Nudibranches

[oscar]

can nudibranches - which are toxic - be kept in a cuttle tank?

im guessing the cuttles wont eat them but do they release toxin into the water?

 

[Octomush]

I was kinda just wondering the same thing. But Im more worried about them being eaten than releasing toxics into the water. Which no they dont unless attacked, which only some species do. But bear in mind they are VERY fragile. But other than that I think that it is a great idea. I would like to keep a spanish dancer with an octo. I have been hunting for one for a long time now but I have the worst of luck when it comes to that sort of thing. :P Oh yeah by the way I was keeping a sea hare (which is a ophistobranch species of nudibanch) with my octo before my tank crashed and they really never bothered each other. Good luck on keeping a nudibanch they are soooo cool.

 

[ddarko66]

Most nudibanch on the market are quite hard to keep. Most LFS try hard to sell them quickly so they die in your tank rather than theirs.

DDarko

 

[Octomush]

Yeah that is kinda true but I have found that most ophistobranchs do really well in captivity and some have been kept for years at a time! Not to mention they are the most adverse kind of nudibanch so there is lots of different shapes sizes and colors to choose from.

 

[Colin]

Personally i have never had much luck on keeping nudibranchs at all, let alone with a cuttle...

Perhaps the cuttle would recognise the nudi as being toxic or maybe not??? Hard one to guess and its another one of those suck it and see situations... dont think i'd try it until you have a bit more experience with just the cuttles...

...unless anyone knows different? Jean, ever kept them together?

 

[Cephkid]

If I may imterject, octomush, you sure you want a spanish dancer? It'll need a big tank-afterall, 1ft long, almost constant swimming...

 

[Jean]

...unless anyone knows different? Jean, ever kept them together?

No! We keep ours in a separate tank. They do seem to be rather delicate and we find the carniverous ones do need sponges as well as anything else we may feed them.

J

 

[Octomush]

If I may imterject, octomush, you sure you want a spanish dancer? It'll need a big tank-afterall, 1ft long, almost constant swimming...

Actually they only swim at night or when disturbed. And the largest one ever recorded was less than 1 ft wasnt it?

No! We keep ours in a separate tank. They do seem to be rather delicate and we find the carniverous ones do need sponges as well as anything else we may feed them.

Well think of it this way... If u have a large tank 75 gallons or so with lots of rocks since some nudibanchs are so small the cuttles might not even notice them. But most are rather colorful!

 

[Cephkid]

Spanish dancers average size is 30cm, I think the largest was about 45cm...
As for the swimming, you sure? My old Smithsonian MarineBio book says it will swim or crawl, depends on individual, but it is from 1996, so... neat if I'm wrong, but it'll still need a large tank...

 

[Octomush]

Yeah I guess ur pretty much right... They are pretty much the largest nudibranch in the world. But they dont usaully grow really large.

 

[oscar]

I had no idea! exactly how hard are they to keep alive? What is involved?

Why is it that everything which is amazingly cool is hard to keep???!!! :x

 

[joel_ang]

Why is it that everything which is amazingly cool is hard to keep???!!!

A small price to pay for their beauty, antics and the joy they bring.

 

[Octomush]

Well put!