Unknown Bubble Shell

[Vnnie]

Today I noticed a small snail-like animal crawling slowly on the glass of my tank. After searching the web, I think it might be some sort of Bubble Shell (order Cephalaspida). It is no more than 0.5cm (1/4in) long. There apears to be a pinkish internal shell. This thing moves very slowly and I believe the forked end is the back. It must have come from my Marshall live rock because there are no corals in the tank yet. Here are two pictures. Does anyone have any idea what this is?

[Vnnie]

Here is the second picture.

[AReeferIsExpensive]

thats def a flatworm. i have those exact ones and im in the process of getting rid. it started with 1......now hundreds. the more you have the more dangerous it is to kill them b/c their bodies release toxins.

def order some flatworm exit ......

[1fish2fish]

Actually I am pretty sure that it is not a flatworm. Flatworms are, as the name would lead us to think, flat. Note teh redish area. It appears to be a shell within the soft outer body. Give him a poke and see if the bubble in him is actually hard. I suspect that it is. This appears to be similar to a carribean snail that I have dealt with before. They can multiply reasonably quickly. I'm not sure if it is reef friendly or not. These guys are apparently hermaphroditic. Oh, and they seem to prefer soft bottoms to burrow or crawl on.

 

Phyllum: mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Opistobranchia

Order: Cephalaspidea

 

Not much to go on I know, but it's a start.

[ninhsavestheday]

yeah i dont think its a flatworm because the first picture looks like its sort of oval. hmmmm

 

flatworms are part of the phlyum Platyhelminthes

it doesnt have a segment and it has a specialized sensory structure in head region. they are scavengers and predators with Gas Vasular Cavity.

 

i agree its probably is a Gastropoda. which belongs to the snails, seahares, slugs, nudibranch, and tube snails.

[ReeferMonkey]

I have one of those in my tank as well. Tagging along.

[AReeferIsExpensive]

hummm....i looks SO much like the flatworms im killing right now. same color and shape. They dont "poke up" as much, but besides that it looks like them~

if its def not a flat, i wish mine were what you have

[Arden]

Boy that second picture looks like a planaria, but if you think is has an internal shell I guess not.

[Vnnie]

My search to figure out what it is has lead me in circles. One day I think it's a flatworm, the next day I don't. A couple days after posting the pictures I noticed 3 new guys who were identical to the first. I began to get nervous because if they are flatworms I could be in trouble. Luckily (maybe) I haven't seen a single one since then. Unofortunately, I was never able to feel one to see if it had an internal shell, although it sure looked like it did. Maybe these guys will show up again, who knows?

[Quixsilver]

NO NO that is definately a flatworm! I have some in my tank. I thought it too was a baby snail but when it crawls you'll see that the little lump is just it's organs and will flatten out when it crawls or slimes it's way across the glass. I've been sucking them out of my tank for the past few days. If you catch one observe it and you will have no doubt that it is a flat worm. I was bored late one night and put a match to it and boiled the little bugger and it popped like a gremlin in a microwave! It was pretty cool... sick but cool.

[ReeferMonkey]

Sigh. Guess it's time to get some Flatworm Exit.