sea slugs

neb123 · 03-19-2005, 08:09 PM

i just took a trip to china town in SF, and i went to a fish store that had an incredible selection of marine fish that i have never seen sold before, one thing that caught my eye was the wide selection of sea slugs they had, im assuming these slugs graze on live rock and algae and such so they would probably do best in a reef tank but would they do alright in a fowlr? are there any fish that prey on these slugs? they didnt have labels at the store but im pretty sure the following two links were what i saw
http://www.edge-of-reef.com/opistobr...ra-varians.jpg
http://www.ocean-photo.de/bilder/rdi_1189.jpg
any info on these would help thanks

**TheOldSalt** · 03-19-2005, 09:00 PM

Don't do it.
Of the hundreds of slugs species which make it onto the market, only about 3 or 4 will actually survive.
They all have very specialized diets, and most of them only eat ONE thing.

You can get one kind that eats planarians, and another that eats algae, and another that eats glass anemones, but almost none of the others will live two weeks. There are a few which only eat other slugs, and they live okay if you can supply them, but what's the point in that?

They absolutely WON'T live in a FOWLR tank, and unless the tank is HUGE and densely filled with several hundred pounds of TOP-SHELF live rock, they won't last long in a reef either.

DON'T support the vile practice of selling these animals by buying one.

Scuba Kid · 03-19-2005, 09:21 PM

I agree with Old Salt. The only one ive ever seen survive in a tank was a green one that was sold at my LFS.
besides, most Nudibranchs eat coral and they will most likely never survive. their diets are way too specialized and shouldnt be taken from the wild. I found a Nudibranch while snorkeling and brought it home (i wasnt doing it any harm because it was swept in from the gulf of mexico and up to the north, so if it was left there, when winter came it would die) and it didnt szurvive more than a day.
DO NOT BUY THESE ANIMALS

neb123 · 03-19-2005, 09:44 PM

ahh too bad

Scuba Kid · 03-20-2005, 07:01 AM

yeah i know. it's tempting because they're so beautiful and interesting...but it's better to have them live in the wild than put them in an aquarium to observe for a little while and then have them die.

03-19-2005, 08:09 PM	#1
neb123 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 34	sea slugs i just took a trip to china town in SF, and i went to a fish store that had an incredible selection of marine fish that i have never seen sold before, one thing that caught my eye was the wide selection of sea slugs they had, im assuming these slugs graze on live rock and algae and such so they would probably do best in a reef tank but would they do alright in a fowlr? are there any fish that prey on these slugs? they didnt have labels at the store but im pretty sure the following two links were what i saw http://www.edge-of-reef.com/opistobr...ra-varians.jpg http://www.ocean-photo.de/bilder/rdi_1189.jpg any info on these would help thanks

03-19-2005, 09:00 PM	#2
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,471	Re: sea slugs Don't do it. Of the hundreds of slugs species which make it onto the market, only about 3 or 4 will actually survive. They all have very specialized diets, and most of them only eat ONE thing. You can get one kind that eats planarians, and another that eats algae, and another that eats glass anemones, but almost none of the others will live two weeks. There are a few which only eat other slugs, and they live okay if you can supply them, but what's the point in that? They absolutely WON'T live in a FOWLR tank, and unless the tank is HUGE and densely filled with several hundred pounds of TOP-SHELF live rock, they won't last long in a reef either. DON'T support the vile practice of selling these animals by buying one.

03-19-2005, 09:21 PM	#3
Scuba Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 18 Posts: 4,225	I agree with Old Salt. The only one ive ever seen survive in a tank was a green one that was sold at my LFS. besides, most Nudibranchs eat coral and they will most likely never survive. their diets are way too specialized and shouldnt be taken from the wild. I found a Nudibranch while snorkeling and brought it home (i wasnt doing it any harm because it was swept in from the gulf of mexico and up to the north, so if it was left there, when winter came it would die) and it didnt szurvive more than a day. DO NOT BUY THESE ANIMALS __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

03-19-2005, 09:44 PM	#4
neb123 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 34	Re: sea slugs ahh too bad

03-20-2005, 07:01 AM	#5
Scuba Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 18 Posts: 4,225	yeah i know. it's tempting because they're so beautiful and interesting...but it's better to have them live in the wild than put them in an aquarium to observe for a little while and then have them die. __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

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