Keyhole Limpets

[seas_inside]

Hi. I have a few questions about keyhole limpets:

Does anyone have or know who has some keyholes for sale?

What is the scientific name of the keyhole limpet? Is it "Lucapina suffasa"? (or is that a different kind of limpet?)

Thanks.

 

[greenbean36191]

Keyhole limpets is the name for an entire family of snails- the Fissurellidae, not just a single species. Lucapina suffasa is one of the members of that family.

I don't know of anywhere that they're for sale.

 

[seas_inside]

Thanks a lot.

What do Lucapina suffasa eat? I'm assuming they eat algae, right?

 

[greenbean36191]

Most keyhole limpets are grazers on algae and sometimes sessile invertebrates like sponges, tunicates, and sometimes corals.

 

[seas_inside]

Out of these two keyhole limpets..... Diadora c. and Lucapina suffasa, which one is better? I am going to use one of them for eating algae in my seahorse tank. So, which one is most effective for algae?

 

[kraftyforu]

i have tons of Diadora limpets in my tanks and they do an ok job for their size

 

[greenbean36191]

Well that assumes that A) the diet is known for both and B) you've got them IDed correctly, which is nearly impossible unless you're an expert with limpets. I don't think either one is the case, so your best bet is probably trial and error. In the absense of other food I think either would work equally well for eating algae, but probably not nearly as well as some of the more common snails in the hobby. I know IME they seem to spend a lot of time in one area.

 

[kraftyforu]

they will stay in the same spot for days

 

[seas_inside]

Alright, thanks for your help!

I was also planning on getting virgin nerite snails. The reason that I need this snail (keyhole) is because, since they're going in my dwarf seahorse tank, they need to be able to survive a certain med. Which is why I can't get some other types of snails.

Thanks

 

[DaveJ]

inland aquatics also sells them. I got 4 of theirs, they are black with a brown spot on their backs. Neat creatures and have done an okay job on algae. I got them mostly for entertainment value and any additional cleanup work they do is a bonus.