Tiny Nudi ID needed. Advice on keeping it alive til swap?

[kgoldy]

Just found this tiny little guy... He's staying in a small glass dish overnight because I don't know if he's harmful or not.

I'm guessing ID is unlikely since it's so small... But I figured I'd give it a shot anyway.

Anyone know if this thing can survive in a small dish (no circulation, no heater) for a few days? I figure someone at the swap might be able to ID this thing if they could see it in person.

As for now I don't want to put it in my tank in fear it might be a coral eater... And I really, really hope if it is, there's not a million of them hiding in my rocks...

Please excuse my first attempt at a macro video. Also keep in mind it's after midnight and coffee has long worn off....

 

[albano]

NOT an EXPERT...looks like a Lettuce Nudi...get anything from Caribbean /Florida lately? I used to have them hatch (?) and grow from Florida LR in the 80's...need good light, should eat algae, but don't last a year

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+524+724&pcatid=724

 

[rookie07]

Herbivore, reef safe.
I have one that has lived about 4-5 moths in my solana.

Cant find link for ID as I am on my cell...you can search my old posts within the last 60 days

 

[cybermeez]

I agree with albano. It's some sort of Elysia nudibrach. They are photosynthetic algae eaters. The Austrailian Museum's Sea Slug Site has the most comprehensive list of species out there and most profiles have photos. I'd browse through that and you may be able to figure out what species he is.

 

[kgoldy]

Wow, I never imagined ID'ing this thing was possible. Haha.

Mine is more yellow than green... But this is the shape. Still looking. I'm floating the dish on a mat of chaeto, so at least the temp will be alright for it.

http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/elysaust

 

[kgoldy]

Dr Ron Shimek-

Hi,
Your little sea slug is a sacoglossan, not a nudibranch. That means lots of internal differences from a nudi, but more importantly, it means this little guy/gal (it is a hermaphrodite) eats algae, rather than animals. It really is too small for me to definitively identify with these images, it could be either an individual of a species of Elysia (no shell) or an individual of Oxynoe antillarum (very thin and hard to see external shell - at this size one needs microscopy to see the shell). Both are often found on Caulerpa, upon which they feed.

Enjoy the biodiversity.

 

[cybermeez]

If you need some calurpa for this little guy to munch on, he's welcome to mine.

 

[kgoldy]

The caulerpa thing makes a lot of sense, actually. I had just spent some time weeding out all the grape caulerpa out of my fuge that I possibly could. I must have sent this guy through the return pump and into the first chamber of my second fuge...

I wonder how many little brothers and sisters (or... what do you call a hermaphrodite sibling?) I tossed out in the garbage last night... Poor little guys...

Any idea how big these guys get? I would like to keep them alive and breed if possible.

 

[cybermeez]

I've never seen one longer than between 1/2 to 1 cm. Not sure how to get them to reproduce, but obviously the right food and good environmental conditions can go a long way. My little guy was an E. clarki.

 

[albano]

If it's a lettuce 'nudi'/slug like I said it can get up to 2-3"...but they seem to die out 'seasonally'...

 

[knutez24]

http://www.angelfire.com/mi/sharkcage69/nudi/nudindex.html

This is a good link someone posted awhile ago that i put in my fav places. Very good pics with some info on many different nudis. It should help you id it. Will probably have to go elsewhere for info in it once id