Lettuce Nudibranch

[Corvus]

Any clues on keeping these critters alive? I tried 2, one disappeared and the other isn't looking too good. My LFS does not even carry them because they said they can't figure out how to keep them alive! LOL

C.

 

[Mike Johnson]

First, they are not a true Nudibrach. They are a Gastropod, a shell-less snail. A common problem is they die of old age. They have a life expectancy of one year, at most. They need lots of algae to eat. They also commonly get killed in pumps and overflows. How old was the Lettuce when you got it? There's no way of knowing that unless they're captive bred.

 

[reefle]

I bought one and it was fat when I first got it, but has been slowly withering away as the algae is becoming scarcer. I'm afraid the little guy won't make it from lack of food even with supplements.

 

[Corvus]

First, they are not a true Nudibrach. They are a Gastropod, a shell-less snail. A common problem is they die of old age. They have a life expectancy of one year, at most. They need lots of algae to eat. They also commonly get killed in pumps and overflows. How old was the Lettuce when you got it? There's no way of knowing that unless they're captive bred.

I believe it was captive bred, but I have no idea as to its age. It's possible the algae in my aquarium is at too low a level to support the lettuce. As I said, there's no sign of the small one I got, but the larger one is still around. He seems to stay wrapped up in a ball on a rock with the direct flow from a power head hitting him head on. I just picked him off the rock and put him on the sand and he calmly "came to life" and started crawling around.

C.

 

[Corvus]

I bought one and it was fat when I first got it, but has been slowly withering away as the algae is becoming scarcer. I'm afraid the little guy won't make it from lack of food even with supplements.

I think they need a lot of algae, and perhaps the level of algae in my tank is below what they need to live well.

C.