what are limpets?
- Thread starter reefNewbie
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Limpets are mollusks, in the Gastropod class with snails, except they have a conical shell. Sort of a cap, if you will, with the animal underneath. We have one in our aquarium. I'm not sure of the species; we collected him in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We've had him since mid 2001, and he's at least doubled in size. He's still small though - his shell is maybe 1 inch across at its widest point. We see him every now and then as he grazes on our live rock. He's really good at keeping algae trimmed!
He goes by the name of Henry, of course, named after "Henry Limpet" in the 1964 Don Knotts film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet."
He goes by the name of Henry, of course, named after "Henry Limpet" in the 1964 Don Knotts film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet."
I wouldnt say thats a limpet... I have a keyhole limpet and another limphet I havent Id'd in my 29. From what I understand limphets have a flat shell that often time is covered by the "mantle"... ususally exposing just a small piece of shell and resembling a keyhole... I'll try to find the pics, of my liphets and post for you...
i have a bunch of small limpets living in my sump they are 1/8" across and white with a cone typ shell, not a spiral more like an ice cream cone but not as drastic an incline, a few have crept into the main tank with no problems i have seen yet. i also transfered some accidently when i was seeding my virgin sand in my new 120 they have been taking the cycle fine so they must be hardy (if it can survive ammonia at 2) i like them thier cool to watch crawl across the glass like a snail.
Reefguide, and others,
Limpets are characterized by their "china man's" hat for a shell.
The black limpet in RG's pic is a keyhole limpet (that looks a lot like a nudibranch, or cowrie. The latin name is: Scutus unguis. Commonly called: Elephant snail, Scutus or black limpet.
Listed as not reef safe because it will feed on coral tissue. Readily adapts to aquarium life and will reproduce very well under good conditions. Mostly nocturnal.
Limpets are characterized by their "china man's" hat for a shell.
The black limpet in RG's pic is a keyhole limpet (that looks a lot like a nudibranch, or cowrie. The latin name is: Scutus unguis. Commonly called: Elephant snail, Scutus or black limpet.
Listed as not reef safe because it will feed on coral tissue. Readily adapts to aquarium life and will reproduce very well under good conditions. Mostly nocturnal.
I have a bunch in my tank. I collected some wild snails in Puerto Rico and those limpets were hitchers. They have reproduced in my tank. They lay white eggs on the rocks and on powerheads. I wish the snails would of done the same but most have died. There are at most 10 snails left, but thousands of limpets. They are great grazers. I have so many, that when I clean the glass with the algae scraper they fall to the sand. I dont know if that kills them but who cares I have so many. I have great coralline growth so I dont think they eat it.
I'm not positive, but what you thought was a limpet, I believe, is a parasitic snail. I know there are rams horn like snails that will attack button polyps and suck the insides out of them. I had one that almost killed one polyp, but I got it out in time and the polyp eventually came back to full life. If you have polyps, you might want to try a search on snails that hitchike on polyp groups.
Rian
Rian
Reefnewbie, here is the snail I was talking about. This is from the FAQ.
"There is a very strong chance that this is a Heliacus sp. snail (Order: Mesogastropoda, Family: Architectonicidae). They are a hitchhiker commonly found on colonies of zoanthid polyps. A distinguishing characteristic of this snail is that the "door" (operculum) that covers the animal when it retracts into its shell is cone shaped (as seen on the picture page). This snail is a nocturnal predator of zoanthid polyps and should be removed. When removing this snail, be sure to check for smaller ones nestled in between the polyps."
If I'm wrong about your snail, I apologize, but I figure better safe than sorry.
Rian
"There is a very strong chance that this is a Heliacus sp. snail (Order: Mesogastropoda, Family: Architectonicidae). They are a hitchhiker commonly found on colonies of zoanthid polyps. A distinguishing characteristic of this snail is that the "door" (operculum) that covers the animal when it retracts into its shell is cone shaped (as seen on the picture page). This snail is a nocturnal predator of zoanthid polyps and should be removed. When removing this snail, be sure to check for smaller ones nestled in between the polyps."
If I'm wrong about your snail, I apologize, but I figure better safe than sorry.
Rian
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ReefNewbie,
The snail in the pic above is not a heliacus snail. Don't get alarmed. From what I can tell by looking, it is more than likely a beneficial algae eater, that will multiply.
There are very few problem snails compared to nudibranchs/crabs. When you have a heliacus problem, there is no doubt. They will congrgate around a zoanthid colony and feed, and all the polyps will be contracted.
The snail in the pic above is not a heliacus snail. Don't get alarmed. From what I can tell by looking, it is more than likely a beneficial algae eater, that will multiply.
There are very few problem snails compared to nudibranchs/crabs. When you have a heliacus problem, there is no doubt. They will congrgate around a zoanthid colony and feed, and all the polyps will be contracted.
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