jdiver Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 I just shined a flashlight on my tank after having the lights out for an hour or so, and there was a very odd looking critter on one piece of lr. It basically looks like a black snail in a black half-shell (like one half of a clam shell). It was about 3/8" to 1/2" in size, and seemed to move pretty quick for a snail. Any ideas what it is? Link to comment
Sahin Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Interesting. I have a black snail that only comes out during the night but it has a full shell. What you describe doesnt sound like a snail at all. keep an eye out for it and try get a pic. Also search the net for reef hitchhikers, maybe you'll find some info. Lets see if anyone is able to identify this strange creature. Link to comment
Guest AbSoluTc Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Limpet - Also, as stated in a previous post, they are really really HORNEY! You will have billions before you can bat an eye. Link to comment
vanillabox Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 http://www.mesa.edu.au/friends/seashores/a.../a_nigrita.html does this look like what you have? Link to comment
linty Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Sounds like a limpet to me, it's nothing to worry about Link to comment
jdiver Posted June 10, 2002 Author Share Posted June 10, 2002 Thanks to everyone for the replies. I will try to take a picture of it tonight or tomorrow night. vanillabox- That looks close to what I saw, although the shell part looked competely smooth on the one in my tank. I have read that limpets are not good and will eat coralline algae and soft corals. Should I be concerned? Link to comment
printerdown01 Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 The vast majority of limpets are herbivores, and will cause your tank no harm, in fact most are great algae eaters! However, there are a few species with negative externalities. Keep an eye on him: if he is using his radula (spelling) on the glass then he is eating algae off the glass and you are just fine! Link to comment
lizbeth Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 vanillabox, That's a very nice site you linked to. I bookmarked it! (Edited by lizbeth at 2:44 pm on June 10, 2002) Link to comment
Paul G Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Another possibility is Stomatella - you get black ones as well. Link to comment
gabe3eb Posted June 10, 2002 Share Posted June 10, 2002 Hehe, i called the limpets horny fellas... And they are, and they are almost all very good for your tank. Most graze on algae and some even come out during the day, keep an eye on your corals to make sure nothing is bugging them... good deal for you! gaber Link to comment
jdiver Posted June 11, 2002 Author Share Posted June 11, 2002 Ok, I saw the strange creature again last night, but unfortunately my camera is currently broken, so I didn't get a picture. When I saw it, it appeared to be eating algae off of the lr. The shell of it is a full oval and didn't have any cut-out part like a keyhole limpet does. I guess it looks more like the Stomatella that Paul posted, but it is definitely black everywhere in color. I'm going to be borrowing a digital camera tonight, so maybe a picture will be available tomorrow. Link to comment
jdiver Posted June 11, 2002 Author Share Posted June 11, 2002 I just did some more looking and came upon this page about Stomatellas: http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSheets/s...tella_varia.htm That describes the critter in my tank almost perfectly, and the pictures are very, very close, so I'm fairly certain it's a black Stomatella. Thanks for al the identification help! Link to comment
Sahin Posted June 11, 2002 Share Posted June 11, 2002 Hey I got 4 of the whitish colour ones. I thought they were some kind of slugs. The colour on mine actually is shiny like metallis sheen on the shells, but rest of it is whitish grey. But they are definately stomatella. Link to comment
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