mantis shell?? pic included - thoughts?

[Sammik]

Hi all,

i hear a clicking noise quite often in the tank and recently found the following shell? it looks like it could be a mantis shrimp shell which has shed? do they do this and would anyone agree?

I have a few smaller fish, 2 starfish and about 4 hermit crabs which i am slightly worried about. Should i look to catch it and remove it? or have people had them in a tank without any issues. its a decent sized tank - 120 gallons and has a sailfin tang which sometimes has a ripped fin - not sure a mantis shrimp might cause this?

also i have a number of LPS corals such as toadstool, Cataphilias, duncans etc. if it is a Mantis Shrimp would it likely eat/ damage these?

thanks!

 

[Kharn]

Barnacle ?

 

[Sammik]

could be - but when you turn it over it has white rib like structure of a skeleton. so it does look like it would be some sort of mantis or pistol shrimp or something else??

 

[Fartin'Gary]

Doesn't look like a mantis shrimp shell. When they molt, they come apart in pieces and they consume the softer parts. You usually find the telson and other harder parts in pieces.

 

[Kharn]

I know what it is but can't remember what their called they are similar to barnacles but can move can't remember what their called normally attached to live rock starts with 'L' I think xD lol...

 

[Adetia]

Almost looks like a Chiton, does it move?

 

[Islandoftiki]

Almost looks like a Chiton, does it move?

Looks like the Chiton to me, too.

 

[GroktheCube]

I agree with the Chiton ID.

 

[Sammik]

spot on thanks guys.

still heating clicking but havent lost any starfish or hermit crabs yet so i am thinking if i do have a mantis/ pistol shrimp it isnt causing too much havoc although i did lose 1 fish who we never found but he was unfortunately looking pretty ill anyway. so thinking he might have died and got eaten behind the rock by something else? thanks again for the help

 

[Tangnerd]

I know what it is but can't remember what their called they are similar to barnacles but can move can't remember what their called normally attached to live rock starts with 'L' I think xD lol...

You mean limpet?

 

[Kharn]

You mean limpet?

Yeah that's what I was thinking but chitin is what it is I always get them confused...

 

[Betta132]

Chiton. Basically a very slow, weird snail. Harmless and neat.