Lettuce nudibranch has doubled!

[russbooger]

Hello all

2nd post today!

The lettuce nudibranch I borrowed from the LFS has just done a very curious thing - its split into two parts.

I got him a couple of weeks ago to deal with a stubborn patch of bryopsis and the little chap has done a great job, and a couple of days ago every single piece has gone.

I'm hoping its not some inbuilt mechanism they have of reducing bodyweight if food is scarce, as I was due to drop him back to the LFS this weekend.

As of now the half of his body is sat in my caulerpa stand, while the other half with the head is merrily trundling round the tank.

Any ideas?

Russ

 

[VP Clown]

Hello all

2nd post today!

The lettuce nudibranch I borrowed from the LFS has just done a very curious thing - its split into two parts.

I got him a couple of weeks ago to deal with a stubborn patch of bryopsis and the little chap has done a great job, and a couple of days ago every single piece has gone.

I'm hoping its not some inbuilt mechanism they have of reducing bodyweight if food is scarce, as I was due to drop him back to the LFS this weekend.

As of now the half of his body is sat in my caulerpa stand, while the other half with the head is merrily trundling round the tank.

Any ideas?

Russ

Russ

I have had a couple of these in the past and both got sucked up and through the koralia, could be that has happened to you, I don't think they should naturally split in half

Andy

 

[Reefmack]

I know sea cucumbers can divide by splitting in the middle, but no idea on the LN.

 

[russbooger]

I don't know, he never seemed to stray from the rockwork, and if he'd gone through the koralia I thought it would turn him into a slug smoothie! It looks like a clean break, no ragged edges, and no mucus or slime leaking out.

 

[VP Clown]

I don't know, he never seemed to stray from the rockwork, and if he'd gone through the koralia I thought it would turn him into a slug smoothie! It looks like a clean break, no ragged edges, and no mucus or slime leaking out.

I saw mine go into the koralia once I spun it around and I thought it survived but was gone a day or 2 later,
BTW although the look similar and often sold as nudibranches the lettuce is actually a slug

Andy