Ok what is this??

**Strider199** · 02-21-2013, 01:07 AM

At first I thought this was the snail I had on my new piece of coral. It came out of the live rock into full view just now. It has two eye stalk type pods up front with what looks like waving hand coral polpys all over it. It is approx. an inch long but can stretch to two inches easily. It moves like a snail with some speed. Here are two different pictures. Sorry they dont capture this thing as well as I hoped.

Note; The intruder is in the middle of both pictures.

**Cliff** · 02-21-2013, 01:10 AM

My guess would be some type of nudibranch

**Strider199** · 02-21-2013, 01:29 AM

Mine too. I have been searching for images of these slug type inverts but I haven't found one that look similar. This one can move well and changes colour with it's surroundings. Not drastic changes but goes from beige to light blue in a flash.

**Cliff** · 02-21-2013, 01:31 AM

Something like this guy

**Strider199** · 02-21-2013, 01:41 AM

Not quite. This one actually really looks like soft coral waving in the water. The eye stalks are not pointy. They look more like the ends of java moss. If this creature didn't move I would swear it was a colony of polyps on the rock.

**Strider199** · 02-21-2013, 01:53 AM

So the question at hand is, do I remove it (that is if I can find him again),or is it a friendly new addition to the reef?

**Strider199** · 02-21-2013, 02:11 AM

Think I found my answer. The closest picture I can find is of a,

Tritoniopsis elegans Adult
(Audouin, 1826)

Apparently it's diet consists of soft coral. Explains some things I found tonight. Time to go hunting.

**Strider199** · 02-22-2013, 10:35 PM

My son found what he thought were some roots growing out of the side of a rock which has my waving hand coral on it. After looking at the "roots" closer I picked up the rock and put it into my specimen container. This is a picture of what came out. I didn't take this pic it's off the net but it looks like the nudi that I sucked off the rock with my baster. The little guy is in a separate container right now. The one I first saw a few nights ago was alot larger then this one so I know there is one more in my tank somewhere. The coral looks 100% better today. The rock still has bare paths on it but the coral is out and waving again.

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/...nudibranch.jpg