What eats Bryopsis?

January 31, 2001
From: Steve Wheeler

Hi

I have a bad dose of Bryopsis growing on all of my Live Rock and no one here in the UK knows of anything that will eat it. Having read some of your articles on the Elysia species of Sea Slugs, it would appear that they eat Bryopsis.

I do not wish to appear cynical, but has anyone got first hand expereince of these guys actually eating the Bryopsis? I would rather check first than buy one of these magnificent creatures and have it slowly starve to death.

Many thanks,
Steve Wheeler
Manchester, UK.

stephen_wheeler@candle.com

Wheeler, S., 2001 (Jan 31) What eats Bryopsis?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3500

Dear Steve,
You are wise to treat what you read on the world wide web with caution. There is a lot of unsourced rubbish around. Most information on the Forum has references to scientific publications or is the first hand accounts of the professional biologists and interested amateurs who participate. With over 500 vistors a day, most errors or disagreements surface within a day or two of them appearing on the Forum. It is a fairly rigorous form of peer review.

Now to your question. Have a look at my answer to the identical question sent in some time ago. Basically sea slugs are fussy eaters, most species eating only one or a few food items. Nudibranchs are all carnivorous so you will need to find a herbivorous sacoglossan, like a species of Elysia, or perhaps a Sea Hare. Getting the right one could be difficult. Another possibility would be to find a grazing herbivorous snail - even one from the local sea shore might fit the bill. However you will need to consult books on your local fauna to find something suitable.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2001 (Jan 31). Comment on What eats Bryopsis? by Steve Wheeler. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3500

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