Teresa Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Hi Everyone, I just found a green sea slug in my 24 gallon cardiff that currently only houses some sea grasses and gorgonia. I've recently added some macro algae in the refugium without rinsing it in fresh water first - so I'm thinking this is where the little guy came from. Based on my research so far, this little guy is a Oxynoe antillarum. But I haven't been able to figure out if it'll be safe with my desired set up. The cardiff is going to be a seahorse tank with sea grasses, gorgonia, pipefish and macro algae. I've read this guy eats calpuera, but does anyone know if he'll eat my sea grasses or other macros? It's cute and I hate to discard of a living creature, but my yet-to-be-purchased seahorses come first. Should I give this guy the boot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Why boot it until it shows bad behavior. I agree with you. I think it is cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Wow, that's a cool looking hitchhiker! I have no idea if it's safe or not, but as long as it doesn't eat macros faster than they grow then I don't see the harm. As long as that's all it does, it's pretty neat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The reason I would be cautious is that you only need 1 slug for it to reproduce. If it turns out being a pest, it may be too late to easily stop it. On the other hand, most slugs will only eat a single food, even if it means they die without it, so controlling them can be a lot easier than other pests. Whatever the case, I would keep a really close eye on it unless you can 100% identify it as a safe creature. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The reason I would be cautious is that you only need 1 slug for it to reproduce. If it turns out being a pest, it may be too late to easily stop it. On the other hand, most slugs will only eat a single food, even if it means they die without it, so controlling them can be a lot easier than other pests. Whatever the case, I would keep a really close eye on it unless you can 100% identify it as a safe creature. You make a good point with this. But I suspect at this point, if there is one, there are probably more in waiting. You might contact @John Maloney with Reef Cleaners, you might be able to give you more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absolut_racer Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 (edited) +1; If it looks like the picture, I believe this is Oxynoe antillarum... Another forum mentions that this particular slug possibly feeds on Caulerpa (specific type not mentioned). Edited August 2, 2011 by absolut_racer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Thanks for the feedback. It looks exactly like the picture, including the blue/white whatcha-call-ems. If it just eats Caulerpa than cool - but I'm afraid it'll eat other macros. I've only seen it crawling on the glass and live rock. I don't have any Caulerpa in the display part of the tank (there might be some in the refuguim, though that's not the type I put back there). I don't really feel like adding any just to feed him . . . Hummm, . . . I'll let you know what happens. In the meantime, if anyone has any personal experience with this creature - I'd love to hear about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I would leave it. I'm in the "Inocent untill proven guilty" camp on this. The vast majority of stuff that's introduced incidentally is benign or beneficial, I would wait until something shows it's harmful before removing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I would keep it around and remove it if it starts doing something you don't like. If it eats caulerpa then you could consider selling it. About 10 years ago my tank was overgrown with the stuff and I would have loved to have a caulerpa eating slug like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 I was thinking of adding the fern caulerpa that I have growing in another tank to an empty corner in this one and watching to see if the little bugger can keep the growth in check. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him since the day I started this post - so I'm not sure where he's at or what's up. Previous to that day, I would see him on a daily basis. Humm . . . Well I'm definietly not adding Caulpera to this system if I don't have anything to keep it in check. I'll wait until I see him again. Kinda sad, cause he was super cute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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