lettuce nudibranch

[Frizz]

because I don't know the scientific name, I couldn't look this up in the sea slug forum. There is a lettice nudibranch for sale at a LFS that I was considering purchasing but I don't know if my tank could support one or not. I have a 125. Algae is not a problem right now but the sides of my tank get pretty filmed up on a regular basis, ( I am assuming that the rocks do as well). We currently have 3 or 4 turbo snails & a wad of blue leg hermit crabs. I also have plenty of calerpa but I don't know if the nudibranch would eat it or not. Would love to have one but don't want it to starve. Advice please?
Frizz

[rshimek]

Hi Frizz,

The lettuce slugs (they aren't nudibranchs) require specific types of algae, such as Bryopsis or, in some rare cases, types of Caulerpa as food. They will not the algae that form the films on the side of the tank. It might be able to live in your system, but I am not certain that it would.

[Frizz]

OK,
I'll bite, what's the difference between a slug & a nudibranch? I thought that nudibranchs were sea slugs.
Frizz

[rshimek]

Hi,

There are a lot of kinds of slugs in the sea. These are basically shelled snails that lose the shells. There maybe 20 or evolutionary lineages leading to the various types of slugs. All have different anatomy (drastically different in some cases). Generally, the differences have to do with the reproductive plumbing, feeding structures, sensory structures, respiratory structures and the gut anatomy.

There is no really "short" way of discribing the differences in detail.

Rather in a nut-or snail-shell, nudibranchs (taxonomically members of the Order Nudibranchia) are all carnivorous. Lettuce slugs are in the Order Sacoglossa, and are herbivorous. They are about as closely related as wolves and cows.

[Frizz]

Thanks for the reply. Invertebrates are such fascinating creatures!
Frizz