Strange critter onboard live rock...

[wetjet43]

I have been wanting to set up a saltwater reef aquarium for ever, and last night, I finally started. I kicked the old fresh water fish out, and prepared the tank (20 gal. long) for 2 or 3 salt water fish. I picked up some live rock today, and to my supprise, a very strange looking sea... slug or maybe cucumber was attached crawling all around my tank. I'm not sure what it is, or if I should even keep it in there. What do you think?

 

[Reefmack]

Those little shell segments seen in the last picture seem to indicate some type of chiton, which are probably all reef safe. You might get a better answer posting in the inverts section.

 

[otisforme]

at least it looks cool... no idea what it is

 

[DocJim]

When in doubt get it out.

 

[sassafrass]

In a tank this young with little else to be harmed I feel there is no need to carelessly kill this creature give it a little time and chances are you will recieve an answer. After you find out if you don't want it you can trade it in at your LFS for store credit or to another reefer. To me one of the biggest parts of reefing is teaching others respect for life not commonly seen except on TV.
Regards , Lee

 

[Reefmack]

When in doubt - ask and research before killing it! Too many harmless & actually very beneficial tank critters would be killed if everyone followed the practice of killing everything they didn't recognize.

 

[crsswift70]

never seen anything like it. drop it in the fuge til you find out what it is. Neat though!

 

[Reefmack]

Here's a very similar one with just some of the plates showing - harmless & beneficial chiton:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1438235&highlight=chiton

 

[pagojoe]

Like Reefmack says, it's a harmless chiton, Cryptoplax larvaeformis. If you're REALLY concerned about a hitchhiker, just quarantine it until you can get an ID on it. There really aren't many "mystery" animals out there, someone on Reef Central will probably know what it is and whether it's likely to be harmful.

Cheers,


Don

 

[raen]

I saw that in a Star Trek movie when I was little!

 

[naturegrrl]

nothing useful to add except that chitons are one of my favorite things to find when we explore the intertidal!
those and nudibranchs...

 

[wetjet43]

Yeah,... It's not going to die. It's a cool little, alien face hugger type of creature. As long as I don't start hearing weird noises at night time, and feel anything crawling on my neck, he'll be just fine.

 

[serolis7]

Definitely a chiton. Harmless, and one of the coolest animals you will ever own. I still miss my chiton.

 

[reefworm]

mine came in on the rock as well - don't know that you can buy them anyway. a harmless, if not helpful detrivore as the others have mentioned.
http://home.inreach.com/burghart/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiton

 

[Sk8r]

You can buy them. Inland Aquatics sells them.

 

[inachu]

Worm sign!

(from the movie DUNE)

 

[reefworm]

the book was better

 

[billdogg]

+1 for a chiton - will not hurt a thing

 

[seapug]

yeah, leave it alone. Those chitons are cool. I've got one in my tank that's about 4 inches long. I've seen him twice in the 2 years my tank has been running. They tend to hide among the rocks and sand spend their lives sucking up algal and bacterial films so they are nothing but beneficial to your tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Including cyano? Diatoms?
They wouldn't by chance eat caulerpa...