My False Pyjama Nudibranchs

[CSlay79]

I got 2 False Pyjama Nudibranchs yesterday at my local fish store. They are Awesome. From what ive found online about them, they eat sponges. Has anyone else had any experience with them ? I have some of the white sponges that grow under rocks or in shady areas, so im hoping they will eat that. If anybody knows any more let me know.

 

[reefhead]

i had one similar that ate sponges. it lasted all but a month and the bright colors are a warning that they are very toxic esp if they die. just trying to give ya a warning. they look awesome tho.

 

[MoneyPit]

They look really cool. What kind of sponges do they eat ? I know most nudi's are very specific eaters.

 

[CSlay79]

i had one similar that ate sponges. it lasted all but a month and the bright colors are a warning that they are very toxic esp if they die. just trying to give ya a warning. they look awesome tho.

I've read that they are not toxic, but that's their protection to make other animals think that. But none the less, I have them in a 5 gal tank with no corals only a shrimp, snails and crabs. What type of sponges did they eat for you ?

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

The problem with these guys and most nudis is they only eat one specific thing. So if this one eats sponges, then it only eats one specific kind of sponges and nothing else.

 

[beaner_12]

unfortunately your nudis will probably die from starvation. they are very hard to maintain in captivity. good luck.

 

[akabryanhall]

They look so cool, if you cna find out what sponge they eat, would be a cool specialty tank to have.

 

[Diamondsinthereef]

They'll probably die but in the short time their in your tank they'll probably lay eggs. Its pretty cool when they do, it looks like a circular pattern on the glass with thousands of little eggs. Good luck

 

[CSlay79]

Yeah I figured they would die anyway at store, so why not give em a shot, see if they will eat some sponges in my tank. Just to have em is cool. They are very interesting to watch

 

[Falreef]

Pyjama nudibranchs don’t eat anything besides sponges? No flatworms?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Pyjama nudibranchs don’t eat anything besides sponges? No flatworms?

Super old thread here, but yes, pyjama nudibranchs (Chromodoris quadricolor) and false pyjama nudibranchs (which are what the OP had - Chromodoris annae) to our knowledge only eat sponges, and only specific kinds of sponges at that (typically Thorectidae family sponges, including Petrosaspongia sp. or spp.). So, no, they don't eat flatworms (though there may be a different specific species of nudibranch somewhere that eats a specific species or two of flatworms). Like most nudibranchs, these guys have incredibly specific diets.

 

[kstaw]

I want to get a sea slug, and pyjama’s are my fav. What would be a good place to get any?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I want to get a sea slug, and pyjama’s are my fav. What would be a good place to get any?

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

As mentioned above, these nudibranchs have super specific diets - they will starve to death if you get one, so it's not recommended to buy them at all at this point.

If you want to keep a sea slug, here are some good alternatives:

-Sea Hares (typically large but still short-lived)

-Bubble Snails (relatively hard to come by, though a couple of places occasionally sell them)

-"Lettuce Nudibranchs," A.K.A. Elysia spp. Sacoglossan/Solar-powered Slugs (their diets are heavily restricted to specific kinds of macroalgae, but some species have preferred macroalgae foods that can be grown relatively easily in a refugium - some Elysia species have even been aquacultured)

Edit: Some other cool critters that don't look quite as similar include Cowry/Cowrie snails, Fleshy Limpets, Elephant slugs, Chitons, etc. - not the same, but also possibly good replacements.

Stomatella snails also look like slugs, and some places sell them these days (last I checked).

 

[kstaw]

Thanks, this helps a lot! I also do not habe a tank, but where would be a good place to get a cheap but still good one? I’ll also have to convince my parents but thats a whole other matter…

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks, this helps a lot! I also do not habe a tank, but where would be a good place to get a cheap but still good one? I’ll also have to convince my parents but thats a whole other matter…

Hmm, it depends on what kind you prefer, and most of these critters are probably only available online at this point (which is unfortunate with shipping prices) - Stomatellas can be found at a few places like TerraReef, FloridaPets sometimes offers bubble snails, KPAquatics offers lettuce slugs and a seahare, K&P Aquaculture (a different site with a confusingly similar name) sometimes offer Stomatellas and Elephant Slugs, etc.

I have no personal experience with any of these shops yet, but FloridaPets and K&P are rarely used that I've seen, so approach them with a bit more caution; KPAquatics is a fairly well-known, well-reputed shop; TerraReef isn't as well known, but I've heard good things about them from multiple sources IIRC.

If you're looking for cowries, Money Cowries and Gold Ring Cowries are probably the species to go for. Some moon snails (predatory toward things like clams or other snails) also cover their shells with their foot and look like slugs, but that may be a tougher sell for your parents and a more expensive pet to keep.

Unfortunately, a lot of the places that sold some of the cooler, unique inverts (like fleshy limpets) seem to have gone out of business in the past couple of years.


Personally, I'd say a fleshy limpet and/or an elephant slug would be a good "showpiece" snail/slug, but they are larger and would need a somewhat bigger tank; Stomatellas and bubble snails are generally smaller, but they also have been known to reproduce in tanks, so you may be able to trade some to your local fish store for cash or store credit if they start reproducing for you.