sea slug id please

[donski84]

i found this slug in my tank before work, i have been trying to id it but having no luck, i managed to get a couple of photos before it went back to hiding, sorry there not the best photos i took them on my phone while using a small torch for light.

 

[geemanaz]

it hard to id it with the photos

 

[donski84]

i know, its the first time i have seen it. The tank has been set up for 2 months and it just show up. Is it possible it came from the coral i added 2 days ago

 

[dc]

Try looking up chiton. Look at several pics as they can look very different.

 

[pagojoe]

Hard to be sure from the photo, but it has the right color, outline, pattern, and antennae to be an abalone (Haliotis asinina, to be specific). If it's immobile or very slow moving, it's probably not that, and is more likely a chiton as Debi suggests.

Cheers,



Don

 

[donski84]

i done a search on Haliotis asinina and i think your right. Are they good or bad for a reef aquarium?
Thank you

 

[whorulz1147]

How big is it? it may be a stomatella snail or possibly an abalone. Does it have a shell with a row of holes in it or a fingernail-looking thing on top?

 

[pagojoe]

They are fine. They are algae eaters, and require a lot of algae, so that's the main consideration.



Don

 

[donski84]

i got a better photo with the lights on.

 

[whorulz1147]

Abalone for sure. The line of holes on the shell is a dead giveaway.

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

i just ordered one from blue zoo aquatics. it popped up in the collectors corner (wysiwyg section)

http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productdetailcc.asp?did=11&cid=360&pid=8478