Please tell me what this is on bottom of tank at bottom of sand bed????

[BrentH]

This thing is at the very bottom no idea if it's a worm or clam of some sort ?I don't really want to dig it up its at the very bottom anyone seen this before sorry did my best wiyh pic it's kinda big 4" across looks like a tonge

 

[BrentH]

Another

 

[plantastic]

It looks like a chiton...not sure what species, but usually an herbivore.

 

[BrentH]

Thanks it was moving around a little I find it wierd it's at bottom of sand bed and it's so big it's scary ....

 

[rgulrich]

It does look like a chiton. Nothing to worry about as most are herbivores...unless you're trying to keep whatever brand of algae it's going for. The non-veggie matter they can eat you can see in this reference:
http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/LEARNABOUT/CHITON/chitDiet.php

Man, I must really be a reef geek if I know where to find this stuff...sigh.

Cheers,
Ray

 

[BrentH]

Thanks never seen one this big I have tons of small ones all over at night but this ones just insane

 

[Timfish]

Are you saying it's buried under several inches of sand? If so it could be a chiton but I doubt it.

 

[plantastic]

I'm curious as to why you would doubt it?

I had a Chiton come into one of my first tanks, most likely from live rock. It did not look quite like this one, but it also buried into the sand at night.

I have also unpacked live rock, and the bottom of the box was littered with deceased Chitons.

Whether or not one makes it's way into a tank, has a lot to do with how well the live rock has been handled during transport, and how long removed from the ocean it is.

 

[Timfish]

I'm curious as to why you would doubt it?

I had a Chiton come into one of my first tanks, most likely from live rock. It did not look quite like this one, but it also buried into the sand at night.

I have also unpacked live rock, and the bottom of the box was littered with deceased Chitons.

Whether or not one makes it's way into a tank, has a lot to do with how well the live rock has been handled during transport, and how long removed from the ocean it is.

Several reasons: First, in the couple of decades+ I've been keeping reef tanks I've never seen one actually bury itself under several inches of sand, scoot down where it's stuck to a rock and against the sand yes, not buried. Second, this is a pretty big "animal", if it was a chiton on the glass it should be seen crawling around on on the glass and leaving obvious trails where it has scraped algae off the glass and rock. Third, the picture posted shows no signs of the plates that would be deffinitive of identifying this as a chiton.

 

[plantastic]

Ok, thanks.

 

[Betta132]

I think it's a burrowing chiton. My LFS has a small chiton, quite like that one, that lives in their desktop tank and burrows.

 

[rgulrich]

Here's a pic of one that is very similar to a couple that came off my Tonga rock when it came in - they resided both in the 180 at the time and I had a few in a 20 as well. These definitely went "undersand" on a routine basis, and were just shy of 4" when last seen.

 

[BrentH]

Thanks for the replays guys it does move around at not doesn't like he light eventually I'll get a good top down ...but it does go to very bottom when lights on and my sand is fine sand it looks like a tongue