Opinions on Ornate sea slug please
- Thread starter Squadir
- Start date
theplantman
Active Member
If you can verify that it is Elysia ornate, then it is a variety that specifically feeds on bryopsis, more commonly known by us reefers as Hair algae. So if you have a hair algae problem, then give it a try, just monitor the little slugs carefully to make sure that is the only thing they are eating and make sure that you remove them when the hair algae is gone. If this is the correct species, it is not a nudibranch but an actual sea slug and if they die, some species have been known to release toxins into the water.
thanks, i will monitor him (i only kept 1 and gave the rest away) to see what he is doing. It was confirmed to be Elysia ornate by the author of Blue Caribbean Magazine and his associates.
i'm a little on the edge about the whole toxin thing though.. thinking about putting him back in the ocean just to be safe lol.
i'm a little on the edge about the whole toxin thing though.. thinking about putting him back in the ocean just to be safe lol.
I'm not a fan of "pretty" sea slugs. My motto on them is this, "If it's really pretty it's really bad!"
I had one very similar (but not identical) in my tank and one Monday morning I come into my office and my tank looks like coffee and the smell... OMG the smell... the sea slug had gotten stuck in my overflow and "expired". I lost all coral except a single frogspawn and a devils finger leather.
I had one very similar (but not identical) in my tank and one Monday morning I come into my office and my tank looks like coffee and the smell... OMG the smell... the sea slug had gotten stuck in my overflow and "expired". I lost all coral except a single frogspawn and a devils finger leather.
theplantman
Active Member
Sometimes learning by experience can be rough :smack: sorry to hear that happened to you.
theplantman
Active Member
Sounds like that is a good idea after reading Allen's post.
theplantman
Active Member
they can and will hide in them in a qt tank. I am sure that if it was surrounded by rubble and sand they might move in if it is a comfortable diameter for them, but they like to build so eventually they will create their own entrance and close off the other end. Are you asking because you have a bare bottom tank and want jawfish or because you actually have one that is doing this? I actually have a pair of yellowheads that share the same burrow. The male does all the digging at the entrance, I am assuming my female is doing deep burrow digging and moving towards the entrance for the male to remove. I only see her at feeding time or when the male leaves the burrow to steal a piece of rubble or shell to enhance his entryway.
theplantman
Active Member
if you can move some of your sand around to provide a couple areas in the front of the display that are 3" and place some live rock rubble and small shell in the 1/4-1/2" range for him to use at the burrow entrance you should be good. jawfish are awesome, you can see pics of mine in my build thread. good luck with him.
i'll try to re-arrange a little and see if i can make some room for him. my brother brought him over last night so i have him in a qt with some pieces of pvc for him to hide in for now until i can fix an area for him in the DT. will a corner work for him? i'm thinking that i have some free space in the front right corner that i can fill up some sand for him and block it off with something so that the sand wont just self level but stay in that area for him. :whstlr: if he is there i can see him easily too 
he is a cute little fella, not even an inch long. i'll see if i can get a few pics of him up.
he is a cute little fella, not even an inch long. i'll see if i can get a few pics of him up.
theplantman
Active Member
front corner will work fine, but I would try to give him two or three places to choose from, nut if he is that small, he may choose any area in your 2" sand bed. they like to burrow against pieces of live rock and will tunnel underneath it. That's why its good idea to have your LR sitting on the glass and then put the sand around it. This is always best if you are planning on keeping jawfish, pistol shrimp and tunneling species of goby.
theplantman
Active Member
You will have hours of enjoyment watching him go to work. You may want to add some sand in a jar to the qt tank for him to feel at home. A lot of people do that with jawfish in their qt.
thats a good idea, will do that when i get home.
i'm trying to think of a way to get the sand to stay at 3" in a few areas without leveling out.
any ideas? thinking of a plastic container and cutting it in 3" sections, and silicone some sand onto it so it looks somewhat natural and not like a piece of plastic sticking out.
i'm trying to think of a way to get the sand to stay at 3" in a few areas without leveling out.
any ideas? thinking of a plastic container and cutting it in 3" sections, and silicone some sand onto it so it looks somewhat natural and not like a piece of plastic sticking out.
theplantman
Active Member
That would work, but if it were me, I would take a ride to my LFS and buy some live rock rubble off him in the 2-3" size and create a natural looking pocket that extends all the way to the glass and then fill it with sand, you could also get some very coarse sand, I used Caribsea florida crushed coral dry sand. I mixed a 10lb bag throughout my sand bed.
Think of it as building a live rock retaining wall with pieces the size of Lincoln logs or those mega block legos. I would make sure the area you enclose is at least 6" x6" and a full 3" depth. You can taper it so it looks more like a mound than a vertical shelf. Then add a couple pieces of rubble on top to make it look natural. If one is large enough to span the mound and be supported by the walls, and is about 2-3" wide, that would be perfect because it gives your little guy a roof to work with and he will be very happy. Then target release him when you put him in the tank. maybe take a plastic cup that is clear, drill some holes in it, place the cup over the mound with him in it so it isolates him and he has to dig there. it will take him about half an hour to 45 minutes to dig a burrow deep enough for him to disappear in then remove the cup.
It's a little elaborate, but sounds like a fun project to me.
Think of it as building a live rock retaining wall with pieces the size of Lincoln logs or those mega block legos. I would make sure the area you enclose is at least 6" x6" and a full 3" depth. You can taper it so it looks more like a mound than a vertical shelf. Then add a couple pieces of rubble on top to make it look natural. If one is large enough to span the mound and be supported by the walls, and is about 2-3" wide, that would be perfect because it gives your little guy a roof to work with and he will be very happy. Then target release him when you put him in the tank. maybe take a plastic cup that is clear, drill some holes in it, place the cup over the mound with him in it so it isolates him and he has to dig there. it will take him about half an hour to 45 minutes to dig a burrow deep enough for him to disappear in then remove the cup.
It's a little elaborate, but sounds like a fun project to me.
yeah, this gave me some ideas, i love DIY projects so i'll come up with something out of rubble/rocks or something of the sort. that cup idea is awesome.
the LFS's that are here in Trinidad are very limited so i'll have to improvise but i can also just go diving/snorkeling and pick up some stuff
the LFS's that are here in Trinidad are very limited so i'll have to improvise but i can also just go diving/snorkeling and pick up some stuff
theplantman
Active Member
but i can also just go diving/snorkeling and pick up some stuff [/QUOTE]
Now I am completely jealous.
[/QUOTE]Now I am completely jealous.