Could these green sea slugs eat my coral?

[Kawaii]

Within the past few days we've been spotting these little (~1/4") green slugs. I read that some may eat soft corals and we have a bunch of zoos, mushrooms, etc. so today we started taking them out. My boyfriend has removed 7 of them so far today ALONE! We just wanted to get rid of them to be safe, but now that we realized there are so many we're kind of worried. Is there a chance they could just be harmless? I will post some photos later but they're kind of blurry and my internet has been really slow so it takes forever to upload.

Here is a photo I found online, NOT the one in our tank, ours don't seem to be such a vivid lime green, but a more dull medium green.


http://www.seaslugforum.net/images/m6669c.jpg

[dc]

It kind of looks like the algae eating ones, but you never know till you see them eating something. Where did you find it? Do you have caulerpa or anything? Take a flashlight at night and see if you can catch them in the act of eating something.

[Kawaii]

We've seen all of them on the glass except for a couple which were on the rocks. I don't think we had caulerpa but we had some green macroalgae I posted about here:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=928809

It got really big though so we cut it and it hasn't grown back much.

[dc]

Maybe you got rid of their food source? I would still do the flashlight thing and see where they are at night.

[kmk2307]

I believe that sea slug only eats caulerpa. Great find. You could probably find someone who would love to have it if you like your caulerpa.

Check this site out:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/specieslist.cfm
and scroll down to Family Oxynoidae

Kevin

[BrianPlankis]

I know someone who may be interested in your slugs, sending you a PM.

Brian

[Kawaii]

Thanks for the information everyone. I really don't know where they're getting the Caulerpa from because I don't think I have any? But as long as they don't eat my corals I guess I can stop freaking out lol.

[dc]

You have several different kinds of 'green' in your pictures, so it may be eating one of those. Perhaps that is why it's not coming back like before. :D

[Freed]

I will take a couple if you want to ship them. I will pay for shipping. Thanks, Jeff

[graveyardworm]

Very cool, I would also be interested.

[Kawaii]

Ok well I got some photos of them, not so great but I tried. I realize now that their "tails" aren't as long as that photo I posted. If anyone is still interested in them let me know. And don't worry, even though I killed a bunch there are still plenty. I went to take photos and I spotted three at the same time. Here are the pics:

http://nikki.e90post.com/personal/images/fish/slug.jpg
http://nikki.e90post.com/personal/images/fish/slug1.jpg

[BrianPlankis]

Thanks for the pictures, they might not be the same animal as the first picture you posted. They could be a type of nudibranch.

The best way to take a picture of them is to remove one from the tank, place it in a shallow bowl of water and use a macro mode on your camera if you have one. If you can get a picture like that we'll have a better chance of knowing what we are dealing with.

Brian

[Kawaii]

Is there a method you can suggest for removing them? When we try to touch them and take them out they curl up into a ball and float away.

[Limbo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8353985#post8353985 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kawaii
Is there a method you can suggest for removing them? When we try to touch them and take them out they curl up into a ball and float away.

Turn all your pumps off and when they start to float about they should be easier to catch with a plastic tub, other container or maybe even a net (unsure if a net would damage them).

[Kawaii]

thanks, i happened to find one near the top and got him. sorry i don't have a dslr but i tried with my point and shoot.

http://nikki.e90post.com/personal/images/fish/slug2.jpg

[Kawaii]

Ok thank you to a member PMed me and tipped me that it looks like an Elysia. After looking through a bunch, it looks most similar to this one, Elysia gordanae:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=elysgord

It probably isn't that one exactly, but it resembles it the most and it is very difficult to tell because ours doesn't have a fully developed fold in the middle but it has an apparent beginning of one. I'm guessing they are newborns since I had not seen them ever and then recently saw a bunch.

[Kawaii]

It could also be this one, since this one originates in Florida. It doesn't have the white though, Elysia tuca:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=elystuca



And this one, Elysiella pusilla:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=elyspus2

[CraigG]

Do most sea slugs in that family eat calerpa? We have a small HOB filter I could change into a small refugium for calerpa for these guys.

[dc]

Well it does appear to still be a type of algae/macro/caulerpa eater. :D

[greenbean36191]

Do most sea slugs in that family eat calerpa?
No. There are only a small number of species that eat it.