64g Tokyo tank

[Anonymous]

Order Sacoglossa, family Plakobranchidae, if my ID's correct.

http://www.nudibranch.com.au/specieslist.html

Family Plakobranchidae
Generally the body shape is long and narrow especially when crawling, and is high in profile in relation to its width.
The sole of the foot is divided transversely into a short anterior section and a longer “visceral” section.
They have large, flap-like parapodia along each side of the body that extend from behind the head along most of the body length. These are folded over the dorsum often meeting in the dorsal midline but sometimes there are gaps where the margins are kept slightly apart. The parapodia are not used for swimming but can contain branches of the digestive system and function in respiration. These parapodia are sometimes enlarged by additional folding of the margins, or by possession of lobes or papillae along the margins.
Tentacles are quite small or absent.
The rhinophores are usually prominent and auriculate.
There are no external gills to observe.
They feed primarily upon green algae.

 

[Anonymous]

Here are the best shots I could manage.

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010602.jpg[/rimg]

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010601.jpg[/rimg]

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010620.jpg[/rimg]

I've reasonably sure it's what I think it is - as far as it's possible from an internet ID to be that sure. It looks like a small (young?) version to me of the photo on the previous page.

 

[Anonymous]

Have you checked with Bill Rudman over at http://www.seaslugforum.net ? If there's anyone who can give you a positive ID on a seaslug it's him. He also maintains an excellent photo archive of seaslug species you can compare yours against.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks CJ. I've just had a look and the message board is no longer running (funding withdrawn or something), so I can't ask. But I did look at a lot of ID sites while I was trying to work out what this was. Hopefully I'm right!

Pretty cool hitchhiker whichever way...

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, they need alternate hosting. I think I'm gonna whisper in Len's ear.

 

[Anonymous]

But, browsing the site, this photo listed under Thuridilla flavomaculata is almost (mine is smaller and with fewer orange spots and a thinner pale ridge along the top, so maybe a young specimen?) a dead ringer for what I have in the tank (I had a better look at it than is possible by looking at the photo once the halide was on, though unfortunately my camera had started malfunctioning by then :x ).

edit: now with correct spelling

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, they need alternate hosting. I think I'm gonna whisper in Len's ear.

Do that! It looks like an exceptionally useful resource.

 

[Anonymous]

From a Japanese site - this is a dead ringer.

 

[Anonymous]

That's really neat lookin' Tom

 

[Anonymous]

I agree! Pretty much the coolest hitchhiker I've had, along with the tunicate. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Post a nice pic in the GRF

 

[Anonymous]

Not a bad idea. I'll add a pic (and one of the tunicate) to the live rock thread I started previously. If I get better quality pics at some stage, I might even start a hitchhiker thread.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I've not seen that guy for a few days now, which might mean he's dead or just not in sight when I'm looking...

But on the other hand, I think I might have another couple of hitchhiker corals - one a bright green fluorescing tiny patch at the top of one piece of aquacultured live rock. It appears to have tiny red spots (just a few - incipient polyps?) on it, but it could just be some other random hitchhiker (what fluoresces under actinics apart from coral?). My best guess is some sort of encrusting coral, but it's far too tiny a spot to be sure and it might well turn out to be sponge/algae/novelty key ring. We'll see if it gets any bigger and starts to show any distinguishing characteristics...

Second up is more likely to be a coral. A small pink bulbous growth off one of the older "no life at all" pieces of live rock with what appear to be polyps. Hidden by another piece of live rock and only visible from the side, I'll keep an eye on it to see if it too develops any characteristics to help identify it.

Oh, and the possible clove polyps earlier appear to have stretched around to the light, though they too are too tiny to get a picture.

Sorry for lack of photos. Caused by crap camera and tininess/inaccessibility of potential coral.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, not only is the Thuridilla alive and well (growing fast and turning green, which is natural as they somehow keep algae chloroplasts alive as they ingest them, which then provide the sea slug with nutrients as they continue to photosynthesize), but it looks like I have another sea slug/nudi hitchiker as well. Now the task of trying to ID this one as well... :?

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010634.jpg[/rimg]

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010633.jpg[/rimg]

 

[Anonymous]

Here are a couple of further pics. Not a whole lot better, but maybe a bit clearer.

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010639.jpg[/rimg]

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010637.jpg[/rimg]

After some extensive surfing, I think I've narrowed this down to a Aplysia parvula, or Dwarf Sea Hare, which mainly feeds on red macro algae apparently. Well, I hope I have enough to keep it fed!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm starting to think that my worries about lack of biodiversity and hitchhikers on my rock was a little premature! :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

First corals for the tank!

A Blasto, which I bought knowing there were heads showing recession, but assuming that, like a lot of coral, given tender loving care, they can recover. I hope I'm right! I'm now worrying about whether it was the right thing to have done. But I did like the color...

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/IMG_1384.jpg[/rimg]

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/IMG_1383.jpg[/rimg]

And also a little Ricordia florida. They're rare over here, so often sold in singles. I was actually lucky it was attached to a little piece of live rock as they often sell them unattached as well and I didn't want the hassle of trying to get it to attach to something...

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/IMG_1381.jpg[/rimg]

 

[Anonymous]

nice start Tom!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Tracy! It feels good to get some extra color in the tank. Plus I should be getting some freebies later this week from a friend - some zoas and yumas hopefully. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

One of the heads on the Blasto that was only looking slightly thin at one end yesterday is now starting to recede.

The healthiest looking heads are still looking great, but I'm now starting this is going to spread to all the heads until the things a gonna. I really hope not.

Maybe I should try feeding the healthiest looking heads to give them some energy to fight off whatever's causing the rest of the heads to recede? Or would trying to feed them stress them?

Meanwhile, I've managed to get hold of some Chaeto, thanks to a friend bringing some into Japan when he arrived yesterday. I now need to get more flow in the fuge, as it's only got a MJ 600 feeding it at the moment. Would it be better to upgrade the feed pump or install a mini powerhead in the tank itself?

To remind people, this is what my (drop-in) fuge looks like. You can see the MJ on the right.

[rimg]http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab238/TheEscapedApe/Long%20awaited/P1010558.jpg[/rimg]