Hoof limpet - 11/07/09 Hello, I have attached a picture of what I believe to be Hipponicidae sp. residing on the back of one of my snails! <Looks like it!> I have 'Googled' around and found some supporting information but wondered whether this was a true example of symbiosis <Mmm, of a sort... I'd label this animal as a "space parasite"... as the "host" appears to be harmed to a degree, and definitely doesn't seem to benefit from the Limpet> or just an accident. The forked proboscis (if that's the right term) extends significantly from the shell during feeding as it picks around the areas that the snail is grazing so I assume is diet is basically the same. I not been able to narrow down to species level but suspect that it is a harmless hitchhiker as the 'host' seems to be unaffected. <Mmm... I don't know... having something so large, heavy on ones shell...> I found it interesting and have not seen any similar pictures on the web so wondered whether you would be interested too. <Yes. Thank you for sharing> Forgive my ignorance if it is actually common and I'm just bad at web searches but if it is unusual I can think of no better place to share it. Your site has helped me a great deal over the years and continues to be my favourite reference as the reliability and accuracy of information here is in my humble opinion, above question. Many Thanks, Chris <Welcome Chris! Bob Fenner>

Snails? Yep... Stomatella 10/4/09 HI, <Hello> I had purchased a lettuce Nudibranch for my algae that disappeared as fast as I put it in. I never saw it again. Then about a month later I saw TINY versions of something that are now this size. Are these offspring or some evil snail that must be removed. <Nah> Never saw these before I had that lettuce Nudibranch. They come out at night and do not like to be photographed. Sorry for the lame pics, this was the best I could do. I figured with enough pics you could help me to identify them. The 4th pic is sort of a HEAD ON view. Thanks! <Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/MolluscPIX/Gastropods/Prosobranch%20PIX/Limpets%20Scu tus/LimpetF1.htm Bob Fenner>

Yellow Mobile Unknown Hitchhiker 9/10/09 Hello, <Howsit?> I have a very colorful hitchhiker that showed up about 3 months ago. It was smaller than a pencil eraser at that time but over the months it has grown to about the size of a quarter. It does move around on the rocks, not very fast but fast enough to make me look for him every morning and evening. He is circular and mostly flat, except in the center. Looks to be a mouth but I'm just guessing at that. I took a photo this evening and as I was focusing, it spit out a white speck from the "supposed" mouth. Is this something beneficial or is it harmful to my reef aquarium. <More the former... I think this is the Limpet Lucapina aegis. Bob Fenner> Thank You Beth

Re: Yellow Mobile Unknown Hitchhiker 9/10/09 Hello Again, <Waking up now!> After months of looking for the name of this hitchhiker, I finally ask for assistance in identification and of course, in the meantime, I keep looking for the answer. I used a different search engine and different key words and I think that I found the id. Is the answer Keyhole Limpet? Thank You, Beth <A different Limpet (Thrumm!). BobF> Re: Yellow Mobile Unknown Hitchhiker 9/10/09 Morning Bob, <And you Beth> Grab a cup of coffee and wake up. <Am trying> Just got your note, I am assuming the "different limpet" means that I have the wrong species?, <Mmm, yes... but such are the dangers of common appellations> I was going to go with Fleshy Limpet but the information I found states that these are Keyhole Limpets as well. <"You say tomatoe"... Megathura is the genus of our (Calif.) Keyhole...> However, the information also states that they are about the size of a shield limpet or smaller. I have a shield limpet and my yellow limpet is much bigger than the shield limpet. Of course you could be stating that it is just a unusual looking limpet. In which case, I totally agree. I am getting conflicting information about limpets and cannot decide if they are beneficial or harmful. Do you have any thoughts about the benefits or harm that they can cause to coral and or live rock? Thanks Again, <... Please read on WWM re such Archeogastropods.... BobF> re: Yellow Mobile Unknown Hitchhiker 9/10/09 Morning Bob, <Still?> Please ignore last post. I read your response to my second post and did not see your answer to my original inquiry until a few minutes ago. Yahoo sent it to my Spam folder. Thanks Beth <Velkommen! B>

Incredible Mr. Limpet Multiplying 7/13/09
Hello all.
<Thrummm!>
I would like to start by saying you have a great site. I've found most of my answers to my seemingly endless dumb questions here.
And on with the show... A little background info, my sister had a ten gal. tank for about 1 year. In this tank she had a fuzzy dwarf lion,
<Mmm, crowded...>
a few blue legs, button polyps, mushrooms, live rock, and ONE quarter sized limpet. She gave the tank to me roughly 10 months ago. About 2 months ago the limpet died from an unknown cause.
<"Variable water quality" likely>
About 3 weeks ago I noticed 15 tiny (1/8 inch) limpets roaming around.
Nothing has been added to the tank in the last 14 months. So here is the questions. Can limpets reproduce asexually?
<Mmm, not as far as I'm aware. They release eggs or sperm into the water column, cued environmentally...>
Have they been in there the whole time unnoticed?
<Possibly...>
All of my research says they reproduce sexually (w/eggs and sperm) around stormy times of the year, but I only had ONE. Since I first noticed them 3 have almost doubled in size, so I have a hard time believing they've always been there unnoticed.
Thanks in advance,
Derek from Holiday, Florida
<Thank you for sharing Derek. Bob Fenner>

Stomatella varia, sel./source   04/02/09
I've spent a hours searching the web for a place to purchase Stomatella Varia. So far I've come up with very little and nothing reliable. I've spoken to people at my LFS's and they are keeping an eye out for me as
they do their water changes. However, in my searching I've found numerous others on many forums stating that they wish they could find a place to buy these.
So my question is 2 fold:
1) Are there places online where these snails can be purchased online w/o buying a whole 'refugium kit'?
<Yes, please see here:
http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/tr_invert.html>
2) Why are they so hard to find?
<Good question! They are definitely some of my faves.>
The only suggestion on how to get them that I've seen is "buy live rock..you'll likely get some". But with so many looking in vain I can't help but wonder why no one seems to sell them.
Thanks!
<Do please contact Morgan L. of Inland Aquatics. I have bought these snails from him many times and they always arrived healthy.
Cheers,
Sara M.>

Keyhole Limpet: Lucapina sp. – 1/17/09 <Hello there!> I am trying to identify this keyhole limpet. It came from Florida with an order from ccritters. <Neat> I can’t find this particular one in any pictures. <It appears to be what’s commonly called a fleshy limpet, in the genus Lucapina (possibly Lucapina suffusa). Please see the photos at the following link for comparison: http://z14.invisionfree.com/Conchologist_Forum/index.php?s=3d4adb02ec7886bb7914cf50fad8f838&showtopic=984&st=0&#last I wanted to see if it is one of the bad ones. <Fleshy limpets are not usually a problem in captive reef systems. I’d leave it in place and enjoy! For more information, please see the “Limpets” section at the following link. The last paragraph specifically relates to Lucapina species. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rs/index.php > Any help would be greatly appreciated. <You’re very welcome. Looks like you’ve got a gorgeous little limpet! Take care, Lynn>

Snail-like creature ID: Limpet  12/3/08 <Hello, Lynn here this evening.> I looked for these, I really did, but no luck. So I turn to you. <Okie doke> These act like aquarium snails. From the bottom, they even look like them. From the top, though...not really. They look like little cones. Recognize 'em? <Yep. They appear to be Limpets of some sort, and more than likely harmless grazers. Please see the following links for more information: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/gastropo.htm Several FAQ�s at this page re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mollusca1.htm > Feel free to use the images if they are useful to you. It's the least I can do for your help. <Thank you very much! Take care, Lynn>

Identify- Fleshy Slug AKA Fleshy Limpet 10/22/08 Hello crew... <Hello Jessy here> I am baffled by this ...shall I say....shell-less slug?? It moves all over the tank sometimes on the glass but usually on the rockwork. The first picture is very grainy but I wanted you to see it from the front also and this was the best I had. Thanks in advance for the help. <Donna, by my estimation that is a fleshy limpet. See here for further ID http://www.melevsreef.com/id/fleshy_limpet.html> Regards, Donna <Regards, Jessy>

Question about the supply of limpets.
Bob:
It seems that I have purchased some Man made Florida rock here and there and received some very unusual creatures called Limpets. I i.d.'d the critter from "The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium" Volume 1. Svein A. Fossa & Alf Jacob Nilsen.
An example of the scientific name and picture on Page 188 is Scutus Unguis. And yes the animals look very close to a Nudibranch, except they carry a cone-like shell that looks like a volcano. Some species cover the shell with what looks like a mantle.
These critters seem to mow down more hair and slime algae than 5 or 7 turbo snails together.
Q: Where may one find a supply of these? None seem to be listed on the FFE web pages?
I still have one that looks more like a moving volcano that does not wrap it's mantle, and the other was flame orange that did wrap it's mantle. And it looked just a Nudibranch of sorts. Very pretty!! But the seem not to like medications.
This animal seems to be very low maintenance and very tolerant of water quality,
versus what most Nudibranchs require to stay alive.
Am I looking for this animal in the right place? CH
>>
Well, I looked around for limpets as well and couldn't find anyone listing them for sale... But do want to say a few things about them. I agree totally with your observations... and assessment... these archaeogastropods are great and innocuous cleaner uppers.
Having worked with local (S. Calif.) limpets with different projects, I suspect that they're not specifically offered for two reasons: They're hard to extract from hard substrates w/o damaging them... and Folks just don't know about their usefulness as yet...
Unlike Nudibranchs, many limpets have wide, generalized diets (micro and macrophagous herbivores)... and also unlike the "naked gill gastropods", they don't have a tendency toward toxicity... Instead of being poisonous, limpets have a shielding "home" on their backs... and lastly, as you observe, many live in "marginal" and variable environments in the wild... and are therefore reasonably tolerant of the same in captive situations.
Thanks for writing. Bob Fenner

Limpets
A year ago I noticed two limpets in my aquarium. It is a 90 gallon (6'x1'x2'). My guess is they came in on the live rock I added 7 months before. The curious thing is this.
It took 7 months to see the first 2, and I now have roughly 100 more. They are black with a white stripe on their back and are actually not unattractive despite their numbers.
They do a good job keeping the glass, and everything else, clean. They range in size from 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch and are found everywhere from the skimmer collection cup (always a few small ones on the cup of a CPR Back-pak), to the live rock, to the glass. I have about 80 pounds of Fiji live rock, a 1 inch aragonite sand bed, the CPR, and a couple Hagen 802's for circulation. I also have Naso, yellow, and regal tangs (1 of each--all about 3.5 inches), a coral banded shrimp, a false percula clown, and about a dozen snails and small hermits. There are no corals or anemones.
Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates are close to 50. S.G. is 1.024. Temp. is 76 and pH is 8.0. I add no chemicals and have 0 algae other than coralline which covers most everything and has to be scraped from my glass at least every two weeks.
I have two questions. First, is this an extremely unusual occurrence? In order to identify these things I had to post pictures to a newsgroup since the few inexpensive books I have don't even mention them. Second, I'll be adding a dwarf lionfish and snowflake moray to the system tomorrow.
Will either/both decide to make a feast out of the limpets?
If they do, it would probably be good for them, since, in their numbers, I think the limpets would be able to sustain enough of a population to meet their dietary requirements.
By the way, when I first set up this system roughly two years ago, I dosed Kalkwasser for about 2 months to try and get the coralline to grow, and it didn't. Ever since, I have added no chemicals (other than synthetic salt and frozen food for the fish) to the aquarium, and the coralline is almost out of control. It's a great problem to have. By the way, I have 6 24" fluorescent bulbs. Four were bought at home depot (cheap bulbs), while the other 2 are actinic.
I also have a large population of feather dusters growing out of the rock and some have even built tubes of up to 2 inches and are living in the sand bed. Is this extraordinary luck, or did I accidentally hit on the aquarium conditions that the worms, coralline, and limpets thrive in (i.e., low light and not-so-low nitrate)? If my experience is unusual, I'll probably try to replicate the environment (minus the fish) in a 29 gallon, devote some study to all three, and write a paper detailing the conditions for anyone that might want to duplicate them (though their suitability would be limited to a fish only situation). Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time.
Sincerely, Richard Weatherly
>>
Wow, what an outstanding query, relating of experience and uplifting story... Congrats to you. And I think you may be on the verge of a great commercial success. I have only seen a few cases where the snails called limpets were so abundant as yours... and they are a blessing... And your lion and eel will not consume them (different diets all the way around), but I would do as you say, and save some of these "Chinese Hats" in another system... if for no other reason, for just safekeeping. And do "share the wealth" and supply some to fellow hobbyists...
Your relating of the non-supplement use and results is exemplary by the several meanings of the term... Thank you for writing... please do consider tallying up your observations and sending them to one of the hobby magazines... Very useful.
Bob Fenner

Gastropods/Snails/Limpets and an Over Abundance  12/5/05
I'll save space and your having to read by not listing our tank setup - if you need to know the setup to answer this question, let me know and I'll oblige.
<Okay.>
We setup 90 gal tank with 130 pounds Fiji and Marshal island live rock about 5 months ago. Within a week, we found a large cap snail hitchhiker...5 months later, there's so many in the tank (also a few in the refugium) we lose count to get an exact number. I've read if you know how many snails you have, you don't have enough,
<This sounds like a retailers slogan…I to have heard such ludicrous rules of thumbs such as this one and the common “One hermit and snail per gallon rule” which is to say the least ridiculous.>
but is there such a thing as TOO MANY CAP SNAILS?
<If you have an overabundance this means that there is sufficient algae to support them. The algae is fueled by nutrients. So if you want the herd to be naturally thinned out I would check your system for detritus build-ups and watch how much you feed. Water changes are your friend.>
If so, is there a natural predator for them?
<Yes likely any mollusk and crustacean predators such as wrasses and puffers. However they will not limit their predation to just your snails, your microfauna population would be adversely affected as well as any other small critters in your tank.>
cheers
<To you too.>
Donna
<Adam J.> 

Snails Everywhere!
Hi everyone , I am a little concerned about crustaceans that are in my tank. I seem to have small , about a quarter inch, snails and also limpets in my tank , I have soft corals as well as mushrooms and polyps. Are these critters harmful to any of my other occupants . Thanks Rich
<Well, Rich- without seeing them for myself, I can only generalize (gulp!)...Most of the commonly encountered snails and limpets are harmless...I'd keep an eye on population levels, and if you start noticing damage or excessive populations, you may need to remove some. The upcoming "Reef Invertebrates" by Bob, Anthony, and Steve Pro may be a big help in identifying these little guys. Take care! Regards, Scott F>

Tech - I from Kent Marine, and limpets 5/22/04
Good morning to all,
<and to you in kind>
Just a few questions for you, hopefully you can help. You usually have all the answers. I am curious if tech-I iodine supplement from Kent is okay to use. The label says it has free iodine. My test kit says it is a bad thing.
<somewhat subjective here. There seems to be two "camps" regarding advocacy of Lugol's strong iodine solution (the nutritive iodine of color/odor) versus clear Potassium Iodide solutions.  The other troubling thing is several keyhole limpets in my hospital tank. I believe both can be useful, both can indeed be abused/overdosed too. I favor Lugol's based solutions FWIW. I'm not a bog fan of some bottled supplements though... then ones that do not date their products for products with a definable lifespan/shelf-life. Iodine loses efficacy over time once mixed ion solution>
scoured WWM and have found two different opinions. Bob says okay and Anthony says they will eat soft coral flesh. I did find a big one sitting on my flower leather, so I pulled him off.
<some Limpet species are algae grazers, and some are predators on various reef invertebrates including corals (these tend to be the colorful ones with frilly/fleshy mantles). It depends on the species.)
Thank you for always being there for me and my tanks. Thanks,
Hopeless reef keeper- Daniel
<best of luck, Anthony>

Flatworm Or Nudibranch... Or Maybe Not... (Not) – 03/28/08 Hello guys, <<Adam>> I have an interesting creature in my tank, I've read through the forums and search across the Internet and I cannot get a positive ID on it (Even checked the sea slug site you guys listed as a resource.). <Okay>> It resembles a Nudibranch, although the one picture I found of something that resembles it, you guys ID'd it as a flat worm. (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fltwmid.htm, second picture from the top, question titled Nudibranch or Flatworm.) <<Mmm, not a good picture is it? Regardless…what you have is NOT a flatworm>> Flat worms are generally not as large as this animal is, or at least I thought they weren't. <<Some do get large>> The guy is around 2 - 2.5" and only comes out at night, I have seen what seems to be "antennae" protruding from it. <<Yes>> I tried several different ways of taking the shot, one strictly with LED's, others with flashes and/or an LED flashlight. I have attached a few shots. <<I see them>> One peculiar thing I witnessed last night was a split in the animals back. <<Hee-hee! A clue!>> Down the center, which opened slightly and receded when I placed the light over him. Any ideas? <<Indeed…see below>> I am at a loss and don't know whether to enjoy the little guy or eject him. I monitored him for about an hour the other night when I saw him open up down the middle and never really saw him feeding on anything and he stays around a rock in the tank with Zoanthids, and a piece of orange Monti. Only thing I could guess is filter feeding or feeding off the worms and such in/on the rock. Thanks again, Adam <<Well Adam, I’ve seen a couple of these before. What you have there is Scutus antipodes (Black Limpet, Elephant Snail, etc.). The “split” you saw is where the mantel parted (the mantel comes up from both sides to cover the shell on the animals back). This critter is reputed by some to be reef safe...others to be a Cnidarian muncher…but all seem to agree it's a good algae grazer and a prolific breeder. Regards, EricR>>

No text?  1/8/08 <See... Stomatella... BobF>

Re: ? Snail ID ayer    1/9/08 Bob - <Joel... Oh there you are!> My apologies. I don't know what happened to the content and subject line. I would not be so rude as to intentionally do such a thing. I wrote an email describing my tank setup and how much you and your crew have helped me get 6 months into the hobby with nary a problem that wasn't foreseen. Thanks for the response to what my question was - "any idea what these might be, perhaps some sort of Nudibranch?" I will read up on Stomatella now. Thank you again. Regards, Joel Pippin <Looked like S. varia to me. Cheers, BobF>

Black Slug... actually is a snail... Scutus spp 12/03/2007 I found this in my tank and thought I would share the photo. <Thank you for sharing!> I did some research and found the slug to be (Scutus sp.) <Actually is a snail, not a slug.> Order: VETIGASTROPODA Superfamily: FISSURELLOIDEA Family: Fissurellidae. <Yes, more here: http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=scutus > Our slug is about 2 1/2 inches and may grow to 5 inches in length. This is a nocturnal slug and I found it by mistake a few weeks back. <Well you found it nonetheless.> Just wanted to share. <Thanks again!> Have a great day, Lis <Thanks Lis, you as well! Mich>

Well done Mich/Mitch... RMF.

Unknown Critter 12/9/03 Hey there crew I got a problem here. about a month ago I noticed a odd looking creature on my LR. It is a snail like creature, it has a half shell on its back which is pink and white, it moves pretty fast moving around like a slug, <sounds like a Stomatellid... harmless as we know> now the weird part is its feeding mechanism, it looks just like a elephants trunk it feeds just like a vacuum cleaner its trunk is attached to the rock with another type of mechanism going up and down inside the trunk. <hmmm... perhaps not a Stomatellid if it has a proboscis> The shell is very small compared to the body which when it is on the move is almost a inch and a half in length. I wasn't to concerned until as of late because now it is growing pretty quickly and spots of my coralline are bare (not bleached) I believe it is eating the coralline because the patches that are missing are circular in appearance. <not the case here... a proboscis on a snail/gastropod is not "designed" to rasp coralline algae... instead look for another grazer (limpet, urchin) with short sturdy mouthparts (radula) to do this job> I will attach a couple pics of the monster if you could please identify him and if I should remove him or be looking for another culprit. <Yikes... these pics or over 5K kb and clogging our mailbox, mate. What's worse is that they are not clear at all. Please do resize all pics to small web-sized images (a few tens to a mere couple hundred kb max) and also please fill the frame with the subject (the snail is tiny here)> The other tank mates include 3 pepp shimp,1 Blood red cleaner,15 or so blue leg hermits,3 star shell snails and 10-15 Nass. snails. The only corals in the tank are a small frag of xenia and a small frogspawn which incidentally just started shrinking and spit out some brownish material (should I be concerned about this) <could simply be digestion or (worse) zooxanthellae expulsion if stressed> also a small false percula clown. One last thing I believe I spotted a mantis shrimp also I was feeding on day and a very small shrimp came flying out of a small piece of grape macro and snatched a piece of flake. He was brown in color and appeared to look a lot like a mantis shrimp. <most mantis are small smasher species and are fairly harmless... some do not exceed 1" by much as adults and are very harmless in fact. Please read through our archives/Reef Invert book to learn the diffs between smashers and spearers and species IDs> Well sorry for the book I wrote here but your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Jeremy from buffalo <wish I could have been more help... do send a better pic if you can. Best regards, Anthony>

Limpets
Hi everyone , I have a tank full of small copepods that I know are beneficial.
<indeed... I myself am Cuckoo for Copepods>
But , and their is always a but, I have an unknown crustacean that I want to try to identify .
<his name is Joey... Joey bag-O-doughnuts>
This thing has a hard outer shell that looks like the hats that the Vietnamese people wear , almost to the letter .
<a "Limpet" species... do use that name in a keyword search of the web... few pics posted yet on WWM of this critter. Common though>
They are oval in shape , about a quarter inch in length ,have a white coloring and look like a pointed hat . Any ideas ?
P.S.  Sorry about the ethnic description , but its the only thing I could think of that looked like these things . My LFS said they were Lipids Rich
<no worries... understood and clear. And I don't think Vietnam will be calling for an apology... they love those little hats too. Your silly little "snail" is a Limpet dude. Best regards, Anthony>

Nemo-aka the Blue Tang, and Gary the Stomatella
Howdy again, fellow Wetheads!
  I have a healthy, one-year-old 20-gallon reef tank into which I will introduce (after quarantine) a small juvenile Regal/Pacific Blue Tang (yes, my kids insisted on their own "Dory" fish after seeing previews of "Finding Nemo"). I've been studying up on the Blue Tang's weaknesses, such as ick, and hazards (tailhooks!), and I feel ready for the new arrival.<good to hear>
  The tank's inhabitants (2 little clownfish, a ravenous but friendly Royal Pseudochromis, candy-cane coral, a few small brown/green mushrooms, some Montipora digitata, many scarlet hermits, Astraea+Cerith+Nassarius+Trochus snails, copepods, small worms, mucho coralline algae, LR+LS, etc) will relocate with the Tang into a planned
60-gallon tank very soon,<this tang will need this tank soon :)> and when the Tang acts cramped in the
60-gallon, we'll start an even larger tank.<good> Meanwhile I need to modify the ecosystem in the existing 20-gallon tank so that tang-edible macroalgae has a better chance at growing "a little," while not overwhelming the corals and coralline algae.<agreed>
  Obviously, I'm only counting on the tank itself to provide a tiny portion of the Tang's algae diet, but I'd like to have him/her at least enjoy a little more macroalgae decor to nibble upon between real meals.
I plan to return a few of my larger snails to the Local Fish Store.
-- First question - Does this Tang REALLY eat "bubble algae" (esp. Valonia)?<have never seen this species eat bubble algae...and haven't read about it either>
Since I've sworn off bubble-munching Mithrax crabs (too
omnidestructive), I'd love for the Tang to relieve me of my occasional bubble-scratching responsibilities.<will probably not eat bubble algae>
-- Second question - Is there anything which conveniently dines on the STOMAT ELLA VARIA (sporty little half-snails!),<well I was thinking more towards a wrasse from the genus Pseudocheilinus, I know they eat can/will eat hermit crabs-but they might eat helpful creatures as well> which have been a very helpful ally against algae in my tank but now are too numerous (and keep everything so clean that the larger algae-seeking snails suffer)?
This landscape will seem too barren to the Tang. But my instinct is that any carnivore nasty enough to eat Stoma Ella might also attack....corals? fish? my fingers? My hope is that you folks know of a cute, tiny, highly-specialized mantis shrimp (can I ask for iridescent-red?) or whatever that chews Stoma Ella yet eschews other stuff. Fantasy, right? <A mantis shrimp will eventually consume ALL of your small fish and your little crustaceans/snails too>
  By the way, one additional REALLY irritating aspect of having Stomatella in your tank is that their low-rider bodies occasionally find their way through even the narrow slots in pump-intakes; the sound made by Stomatella's "paper shells" when they suddenly seize up a miniature pump impeller is "schwing" (as in the movie "Wayne's World").
Easy to fix but a pain.
  Concerning Stomatella, I found questions by "C" from Pittsburgh, PA,
(and Anthony Calfo's answers) in....
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algcontfaq3.htm
  ....and I'd like to reinforce Anthony's comment about this creature's "highly variable color." I started with maybe 3 or 4 TINY Stomatella (LR hitchhikers), soon had a population boom which subsided, and now there's seven or eight color/pattern variations, each apparently tuned to different LR surroundings. Not exactly crowd-pleasers, but they zip
around like crazy, especially when the lights go out. On that note, goodnight and MANY thanks!<your welcome, I really don't believe there is a fish that specializes on
Stoma Ella so it would be risking the lives of the other invertebrates in your aquarium, IanB>
Bruce Mewhinney

Stomatella Questions
Ah, the reference I had read about Tangs eating(?) bubble algae was in a WWM page....<well have been around this species of fish for about 5 years now and have never seen them even touch bubble algae, Bob has been around these fish longer so he might be right.>
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangfaqs.htm
  ....in which Bob Fenner replies to a reader ("Tangs Eating Bubble Algae"). Having said that, I haven't seen my newly-arrived Pacific Blue Tang touching MY bubble algae yet (I'm patient). But he/she is already happily chowing on sprigs of Red Gracilaria algae on a suction-cup clip; also flake algae etc.<normal for them to eat macro algae (softer easier to pick on, etc, bubble algae is to hard for one of those little 1-2" hippo tangs to eat>
Back on topic --
Regarding possible predators upon the Stomatella varia snails, I did some subsequent search-engine sleuthing and came up with a few specifics....http://www.mindspear.com/reef/detrivore.htm
   ["cleaner shrimp" eating smaller Stomatella?]<re: my other email>
http://www.reeflounge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4267
   [peppermint shrimp "cleaned out" tankful of Stomatella]<maybe you should try them>
For now I'm going to try peppermint shrimp (not banded coral shrimp), and in future maybe a few of the wrasses as you suggest, or even arrow crabs (in a much larger tank).<good luck with Stomatella control, IanB>
Thanks again for help! Bruce Mewhinney

Snail id: Stomatella species "Paper Shell snail" 6/11/03
Howdy oh Wet ones!
<not touching that one with a ten foot pole>
I have found a bunch of snails in my tank, a type I have never seen before.  I have not be able to get a good picture of one yet, but I will describe it to you to see if it rings any bells.  It really looks like a land based slug, about 3/4 inch for the biggest one, maybe a little less.  It is a light speckled sandy color.  The strange thing about it is that the shell is only about 1/3 the length of the whole slug looking body, and it matches the body color and pattern pretty closely, so it was hard to even see the shell.  It is a rather flat shell, almost like an abalone shell.  
<the last observation is the giveaway... you have a Stomatella snail species. Do use that genus name for a better web search. They are wonderful algae grazing snails... as harmless and reef-safe as it gets>
It really looks like it has a great big tail because the shell is so small.  Now looking through the WWM site, I did not see any pictures of a snail that resembles it.  Does it sound like anything you have heard of or seen before?  I just want to make sure it is not a problem.  It cruises around the live rock like any other snail, but ya never no.... Thanks, Paul
<just enjoy them and watch that S car Go! Kindly, Anthony

Limpets and Coralline
Crew:
Well after trying to figure out what I can't grow coralline algae in my tank, I think I have finally identified a suspect.  I have a few of those odd little creatures known as limpets (Elephant Snail, Keyhole, etc.) and according to an article by someone named "Steneck"
http://academics.smcvt.edu/dfacey/AquaticBiology/Coastal%20Pages/Limpets.htm
These things only eat coralline!!   It really makes sense now because I could see little patches of coralline one day, only to wake up the next morning to find them vanished!  All water parameters, Ca, dKH, etc. are all perfect - no phos, no nitrates, etc.  I guess I'll continue to let them battle it out (I refuse to attempt to remove one of the limpets for fear of damaging him) and see who wins - right now, it's no contest!  You agree that this is possible?
<Definitely. These are voracious grazers.  Best, Chris>

Stomatellid Snail... a Good Guy - 9/20/03
I have your latest invert. book and I found the creature I'm looking for which came with some live rock I bought but it doesn't mention whether it is harmful to soft corals or other reef creatures
<hmmm... do check again, my friend: page 202 photo caption (underfoot pic) of Stomatella... "a harmless, nocturnal herbivore to be shared among aquarists." They are very strict herbivores in fact and are completely safe with corals>
also I have a crab about the size of a quarter that is a grayish black large front claws and a rough texture doesn't like light in fact they seem quite common in live rock I had them before (good or bad)
<most crabs are risky as opportunistic omnivores... I rarely recommend crabs for reef aquaria. I suggest you remove it to another aquarium. Kindly, Anthony>

Removing Limpets
Hello! How are you?
<Not too bad this morning.>
I have quite a few keyhole limpets in my tank, and I would like to send some of them to another member of our seahorse group. There were a lot of limpets on the glass of my tank a few days ago, so I thought it would be easy just to swoop them out with a net. Wrong! Every time I even touched them with the net they would lock down with incredible force. I read somewhere that they can lock down with 70 lbs of pressure. Do you have any suggestions on how I could get a few of them out so that I can honor my promise to send some to my co-hobbyists?
<If you grab hold of them and twist, you should be able to free up a couple. Removing from the glass is best. It would be very hard to remove them from the rocks without damaging them.>
Thanks, Kevin
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Limpet Attacking a Flame Scallop?
Last night I saw a Limpet attached to the bottom of my Flame Scallop and I didn't think anything of it until I looked at my Scallop this afternoon and when I tried to get the Limpet off of my Flame Scallop he felt like he was locked on my Scallop, and I had to actually pry him off.
<Yes, it is very difficult to remove a Limpet from any surface. They have an incredible suction power.>
My Scallop looks like he was dying.
<Agreed>
He is shrinking up on the inside and I don't know what is wrong with him.
<Please perform a search of Flame Scallops on www.WetWebMedia.com for the reasons.>
He is not responding to touch like he used to, his shell does not close right away when he is touched, and when you try to close him it feels like he is almost locked in the open position. I did some research on Limpet's this evening and I didn't like what I read on some of them.
<Perhaps do some research on Flame Scallops. I am positive you will not like what you find about them.>
Is it possible the Limpet was boring a hole in him and getting ready to eat him?
<Nope, your scallop is and has been starving to death.>
My scallop was fine for months until now.
<No, you just did not notice its duress.>
Please give me your suggestions on what could have happened to him
<It is starving just like almost all do.>
and what his chances of survival are.
<Next to none.>
Thank you for you great expertise! Connie
<Please research your animals and their care prior to all purchases. -Steven Pro>

Black limpet snail- Scutus sp
Hi:  I wonder if you can help me with identification of this new creature in my reef.  The reef is a year old but new things keep popping up.  This guy looks like a leach but is about 4 inches in length and about 2 inches wide and relatively flat.  He comes out at night.  The picture is of poor quality but may help.  He is black and has "frilly" edges.  I blasted him with a gush of water from the turkey baster and he slid back into the reef, so he isn't very shy.  Is he harmless?  Thanks, Jim
<your creature is a mollusk of the genus Scutus (almost started to sound like  Dr. Seuss rhyme with the alliteration of 3 of the last 5 words <G>). AKA Black Limpet, is a mostly desirable snail. It may nibble on coral (of course, so do tangs and dwarf angels), but is an otherwise excellent algae eater and breeds well in captivity. Perfect for soft coral tanks... less so for LPS coral displays. Best regards, Anthony>

Question about the supply of limpets.
Bob:
It seems that I have purchased some Man made Florida rock here and there and received some very unusual creatures called Limpets. I i.d.'d the critter from "The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium" Volume 1. Svein A. Fossa &
Alf Jacob Nilsen.
An example of the scientific name and picture on Page 188 is Scutus unguis. And yes the animals look very close to a Nudibranch, except they carry a cone-like shell that looks like a volcano. Some species cover the shell with what looks like a mantle.
These critters seem to mow down more hair and slime algae than 5 or 7 turbo snails together.
Q: Where may one find a supply of these? None seem to be listed on the FFE web pages?
I still have one that looks more like a moving volcano that does not wrap it's mantle, and the other was flame orange that did wrap it's mantle. And it looked just a Nudibranch of sorts. Very pretty!! But the seem not to like medications.
This animal seems to be very low maintenance and very tolerant of water quality, versus what most Nudibranchs require to stay alive.
Am I looking for this animal in the right place? CH
>>
Well, I looked around for limpets as well and couldn't find anyone listing them for sale... But do want to say a few things about them. I agree totally with your observations... and assessment... these Archaeogastropoda are great and innocuous cleaner uppers.
Having worked with local (S. Calif.) limpets with different projects, I suspect that they're not specifically offered for two reasons: They're hard to extract from hard substrates w/o damaging them... and Folks just don't know about their usefulness as yet...
Unlike Nudibranchs, many limpets have wide, generalized diets (micro and macrophagous herbivores)... and also unlike the "naked gill gastropods", they don't have a tendency toward toxicity... Instead of being poisonous, limpets have a shielding "home" on their backs... and lastly, as you observe, many live in "marginal" and variable environments in the wild... and are therefore reasonably tolerant of the same in captive situations.
Thanks for writing. Bob Fenner

Limpets
A year ago I noticed two limpets in my aquarium. It is a 90 gallon (6'x1'x2'). My guess is they came in on the live rock I added 7 months before. The curious thing is this.
It took 7 months to see the first 2, and I now have roughly 100 more. They are black with a white stripe on their back and are actually not unattractive despite their numbers.
They do a good job keeping the glass, and everything else, clean. They range in size from 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch and are found everywhere from the skimmer collection cup (always a few small ones on the cup of a CPR Bak-Pak), to the live rock, to the glass. I have about 80 pounds of Fiji live rock, a 1 inch aragonite sand bed, the CPR, and a couple Hagen 802's for circulation. I also have Naso, yellow, and regal tangs (1 of each--all about 3.5 inches), a coral banded shrimp, a false percula clown, and about a dozen snails and small hermits. There are no corals or anemones.
Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates are close to 50. S.G. is 1.024. Temp. is 76 and pH is 8.0. I add no chemicals and have 0 algae other than coralline which covers most everything and has to be scraped from my glass at least every two weeks.
I have two questions. First, is this an extremely unusual occurrence? In order to identify these things I had to post pictures to a newsgroup since the few inexpensive books I have don't even mention them. Second, I'll be adding a dwarf lionfish and snowflake moray to the system tomorrow.
Will either/both decide to make a feast out of the limpets?
If they do, it would probably be good for them, since, in their numbers, I think the limpets would be able to sustain enough of a population to meet their dietary requirements.
By the way, when I first set up this system roughly two years ago, I dosed Kalkwasser for about 2 months to try and get the coralline to grow, and it didn't. Ever since, I have added no chemicals (other than synthetic salt and frozen food for the fish) to the aquarium, and the coralline is almost out of control. It's a great problem to have. By the way, I have 6 24" fluorescent bulbs. Four were bought at home depot (cheap bulbs), while the other 2 are actinic.
I also have a large population of feather dusters growing out of the rock and some have even built tubes of up to 2 inches and are living in the sand bed. Is this extraordinary luck, or did I accidentally hit on the aquarium conditions that the worms, coralline, and limpets thrive in (i.e., low light and not-so-low nitrate)? If my experience is unusual, I'll probably try to replicate the environment (minus the fish) in a 29 gallon, devote some study to all three, and write a paper detailing the conditions for anyone that might want to duplicate them (though their suitability would be limited to a fish only situation). Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you
in advance for your time.
Sincerely, Richard Weatherly
>>
Wow, what an outstanding query, relating of experience and uplifting story... Congrats to you. And I think you may be on the verge of a great commercial success. I have only seen a few cases where the snails called limpets were so abundant as yours... and they are a blessing... And your lion and eel will not consume them (different diets all the way around), but I would do as you say, and save some of these "Chinese Hats" in another system... if for no other reason, for just safekeeping. And do "share the wealth" and supply some to fellow hobbyists...
Your relating of the non-supplement use and results is exemplary by the several meanings of the term... Thank you for writing... please do consider tallying up your observations and sending them to one of the hobby magazines... Very useful.
Bob Fenner

Accidental mollusk 
Hi Bob, 
Thanks for the answers to my previous questions. 
Today during my weekly maintenance I noticed somebody new and was wondering if he's bad news. It is some sort of brown slug, 23 mm long, with a 12 mm shell on his head. It is the kind of shell I've seen thousands of times on Southern California beaches but always thought it was one half of a little clam. It is a shallow (almost flat) triangular shape shell. He was chewing around the base of some Halimeda and squirting out clouds of white from his mouth area several times for no apparent reason. 
I have him sequestered in my quarantine tank until I hear from you. Should he stay or should he go? I am planning to add one or two "beginner" soft corals in the near future if that matters. 
Thanks, 
Brian Battles
<I say "stay"... almost feel like a latter day Caesar with my thumb up! This is likely some sort of Limpet (as in the Incredible Mr.), and I know what you mean re the many Acmaea along the coast (I live in San Diego)... these are very beneficial creatures to have in a reef tank... are microphagous herbivores that greatly aid in filamentous/pest algae control. Count yourself lucky and enjoy it/hopefully "them". Bob Fenner, By Bob Fenner, www.wetwebmedia.com>

Question about limpets
HI Robert,
I found your article on Mollusks: An overview on the internet and decided you would know the answer to my questions.
We watched two limpets in a display last night in our tank that we think might have been their reproduction process but we are unsure. Both key hole limpets were on the glass, the smaller one ( 1 1/4 in long) was releasing from the key hole an almost clear liquid that would disperse into the tank. It looked almost like smoke. The other, larger one ( 1.5 in long) was higher up on the glass and the release from this limpet was whiter, thicker and dispersed slower. They did this back and forth for at least 30 minutes that we were aware of. Were we watching the release of eggs and sperm?
<Likely so>
If so, how long will it be before we will see tiny limpets in the tanks? Is this common? If not, what were we watching?
<... probably won't see limpet young... the products here will probably be collected by your filtration... removed by skimming... pelagic larval stages have tough times in captive systems. Bob Fenner>
Please email your answers to XXXX. Thanks!
Carol Griffith