Mystery slug in aquarium

May 27, 2006
From: Kevin Yang

Dear Sir,
I have had my tank with the live rocks for about one month now. One night, when i turned on the lights i discovered a slug crawling on my rock and photographed it. The slug must have come in hidden inside the live rocks that i bought.

Do not know much about slugs. I have fishes, shrimps as well as corals in the tank. Should i try to remove the slug and give it back to the retailers or is it alright to leave it in the tank.

I have gotten some pictures of it....what type is it? If i leave it in the tank, how should i care for it?  Length: 4.5 cm

Thanking you in advance for your advice.

Kevin Yang
Singapore

kevin@starglobal.com.sg

Yang K, 2006 (May 27) Mystery slug in aquarium. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16680

Dear Yang,
This is a species of Dendrodoris. It is most probably Dendrodoris fumata but could be D. nigra. Both species are quite commonly introduced into aquaria on 'live rock'. They can squeeze into small crevices and so are protected from drying out and being squashed when the rock is being transported. We dont know much about the actual sponges these species feed on but I assume they must be sponges that are fairly hardy, reasonably common, and can live, like the slug in small crevices. Sometimes the slugs seem to appear months after the 'live rock' has been put into the aquarium so it is unlikely the slug has been starving all that time.

I don't know of any evidence that species of Dendrodoris can harm other occupants of your tank so you might as well leave it in your aquarium as there is no guarantee the retailer will have the right sponge to feed it. Many nudibranchs only appear at night. This is one way they have of avoiding been eaten by fish, which only hunt during the day
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (May 27). Comment on Mystery slug in aquarium by Kevin Yang. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16680

Factsheet

Dendrodoris fumata

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