Lettuce Nudibranch (Elysia crispata) Sea Slug – Cleanup Crew

The Solar-PoweredBryopsisEater

Behold one of the most beautiful and biologically fascinating creatures in the marine hobby: the Lettuce Nudibranch. This stunning sea slug, with its frilly, ribbon-like body, truly resembles a vibrant piece of lettuce gracefully gliding through your tank. Its coloration is incredibly variable, ranging from brilliant greens and blues to yellows, often highlighted with electric-colored edges, ensuring each individual is a unique work of art.

What makes the Lettuce Nudibranch truly remarkable is that it’s “solar-powered.” It is a specialist herbivore that doesn’t just eat algae—it steals the algae’s chloroplasts and incorporates them into its own tissue. This process, called kleptoplasty, allows the slug to generate its own food from the light in your aquarium! As a functional member of your cleanup crew, it is a renowned specialist for grazing on difficult nuisance algae, particularlyBryopsis. For a stunning, reef-safe, and incredibly unique addition, the Lettuce Nudibranch is an unparalleled choice.

A Beautiful & Functional Specialist:

• Stunning “Lettuce-Like” Appearance:Its intricate, frilly ruffles and vibrant, variable colors make it a showpiece invertebrate.
• “Solar-Powered” Biology:A living example of kleptoplasty, it uses stolen chloroplasts to convert light into energy.
• Specialist Algae Grazer:Highly sought-after for its ability to consume nuisance hair algae, especially tough-to-eradicateBryopsis.
• Completely Reef Safe:This peaceful creature will not harm any corals, fish, or other invertebrates.

Care & Specifications

The Lettuce Nudibranch is a magnificent creature, but it is delicate and requires a specific environment to thrive. Please read the following considerations carefully.

Important Care Considerations:

• Extremely Delicate:As a soft-bodied animal, it is highly vulnerable to physical damage.All powerhead and filter intakes MUST be covered with a sponge or fine mesh guard.They can be easily sucked into and killed by unsecured pumps or overflows.
• Specialized Diet:While it is solar-powered, itmustconsume hair algae (likeBryopsis) to replenish its chloroplasts. It will starve in a tank without a food source. It is not a general scavenger and will not eat cyanobacteria, diatoms, or pellets.
• Short Lifespan:Like many sea slugs, they have a naturally short lifespan, often less than a year. Providing a perfect environment will ensure they live out their full natural life.

Tank Requirements:

• Minimum Tank Size:10 Gallons or larger.
• System Maturity:Must be introduced into a stable, mature aquarium.
• Flow:Gentle or low flow is highly recommended.
• Aquascape:Provide plenty of live rock with a healthy growth of hair algae for grazing.

Feeding:

• Diet:Herbivore (specialist).
• Primary Foods:Requires a steady supply of green hair algae, with a strong preference forBryopsis.
• Lighting:Requires moderate, full-spectrum lighting to allow the chloroplasts in its body to photosynthesize.

Water Parameters:

• Temperature:72−78°F (22−25.5°C)

• Specific Gravity:1.023−1.025

• pH:8.1−8.4

• Water Quality:Intolerant of poor water conditions. Ammonia, Nitrite, and high Nitrates should be kept at or near zero.

Compatibility:

• Temperament:Extremely peaceful.
• Tank Mates:Must be housed with only the most peaceful, gentle tank mates. Avoid any fish known to nip, such as most Wrasses, Butterflyfish, and Angels. Keep away from aggressive crabs and shrimp.
• Inking:When stressed, it may release a harmless purple ink as a defense mechanism.

Acclimation:IMPORTANT:This is a very sensitive invertebrate. To prevent shock,a very slow drip acclimation over a period of at least 90 minutes is absolutely mandatory.