Lettuce Nudibranch

The Lettuce Sea Slug is an unusual and entertaining addition to the reef aquarium. It has highly folded parapodia (side appendages), which give it a ruffled appearance similar to lettuce. The Lettuce Sea Slug is captivating not only for its interesting shape but also for its purposeful and comical manner in which it creeps along your reef aquarium. The coloration of the Lettuce Sea Slug generally ranges from green, yellow, or brown.

The Lettuce Sea Slug may also be referred to as the Lettuce Nudibranch, or Green Lettuce Nudibranch, although it is not a true nudibranch. It has been referred to as both Tridachia crispata and Elysia crispata. The Lettuce Sea Slug will do well in established aquarium systems, if provided ample room to forage. It prefers an aquarium with live rock so that it can graze on algae.

The Lettuce Sea Slug incorporates the chloroplasts (the portions of the cell responsible for photosynthesis) from the algae into its tissues, and thus relies on photosynthesis for part of its energy. Pump intakes and drains can harm the Lettuce Sea Slug, so care should be taken to screen these off. It is sensitive to high levels of nitrate and will not tolerate copper-based medications. The Lettuce Sea Slug has no distinguishing characteristics to help differentiate it from its mate.