Spanish Dancer?

December 14, 2001
From: Joyce Zwiener

Dear Bill,
My name is Joyce Zwiener and I am a salt water aquarium hobbyist. Recently I purchased a Spanish Dancer from my local pet store and was wondering if it would be harmful to keep such a creature with coral. According to your web page they eat sponges. I was wondering if they would eat other things such as algae, brine shrimp, etc. It is a rather large specimen so I would like to keep him happy and healthy. If you could help I would greatly appreciate it.

P.S. If I could ask one more question .... The other day I found a long red sponge-like ring that the Spanish dancer seemed to have sloughed off. This was found the morning after I had introduced him to the tank. After I read your web page on Spanish dancers I was wondering if this could be an egg sack?

Joyce Zwiener

jcz1@cdc.gov

Zwiener, J., 2001 (Dec 14) Spanish Dancer?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5826

Dear Joyce,
Hexabranchus is a sponge feeder, so it would be unusual for it to eat other things even in aquarium conditions. So the most likely thing is that it will slowly starve. Unfortunately there is no way it will remain happy and healthy if it can't find appropriate food. The red ring you mentioned is almost certainly an egg ribbon - unfortunately laying an egg ribbon like this is often another sign of stress.
Sorry I can't offer better advice
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Dec 14). Comment on Spanish Dancer? by Joyce Zwiener. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5826

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Hexabranchus sanguineus

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