Nudibranchs

I have been wanting a nudibranch for a while now but I can't seem to find any care info for them, or at least any that I feel is accurate. The info I have found says they eat corals, algae, sponges, and each other. But other info says that this info is not true and that they can not live long in aquariums. Can anyone give me any accurate info on these.

 

Diet is highly species dependent.

Each species only eats one particular thing, and that may be something from any of the categories you listed above. If you can't provide the specific diet for a specific species, it will starve.

Do you have a particular species in mind?

I'm sure someone would give you a zoa eating nudi for free!

 

From everything that I have read, nudibranches have VERY specific diets- flat worms, aipstasia, etc. They are very hard to keep alive because once that one specific source of food is gone they will starve. They will not eat anything else.

This is probably why some sources say they will not last long in aquaria.

 

These guys are pretty cool looking. My LFS had some. pretty wild looking.. wish they were reef safe

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/tbs/purple_nudibranch_tb.jpg

 

I think both sources are true. A sea hare will eat green algae, but when you run out of algae, then what?

Bergia nudi will eat your aptasia, but when the aptasia are gone, then what?

Blue velvet nudi -> eats only flatworms

If you have contacts that can send you their aptasia/algae/flatworm contaminated live rock once yours is clean, then you can keep them going. Otherwise it probably isn't worth it.

That being said, I bought a starfish, so i'm a bit of a hypocrite...

 

I haven't decided what type I would like yet since I couldn't find any info that I felt was very accurate. I will probably get one that eats green algae though since it is relatively easy to cultivate. Thanks for the info

 

Some things just shouldn't be kept captive

 

I have a lettuce nudibranch and they eat bryopsis. However they will eat other algae and once they absorb the chlorophyl then they also become photosynthetic! Very neat creature you should look into them.

 

I will definitely look into those, thanks

 

huh. Thats pretty cool actually!