Where to purchase chitons?

[LadAShark]

Besides reefcleaners, does anyone sell chitons? Reefcleaners only has one species, but I was interested in adding a large variety to my tank and it's seeming like there's no supply for chitons.

 

[ginpang]

Lol... I've got so many ... If you were North of the border I could sell you some.


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[Ron Reefman]

Interestingly enough, I just brought one home from a snorkel trip to the Florida Keys. I see a lot of 'tidal' chitons that live along the water line on rocks. But when I brought a couple of them home, they literally climbed right out of the tank! The one I collected this weekend was on a rock in 5 feet of water and much lighter color than the ones I tried before. I'd love it if the new one would reproduce, but I'm not expecting it.

 

[ThRoewer]

Interestingly enough, I just brought one home from a snorkel trip to the Florida Keys. I see a lot of 'tidal' chitons that live along the water line on rocks. But when I brought a couple of them home, they literally climbed right out of the tank! The one I collected this weekend was on a rock in 5 feet of water and much lighter color than the ones I tried before. I'd love it if the new one would reproduce, but I'm not expecting it.

Yep, climbing out is what they like to do. Most of them live in the splash zone, right at the waterline where the waves hit.
If you want to breed them, toss the next batch into you skimmer. That's the closest you can get to the conditions in their natural habitat.
My skimmer is full with limpets who reproduce there like crazy. Limpets also live on the upper edge of the tidal zone.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Yep, climbing out is what they like to do. Most of them live in the splash zone, right at the waterline where the waves hit.
If you want to breed them, toss the next batch into you skimmer. That's the closest you can get to the conditions in their natural habitat.
My skimmer is full with limpets who reproduce there like crazy. Limpets also live on the upper edge of the tidal zone.

That's one of the craziest ideas I've heard in a long time... and it makes a lot of sense! The next time I'm in the Keys (I just got back from a long weekend there... see: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2511350) I'll collect 4 or 5 and give that a try. I have an AquaMedic Turbo 5000 skimmer which has the pump outside the main body and has a fairly big volume.

When the chitons or limpets breed in your skimmer, do any of the offspring end up getting out into your sump or even the DT?

 

[ThRoewer]

...When the chitons or limpets breed in your skimmer, do any of the offspring end up getting out into your sump or even the DT?

Every time I clean my skimmer I harvest the ones that sit on the inside of the neck and place them in my tank. They seem to get into the rockwork, but are quite hard to spot. One I see is sitting on the outside of an overflow pipe and keeps it nice and clean.
BTW. overflows and the insides of overflow pipes are other places they like.