December 21 2007 at 1:47am
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My guess is berghia. If so it will only eat aptasia and will starve if you don't have any in your tank. They are easy to breed and are worth some cash to other members if you can keep it alive.
------------- Jeff Rasmussen |
Posted By: Boomer
Date Posted: December 21 2007 at 12:38pm
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It is hard to tell, need a good top view, as there are others that look like this but it may well be a Berghia as Jeff has stated. ------------- Want to Talk Chemistry ! http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=112 - The Reef Chemistry Forum |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 12:22am
Here are some new pictures. I'm guessing it came from my live rock and has been in the tank for 3 months. But it could have been much less if it came on something else. I hope it came from the rock because that would mean that it is finding food, I hope.
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Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 9:42am
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Great pictures!
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 7:43pm
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Thanks Mike.
Here's another.
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Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 7:50pm
While I'm at it, can anyone tell me if this is an amphipod, copepod, or isopod? My clowns and cardinals do not eat them but they love eating the little copepods. This pic shows the unidentified at about 2mm long.
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Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 8:06pm
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It looks like an isopod to me.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 8:10pm
| That is what I thought. Don't they tend to be bad? |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 23 2007 at 10:09pm
Nope. They tend to be good.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 24 2007 at 10:18am
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Thanks Mike, You were right. The isopods are herbivores in the munnidae family, commonly called munnids. Lynn from WWM sent this:
General info about halfway down this link at "Herbivorous Isopods": http://www.ronshimek.com/Animal%20Groups%204%20Crustaceans.htm - http://www.ronshimek.com/Animal%20Groups%204%20Crustaceans.htm Now I just need to know about the sea slug. If it does eat aptasia then someone needs to take it off my hands. I don't have any aptasia.
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Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 24 2007 at 10:35am
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Great link. Thanks!
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 24 2007 at 3:28pm
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I still can't find any info on this slug.
I've been looking for a pic on http://www.seaslugforum.net/specieslist.cfm - http://www.seaslugforum.net/specieslist.cfm and can't seem to find anything that looks like it.
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: December 25 2007 at 11:42am
Look up "Nudibranch" pronounced nudi-bra-nk. It's the name for pretty sea slugs. There are hundreds if not thousands of types. Most are okay in a reef. Enjoy. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 25 2007 at 9:43pm
| I figured sea slug and nudibranch are basically synonymous. And I just want to know what this one eats with certainty so that it has a chance to survive. They tend to be specialized eaters. |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: December 25 2007 at 10:44pm
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well its funny i have ben away for the past 2 weeks and i come home and i read this earlier today, well i was mesing in my tank moving corals that had gotten knocked over and i found one that looks almost like this one cept it is a blueish purple with many more spike like things on it, it was hanging out on a piece of dieing encrusting monti, he whole body had the funny shaped spikes on it and beside those i could only see the feelers on the head... ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 25 2007 at 10:54pm
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Frequently they look very much like the food they eat. So much so that they can be mistaken for part of it.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 25 2007 at 11:30pm
| Do you know if they would take the color of what they eat and so the same species could look very different in color? |
Posted By: jeffras
Date Posted: December 25 2007 at 11:33pm
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Your best bet to get an id is here http://www.seaslugforum.net/ Edit: I would post your pics there. ------------- Jeff Rasmussen |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 12:11am
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mad reefer i would say it is in this family Eubranchus it looks similiar to the others in it. for example...
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=eubrfarr ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: jeffras
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 12:38am
 Here are some pics of berghia. If it has been in the tank a long time and you have no aiptasia then it is probably not this species though. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.saltyunderground.com/images/twoBerghia.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.saltyunderground.com/faq.htm&h=300&w=500&sz=62&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=zMwsyZ975z-ZQM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dberghia%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN ------------- Jeff Rasmussen |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 7:56am
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Awesome picture!
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 2:38pm
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Thanks for all your help!
With a little more research I found this on http://www.seaslugforum.net - www.seaslugforum.net :
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=aeolstep - http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=aeolstep
Aeolidiella stephanieae-
This is the animal which Stephen Kempf has done so much work on, under the name Berghia verrucicornis [see message # http://www.seaslugforum.net/find.cfm?id=6472 - 6472 ]. It has been sold under that name in the aquarium trade as a way of cleaning http://www.seaslugforum.net/find.cfm?id=aiptasia - Aiptasia infestations from aquaria. Steve Kempf suggests that the short-term retention of zooxanthella in the ceratal digestive gland illustrates a very early stage in the evolutionary process which led to http://www.seaslugforum.net/find.cfm?id=solarpow - solar-powered sea slugs .
Mine might be this but starving already or just too young. That may be why it looks different. The body shape is the same basically.
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Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 6:20pm
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That is a cool site. Do you think that is the one you have?
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 7:41pm
| It could be. It's hard to say for sure. I wish it was a solar-powered sea slug. |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 26 2007 at 8:29pm
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That would be cool!
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: Boomer
Date Posted: December 31 2007 at 12:39am
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Well, I can tell you this from the new pics it is not a berghia. After looking through all my 2 nuke books and on line the closest I can come is one of the Eubrachus sp also. So I agree with reptileman. I would post it on the SeaSlug Forum. As Far as what some one said about Nudibranchs being reef safe, most of the time they are not . 99.9 % of them are predatory animals and are carnivores. Most fed off of corals, ascidians, sponges, bryozoans etc.. Many are also species specific in what they eat and some pray on a single species and often parish if that species is not part of their diet. We do not call them Nukes because their name is close to the word nudibranch, it is because theu Nuke you tank one of two ways. Feed on your animals or die and poison the tank.
I also do not think it is a Aeolidiella stephanieae or related speices as it is not structured right. Look at the number of "sacs" and how they are arranged and shaped. Put the pics side by side ------------- Want to Talk Chemistry ! http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=112 - The Reef Chemistry Forum |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 31 2007 at 1:15am
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Thanks Boomer,
I thought that people had lost interest in this topic. I know of the danger but I had hoped that this would be an algae eater and grow and be happy. Is that a crazy dream?
This is what WWM's Mich had to say:
Tiny Sea Slug ID? Aeolid Nudibranch, Possibly Phyllodesmium briareum 12/28/2007 Hello WWM, <Hello Jesse, Mich here apologizing for the very delayed response.> I have a tiny sea slug (3mm) <Really 3mm? Do you mean 3cm?> that came off of live rock I guess. <Perhaps or maybe a recently introduced coral.> I have not seen it eat. <I'm not surprised, perhaps if you had some Pachyclavularia or Briareum...> I would like it to grow. <This will likely be difficult if not impossible. They are typical obligate coralivores> Do you have any idea what type? <Looks like an Aeolid nudibranch to me, possibly Phyllodesmium briareum. More here: http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=phylbria - http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=phylbria http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nudispt3.htm - http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nudispt3.htmWhat it eats? <Generally soft corals, in this case I would guess perhaps GSP/Briarium.> Attached is a picture of it, belly side on glass. <Thank you for the pictures. Most always helpful.> Thank you, <Welcome! Mich> Jesse Tiny Sea Slug ID? Aeolid Nudibranch, Possibly Phyllodesmium briareum... maybe Berghia? 12/30/2007 Thanks for the reply Mich, <Welcome Jesse!> Yes it is tiny, 3mm. <Wow! Barely measurable! Your pictures are quite good, especially considering how small your subject is!> Here is a pick next to what I think is a green acro coral. My coral ID is also not very good. <This small size reminds me of a Berghia... Do you have any Aiptasia in your tank? You might want to see if this Nudi has any interest in them... or perhaps a friend with some aiptasia? Nudis can be quite difficult to ID, and this small size makes it harder... Something to consider here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm - http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htmCheers, Mich> As for seaslugforums, they are not taking messages at this time. |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 31 2007 at 9:43am
I have definitely NOT lost interest in this topic. I'm listening with both ears and trying to learn since I know very little about nudibranch identification.
Mike ------------- |
MadReefer wrote:Posted By: Boomer
Date Posted: December 31 2007 at 11:06am
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MadReefer
My next best guess would be one of the Phyllodesmium sp but not necessarily a Phyllodesmium briareum.You just can't +ID it by those pics unless one is a real expert. The pics need to be sharp and clear. I still think it is one fo the Eubrachus sp but could be wrong. Again, look at the number of "sacs" and how they are arranged and shaped. Put the pics side by side. I know of the danger but I had hoped that this would be an algae eater and grow and be happy. Is that a crazy dream? A good wish but almost all species of "nukes " eat "meat". There are 2 known speices of nukes that eat algae. ------------- Want to Talk Chemistry ! http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=112 - The Reef Chemistry Forum |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: January 10 2008 at 9:31pm
My big clown started eating these about a week ago. The same time she started attacking me when I put my hand in the tank. I think she is getting mature.
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Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 12:10am
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Looks like an Isopod to me.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: January 11 2008 at 5:11pm
| I quoted myself because I was excited that my clown is eating these now and I just wanted to tell someone. Not that I was still asking. But you were right Mike. |
Posted By: siren
Date Posted: January 28 2008 at 8:50pm
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Thats no berghia. A few months ago there was a guy I worked with at the Oklahoma Aquarium that bred these guys for aquarium use, so I've seen them grow up from eggs to adults, and I gotta say, baby berghia don't look like that. Berghia generally stay bleach white unless they've just eaten, in which case the cerata will turn brown, and very rarely blue. My best guess is that you have a zoanthid eater and you wanna get it out pronto. |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: January 28 2008 at 8:52pm
| I never saw it eat and haven't seen it for weeks now. |
Posted By: Crazy Tarzan
Date Posted: January 28 2008 at 10:16pm
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looks almost like the montipora eating ones I found in my tank recently--though so far they seem to be limited to only the montipora frags in my tank, but I am watching my other corals.
------------- Was that in there yesterday? Casper--WY windier than ? Down to a 20, soon to double or nothing |
Posted By: soundsurfer
Date Posted: January 29 2008 at 1:51am
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I had a rock of Zoa's ffrom snowsrfr's tank last week that had some Aiptasia. I scrubed off with too brush and RO water just where the guy was. And then plucked a minute sized one with tweezers (outside of tank). Hope it got rid of it all. Maybe if you guys could get a small rock from snowsrfr's tank with some aiptasia you could put your slugs and infected rock in quarantine tank and see if they eat it. Since Slugs only eat a specific thing, either its good or its bad. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 29 2008 at 3:06am
You may have gotten lucky and gotten a nudibranch that eats aptasia. Can I borrow it for a few weeks? 
http://www.saltyunderground.com/ - http://www.saltyunderground.com/
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Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: February 03 2008 at 11:33pm
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Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: February 04 2008 at 7:15pm
| I'm now sure what I took out last night was eating my zoos. It was very tiny so it had hardly done any damage. But I'm glad it's gone. |
Posted By: jonafriendj
Date Posted: February 04 2008 at 9:01pm
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I read an article today about a guy that smashed a paly eating nudi with his finger and got wicked bad palytoxin poisoning. He didn't say it, but it sounded like he was real close to dying! ------------- Pleasant Grove |