What is this in my tank now????????

[Octoberfest]

O.k., no pictures yet but I'm working on it as I type.

What I was doing- Looking at my tank with the flashlight, in the little caves and holes in the live rock to be exact.

What I saw- A skin of some animal that started to move. It was rather large from what I could see, but I didn't see any eyes, legs, fins, nothing just the skin. It looked to move almost like an ocotpus as far as sliding along and not using any legs of any sort (I know an octopus has legs so maybe that's not a good description, but I'm sure you understand what I mean). Like I said from what I can tell it was large due to the amount of surface area I saw move once the light hit it as it went deeper into the rock and out of view.

What did it look like- The skin looked smooth, almost like a snails "foot" but it was a brown color with tiny tiny tiny white spots.

What I'm doing- I put a large mason jar in the bottom of the tank, angled toward the rock, in it is a piece of shrimp and squid, weather this will work I have no idea but we'll see. I'll try and get a picture, but I don't think it will be the whole animal.

Now I know this is VERY vauge but any ideas what this could have been? Also my snails keep coming up dead but the Coral Banded shrimp, blue sea star and fish are all fine (Yellow tang, two perc clowns and a tiny Blue Regal Tang).

 

[Dubbin1]

Kinda sounds like a Stomatella snail but it would take a picture to know for sure.

 

[theevoys]

Sounds like a stomatella to me and they are very beneficial and nothing to worry about. They come out at night most of the time.

 

[Octoberfest]

they are that large? I keep seeing it but only a corner of it's body and as soon as the light hit's it gone. Will it actually come all the way out eventually if I stop acting like a kid and don't shine my lightin the tank for a little while?

 

[Octoberfest]

here's the best I can do with a picture. I know it's tough to see, but it moved fairly fast and it's kind of tought to get focused with the lights off. Anyway...it's the brownish thing int he center of the picture toward the bottom of the lit up part, looks like it has a dark line going up and down. I saw it move and I can say it's over 4" long whatever it is. But it's flatish not worm like at all. I didn't see a shell though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v177/busa413/***.jpg

 

[Dubbin1]

Well your picture is not working so does it look anything like this?

 

[Octoberfest]

no idea why photobucket isn't letting me post the picture, but no it doesn't look anything like that at all.

 

[Octoberfest]

here you go

 

[Dubbin1]

It has something to do with what you named the picture. Try renaming it and post it again.

 

[Octoberfest]

well it didn't end up in my "trap"

 

[snulma1]

Hey Dubbin. I had one of those the other day. It actually was blowing out what looked like smoke! What is it and should I try and find it again?

 

[Octoberfest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6770206#post6770206 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snulma1
Hey Dubbin. I had one of those the other day. It actually was blowing out what looked like smoke! What is it and should I try and find it again?

I'm pretty sure if a snail is blowing "smoke" it's the snail's way of mating. Something like letting sperm and eggs into the water.

 

[capncapo]

Sounds like a Polyclad flatworm. Some varieties of them prey on snails.

 

[capncapo]

Look anything like this?

 

[Octoberfest]

exactly like that, so is this a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[capncapo]

Bad. They are predators.

Most likely the reason your snails are dying ..... or more like being eaten.

 

[Octoberfest]

how do i get rid of it, it won't come out of the rock

 

[capncapo]

It most likely comes out at night.

If you know where it lives and the rock can be removed from the tankyou can hit it with some carbonated water and it should come out on its own. Otherwise, you'll have to catch it when it's out feeding.

 

[oyam123]

get rid of the rock

 

[Octoberfest]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6770963#post6770963 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capncapo
It most likely comes out at night.

If you know where it lives and the rock can be removed from the tankyou can hit it with some carbonated water and it should come out on its own. Otherwise, you'll have to catch it when it's out feeding.

I'm going to try and put the rock in a smaller container (10 gallon) and see if I can get it to come out(i'll have water in there of course). If I get it out I'm assuming it's not like a mantis shrimp, nobody is going to want it right?