worm/snail ID please

[hooterhead]

Found this worm/snail in my sandbed yesterday and got these pics. Never seen it before and it's still where I can see it today. Has a snail like mouth and seems to be scraping algae off the glass. Any ideas?

Thanks!
Brandon

 

[Little Bitty]

If you take a moment to look at the other side of the shell, my bet is that you will see a shell that has 8 segments, making this a Chiton. I have these in one of my reef tanks. Everything I have been able to find says that they are beneficial and nothing to worry about. Mine spawn very frequently. This makes the fish very happy, they look at it as a snack...lol

I hope this helps. I am not an expert and this is just my opinion from my experience.

 

[hooterhead]

Forgot to mention before that it is about 1.5" long. Do chitons get that big?

 

[Little Bitty]

Wow...I don't know...mine are all more in the 1/2" size

Take a look at the shell side and tell us what it looks like

 

[LeslieH]

I agree - it's a chiton. There's one species Cryptochiton stelleri - the "gumboot chiton" which gets up to 14". It looks somewhat like a football sliced in half as the mantle which is very tough completely covers the 8 shell plates.

 

[hooterhead]

Tried to get it off the glass this morning and it wasn't having any of it. May try a credit card later to see if I can get under it.

 

[graveyardworm]

I'd just leave it alone and enjoy it, trying to pry it off could harm or kill it.

 

[jaymz101]

Its fine, leave it.