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Pod Your Reef

what kind of snail?


chufa

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I got a few of those hitchikers. They seem to be reproducing. They are a univalve, with a broad funnel-shaped shell, with a small hole (siphon) on the top center of the shell. Here's a pic

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printerdown01

Simply put it is a limpet... They will reproduce like crazy, it's awesome! They will feed on algae, but they don't really add much to your clean-up crew.

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Limpet, limpet, limpet. Not a nice sounding name...

 

Call it an opihi (oh-pee-hee) - that's Hawaiian for ya

 

When they get about 1" around, you should try shucking them and eating them - you'll have to pry them off first. Tastes just as good as abalone (eat it raw).

 

I believe that they're intertidal though. If it get's big enough, it may crawl out of the tank, so watch it well.

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Originally posted by chufa

They seem to be reproducing.

 

The randiest of the gastropods is the limpet. This hot-

blooded little beast, with its tent-like shell, is always on

the job. Its extramarital activities are something

startling. Frankly, I don't see how the female limpet finds

time to adhere to the rock face.

 

--Monty Python

 

As much as I love native Hawai'ian words (and Austronesian languages in general--when I was an undergrad I did some work with a really cool language from the Solomon Islands called 'Are'are, but that's another story), I can't hear the word "limpet" without thinking of the above and having a good chuckle.

 

SteveC

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think if you buy Gulf rock you are virtually guaranteed some. I have a lot of them, and they seem to reproduce quickly. According to Sprung & Delbeek, they do attack some corals (but maybe only if there's nothing else to eat, I dunno). I caught my largest ones munching tunicates so out they went. Luckily they move pretty slow, so I just keep the rock with the tunicates clear of them and that seems to work.

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