Long Island Sound Nudibranch!

[reefs4life]

If found a few of these little guys in a tidepool at my job which is Hudson Park Beach in New Rochelle. I was amazed to find them because I wouldn't expect these to live in these waters...they're very small, a little less than 1/4" and there's one that's literally 1/10"

I'm also wondering if they are reef safe...here are some pics

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[DontXtripNfall]

Thats pretty cool!

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Looks like a nudi I had in my tank not too long ago that ate the hell out of my monti's

 

[reefs4life]

Yeah but how would their diet be montis if no SPS live in Long Island Sound

 

[Killerdrgn]

Could be a relative that might not eat them in local waters but when presented with the abundance in your tank, it might go rogue.

 

[reefs4life]

I'm guessing they feed on algae or sponge just because those are avalaible in local waters...but I'd like other peoples input on this

 

[Domboski]

My guess is they eat hydroids like many of the nudibranchs found around Long Island.

Very cool!

 

[jhale]

nudis have specific diets. if it's food is not in your tank they will starve in a short while.

see if you can find them again and look at what else is in the tidepool. they are eating something in there. it would be tough to keep them, without figuring out what they eat.

 

[reefs4life]

Caught a few more today...the tidepool seems to have nothing but crabs, amphipods, very small crabs, small anemones, and lots of algae. Not sure what a hydroid looks and if I'd even be able to see one

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

How many type of algae you can find in the area and did you see the nudi like to stay around them? If so, replicate the setting and check if the nudi actually eat the algae.

 

[jhale]

reefs, imo it's really not worth collecting them and putting them in your tank. without knowing the food source they will die quickly, plus the fact they may not be able to acclimate to your tanks different conditions. they will just end up polluting your reef water.

 

[reefs4life]

I'm keeping them in a small container and changing the water everyday, kinda like a nano to the extreme lol...since they were in a tidepool the water temp of my tank is not harming them because when I touched the one they were in it was well over 75 degrees, especially today. And I really think they eat algae because every time I've caught some they were on algae and there's really nothing else they could've been on, this might sound stupid but it's a very clean tidepool

 

[Domboski]

reefs, imo it's really not worth collecting them and putting them in your tank. without knowing the food source they will die quickly, plus the fact they may not be able to acclimate to your tanks different conditions. they will just end up polluting your reef water.

I agree. They may live short term but they will most likely perish. Nudis and sea slugs are known to wash up on shore and tidepools in groups all over the world. It is most likely they got washed up which would make it impossible to figure out what they eat. I spent two hours researching yesterday and I could not find an I'D.

Tropical Nudis are hard enough to keep. I can only imagine keeping a temperate species is just as challenging.

Algae eating nudis usually do not have the "spines" on their back. I still think these nudis are hydroid or anemone eaters.

 

[KathyC]

I'm keeping them in a small container and changing the water everyday, kinda like a nano to the extreme lol...since they were in a tidepool the water temp of my tank is not harming them because when I touched the one they were in it was well over 75 degrees, especially today. And I really think they eat algae because every time I've caught some they were on algae and there's really nothing else they could've been on, this might sound stupid but it's a very clean tidepool

What water are you using during the change?
Yes, water in a tidepool heats up rather quickly as the tide changes but keep in mind that the 75 degree water you are taking them out of is NOT what is typical for them.
You also have no way of knowing whether whatever algae they eat will grow in your tank or become a menace in your tank.
IMO they'd be better off back in the ocean in water that can definitely support them rather than chance them dying of starvation or killing off your tank since you have no idea if they are toxic or not.

 

[Paul B]

Amazing I have been collecting and diving off New Rochelle all my life and never saw one. I will have to get there to collect some for my LI Sound tank.
It is hard to tell from the photo but they do not look like a nudibranch to me. I also doubt we have any nudi's here but we do have loads of snails. I think it is a sea slug.
Different animal than a nudi although some of them sllk the same. Slugs are vegetarian and nudi's are carnivores with specific diets.

 

[Domboski]

Amazing I have been collecting and diving off New Rochelle all my life and never saw one. I will have to get there to collect some for my LI Sound tank.
It is hard to tell from the photo but they do not look like a nudibranch to me. I also doubt we have any nudi's here but we do have loads of snails. I think it is a sea slug.
Different animal than a nudi although some of them sllk the same. Slugs are vegetarian and nudi's are carnivores with specific diets.

I've never seen them either. We do have local Nudi's and Sea Slugs. Even a sea slug who eats Algae is specialized in what it eats. Each species eats a specific type of algae, not all algaes.

 

[NYPDFrogman]

I've seen those nudis eating anemone in wild
I wouldn't put them in your tank

I did a stint about 12 years ago wrapping pilings to protect them from shipworms.
those nudis were on the small white amd drab colored anemone attached to the pilings

 

[MikeyZO]

Hell, I didnt even know we had anemones in the sound, much less nudis. Pretty cool.

 

[Paul B]

The Sound is loaded with large white anemones and also soft coral that You also probably diden't know was there.

Right off New Rochelle you can collect 7" mantis shrimp at night using SCUBA.

 

[NYPDFrogman]

The Sound is loaded with large white anemones and also soft coral that You also probably diden't know was there.

Right off New Rochelle you can collect 7" mantis shrimp at night using SCUBA.

they are all over the NY area! little B******* bite too!