Ok so who is this freeloader?

[OrdinaryGirl]

I'm not sure if he hitchiked in on my last batch of live rock (I thought I dipped it pretty good but maybe not?). Anyway, I thought it was a baby snail at first because he came out after lights out like my other snails... Now I'm kinda sus.

Should I be worried?

He's maybe 1/2 inch long, and it feels like a shell on top of a mantle (I also didn't want to manhandle him I just discouraged him from climbing into the filter).

 

[Reefing102]

Looks like a stomatella snail. Harmless algae eater.

 

[OrdinaryGirl]

Thank you! He must have come in with the new (ish) rock. I almost never check the tank after Dark, and tonight I think I may have seen three new(previously unknown) free loaders lol, including a bristle worm and what appeared to be the arms of a brittle star creeping out from under a rock. O

 

[Reefing102]

If it’s ocean rock, very likely. Brittle stars and other fun hitchhikers are awesome to find. One of the main reasons I like to get ocean live rock.

 

[griss]

Yep, Stomatella. If you have more than one they can breed in the aquarium.

 

[OrdinaryGirl]

I must have a couple of them, because there's a new tiny one appeared in my caulerpa today!

 

[brwolfe38]

I may have 1000 Stomatella snails now. Hard to clean the glass, wish they were gone, they make the entire thing look dirty and uncleaned. When I clean the glass, they are back in 5 minutes. I worry about scratching the glass all the time cause they got a shell and go right under the cleaner and scratch the glass. Does anything eat them, cause I need to get rid of some. I read a wrasse might eat them.
I don't think they are helping me clean the glass, I just went in there with a manual scrapper and the glass looks great now except for 100 of these on the front of the glass already after 5 minutes.

 

[griss]

I may have 1000 Stomatella snails now. Hard to clean the glass, wish they were gone, they make the entire thing look dirty and uncleaned. When I clean the glass, they are back in 5 minutes. I worry about scratching the glass all the time cause they got a shell and go right under the cleaner and scratch the glass. Does anything eat them, cause I need to get rid of some. I read a wrasse might eat them.
I don't think they are helping me clean the glass, I just went in there with a manual scrapper and the glass looks great now except for 100 of these on the front of the glass already after 5 minutes.

Six Line and Yellow Coris Wrasses have been noted to eat them. Peppermint shrimp, some hermit crabs and Arrow crabs may eat them as well. But, if memory serves, it could be hit or miss with all of these.

 

[wvned]

send them to me

 

[griss]

send them to me

I hear you, I'd love to have some as well.

 

[Reefing102]

send them to me

I hear you, I'd love to have some as well.

Ditto

 

[brwolfe38]

I'm near Allentown PA if anyone wants to suck some out.
I'm gonna get a six line wrasse from twofishy.com when I get over there and see if that helps.
Not sure why anyone would want 100's of these on their glass, I got turbo snails and blue leg hermits.