[H2oGirl]

Thinking of getting a Nudibranch, any advice guys?

And do they have any natural predators, I have 3 Fire Shrimps and not sure whether they would attack or not???

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by H2oGirl

Thinking of getting a Nudibranch,...

There are thousands of different species of nudibranchs. All of them, without exception, are carnivores. Most of them are very specialized in their choice of prey.

any advice guys?

Unless you are buying Berghia verrucicornis to eat flatworms or Chelidonura varians to eat Aiptasia anemones, then I wouldn't do it. In fact, I wouldn't even bother wasting my money on those two species either because they almost never completely wipe out your problem.

And do they have any natural predators,...

First you have to tell me the species of nudibranch and then I can answer your question.

Before you purchase this nudibranch, be sure to find out exactly what it is (scientific name) so that you can make sure to have plenty of it's prey on hand (alive) in your tank. Most of them feed on sponges but you have to know exactly which sponges. And they only feed on live prey. It can be difficult keeping the sponges alive while the nudibranch is eating them every day.



P.S. -- Most sponges are toxic. Therefore the nudibranchs that feed on them acquire these toxins. Nudibranchs that contain toxins are usually very colorful. It's a warning to potential predators that you better not bite me because you will be sorry.

[H2oGirl]

Thanks for the help Ninong, have done a bit of reading since posting the question and it all points to the idea that perhaps they should be left to people with more expertise.

Thanks anyway x

[Ninong]

To tell you the truth, they really shouldn't be collected at all. Most of them have a lifespan of 12 months or less, maybe 18 months max for a few species. They are collected because they are colorful and very easy to simply pick up. Anything colorful will sell at the LFS because many people will simply buy on impulse and the LFS person will not try to talk them out of it. In fact, the typical LFS person probably has no idea what their requirements are and will probably give you an incorrect answer to any questions you might ask.

For example, many LFS employees routinely tell customers that their nudibranchs will help control their algae problems. No nudibranchs eat algae. Not a single one. This gets confusing because there is something in the trade called the "lettuce nudibranch" that does eat some alage. It's NOT a nudibranch.