got a limpet and other similar question

[Chiefsurfer]

Ok guys, got my LR from TBS. Looks great. Some common hitch-hikers I have noticed are quite a few Keyhole Limpets(or that's what I think they are). I saw one for the first time today cruising around the top of one of my rocks(usually stick to the side or underneath out of the direct light) and he is BIG. Wondering if they are reef safe or not:
He is about the size of a quarter. He is the slightly darker colored thing on the corner of the rock.

Also, I have this little tiny snail looking thing. It looks like one of those snails with only a back-shell, kinda like a limpet if you can picture the shape. However this one doesn't move much. When I got him he found a home on my magfloat, and there he stayed, not moving an inch in 5 days. His shell is hidden by what looks to be "debris" but it doesn't seem to come off ever. He also looks like he has a tiny piece of red branching macro on it. Could this be some type of nudi? If so, I will remove it because I do not want ot risk the friendly nudi's to the non-friendly ones.
He is the little white spot near the top in this shot. I know it's horrible, that's the best I can do. Maybe the description will help.

 

[pagojoe]

Most keyhole limpets aren't a problem, especially the Diodora species (which I think yours is). As for the second slug/snail, it looks to me like..a snail? If you hadn't said it was sluggish, I'd have called it Liotinaria peronii. But maybe I'm imagining more than I'm seeing. If it's a Liotina or Liotinaria species, it'll be an algae eater.

http://www.gastropods.com/9/Shell_2449.shtml

Cheers,



Don

 

[Chiefsurfer]

Ok, looking up limpets, it does seem like a diadora spcies. That comforts me. However, the one I think it is grows to 3.5" that would be a HUGE limpet.

The other criter might be tougher. I can grab him and bring him closer, and see if I can get a better photo. The overall shape is similar to what you have as your avatar. Where mine is mostly white, and where your photo has the fuzzy area would be my critters shell.

Ok, got some photos, although they are HORRIBLE, but better than the photos, a better description. The shell is single-sided, much like a keyhole limpet. However it is not cone-shaped. From the top it seems almost flat, while it is a little raised. The shape is not uniform around the shell. Instead of being like oval, or circular, etc. It is actually 4-sided. It has some rounder edges, but some adges are flat, and the 4 sides are not equal. Also, while the foot is very small, about 1/4 the size of it's shell, it's head seems very large, at least 1/2 the size of the shell. I will describe the head, but the best description can be made with an entirely different animal. The head looked like a hermit crab coming out of his shell. This snail had 2 "eyes" that where spherical, and pretty big, then it had 2 nice tenticles that were roughly 1.5x as long as the foot. below the tenticles it has 2 "limbs" that looked like tiny little claws folded under it's body, kinda the way a emerald crab would fold his claws under his shell if unthreatened. Maybe that helps. The entire snail is roughly about as big around as a sharpie marker.

 

[pagojoe]

Well, you just described Stomatella varia, so I'm guessing that's what you have. They are good guys.

Cheers,



Don

 

[arcprolife]

Limpets are my favorite CUC as I find them to be great algae grazers. They also produce well in the aquarium and there cute when there tiny.

 

[webdizzy]

Limpets are my favorite CUC as I find them to be great algae grazers. They also produce well in the aquarium and there cute when there tiny.

Ditto. I got some keyhole limpets on my TBS rock, too, and really like them. They are very slow grazers on rock and glass and have been reproducing well in my tank. They're also rather strong and therefore aren't easily picked off by hermits or anything else. I recently caught one of my larger hermits trying to peel off a larger limpet from the glass without success.

 

[Newreeflady]

Love them- they tear through algae like no snail can... had them in a reef and never had a problem.

-A