fuge invasion

[cmchap]

I have recently noticed an invasion within the fuge (a 20 gal. tank w/ southdown 3", chaeto, and halmedia macro). The intruders are soft bottomed which suction cling to the glass, yet have a crusty shell about there outside which seems to have a small hole within its center. They are oval in shape with larger ones close in size to your pinky fingernail but most about 1/2 that size. They have a gray shell about them and their bottomsides the fleshy part is bright white. I haven't any experience posting pics but am hopeful someone might be able to tell me what they are by the above description. Anyone have a guess as to what they are?

 

[dweakl01]

stomella snails?
limpets?

hard to tell without a picture.

 

[rickyfins]

I don't think they are stomatellas as they dont have the hole in the top of the shell. If they are conical in shape then they are most likely some sort of limpet. If you can pick up one of Anthony and Bobs co authored books called Reef invertabrates and it will give you a perfect description and a pic to go with it!

thanks,

Rick

 

[Steven Pro]

Sounds like limpets to me as well.

 

[cmchap]

Having looked up some Limpet photos I believe they are in fact keyhole Limpets...Should I be concerned about these, Do they pose a threat. They do not appear to be in the show tank, but rather only the fuge gripping the glass sides.

 

[rickyfins]

Keyhole Limpets can and will eat coralline algaes, some undesirable algaes, and some bother coral species. If they are an acceptable species and kept under control and nuisance algae is not a problem I wouldn't worry too awful much.

I hope this helps you a bit,

thanks,

Rick

 

[NCNBilly]

FWIW I had one as a hitchhiker on some LR, about the size of a quarter. I thought it didn't do much of anything, but when it died I had an explosion of coralline. Of course, as any pro will tell you there are probably a million different varieties and each does their own thing.

 

[ganomish]

Sounds like limpets. I like the little guys myself, ... well up until a big 1" limpet demolished a small colony of Star Polyps. He sucked the little polyps right out. Off to my buddies FOWLR tank he went. That's life on the reef. Atleast he didn't mess with my favorite Zoas nearby.

Cheers.

 

[was16803]

Definitely Limpets. Don't think I ever had a tank without them propgating in the filters and in the tank