Can anyone id this?

[Shablin]

I have atleast 60 of these in my tank. They are nocturnal; seem to feed on detritus; grow to about 4x3cm; dark black/gray and sometimes dark purple. They are extremely hardy (my tank fell into demise when I moved 2&1/2 years ago- its been stored in the garage and all I did was add untreated well water to it!). They didn't bother corals or other inverts when my tank was fully up before. They have an oval calcareous skeleton - a large one has a plate about 1x2.5cm). Sometimes you can see the plate sticking out through thier backs. They have eye stalks and a cape with wavy edges on thier back.

 

[GinaSofia]

"fleshy limpet"??Sorry, I don't know the scientific name..try running a search under limpet.

 

[Shablin]

Thanks Katara - thats gotta be it! I found a whole web page of different limpets but any described as black had no photo!

 

[Jive Turkey]

I have seen and removed two of those in the past. I spotted them while night-watching, and had no reason to believe that they were pests, but was playing it safe.

I later saw them at a LFS labled: Limpet, effective herbivore and reef-safe.

hmm...

 

[kmk2307]

You might want to check these links out:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=291483&highlight=limpet
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=287326&highlight=limpet
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=285608&highlight=limpet

Kevin

 

[Shablin]

Thanks for the links; I don't know why these guys aren't more recommended; they reproduce easily (Isaw two going at it this am), are hardy, active and attractive cleanup critters. I'd sell 'em on ebay but who searches for "fleshy limpets"??!!