Chiton? - ID please...

[Anonymous]

Seems to cast out a mucus "web" (strands mostly) and collect drifting food items.

Fixed to the rock and photosensitive. Will retract into its shell if fish swim overhead and throw a shadow on it. Seems to have a "door" to its shell.

The mucosal webbing can be rather large, at one time it spanned an area roughly 12" x 10".

Many thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Is it a Chiton? No, definitely not from your description.
From that picture it's impossible to say exactly what it is though from your description of a mucus web and a door to it's shell possibly some species of Vermetidae (Vermetid Snail).

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I've got plenty enough of those damn things.. - One rock is so infested with them that I can't hardly move it without getting a bunch of tiny cuts.

I'll try to get a better pic.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I've got plenty enough of those damn things.. - One rock is so infested with them that I can't hardly move it without getting a bunch of tiny cuts.

I'll try to get a better pic.

If it's some of the rock I gave ya Hun my tanks had tons of Vermetids in them.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I've got plenty enough of those damn things.. - One rock is so infested with them that I can't hardly move it without getting a bunch of tiny cuts.

I'll try to get a better pic.

If it's some of the rock I gave ya Hun my tanks had tons of Vermetids in them.

I think it *might* be on one of the rocks you gave me (I'm not sure) but I've almost always had tons of vermetids in my tanks too..

But yeah, this thing is like 10x the size of the usual little white spiral guys though.

And really, I'm not obsessing over it, but I don't think I like this thing... - Had a dream last night that my fish got caught in this things mucus web, hauled in and eaten. 8O

Oh, yeah, and your pom-pom crab was waving in your general direction at last nights feeding time too...

I couldn't get a better pic, my cam sux.. - This thing is like 1" long from the start of the tail and following the curve up.

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: ...I had a dream once about a ginormous emerald crabI once had crawling out of the tank and biting me in my










































sleep.

 

[Anonymous]

^ <bump> ^


:lol: - Dawg..



Alright, thats it... - If I don't hear any solid ideas what this thing is by the end of the weekend, its gonna meet Mr. Hammer and I don't mean Mr. Hammer Coral either.. - The web on this thing looks like crap and its shell looks too creepy / predatory like.. - I don't like it.

So unless it serves a good purpose, it's gonna serve one final purpose and thats to feed whatever wants it. :twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

:?

Saw it pulling in its web and chomping away on whatever had gotten caught..

Its starting to look pretty nasty.

I'll give it 2 more days..

 

[Anonymous]

Why don't you remove it to a dish or glass of tank water and take some pics then. Maybe it will be possible to id it further then...

 

[Anonymous]

Its stuck hard to the rock, I think trying to pry it off would probably result in the same as bashing it with a hammer.

 

[Anonymous]

Alright.. - Managed to get a couple more shots that might be a little better..

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely a vermetid snail. Harmless, unless the mucus net smothers corals, which is not all that uncommon.

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed. Definetly a vermetid snail.

They can become quite annoying, too. I had one that would spread his webs over a large area and make the tank look all old and cobwebby. I decided to kill it by sticking a needle into its hole :twisted: So they're pretty easy to get rid of, if that's what you decide to do.