Id please - friend or foe ?

[Idech]

My tank is 4 months old. I just saw this on the glass this morning.

It’s about 5 mm long x 2 mm wide, it is flat and it moves (fast enough that it was many inches lower on the glass 10 minutes later).

What is it ?

Thank you !

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Does it have a shell at all?

 

[N.Sreefer]

Looks like either a limpet or chiton either way its a good guy. It looks like in the pic it has a hard shell on one side with its "foot" the soft part on the glass. Any chance you could get a pic of the shell if this is the case?

 

[Current Tides]

My tank is 4 months old. I just saw this on the glass this morning.

It’s about 5 mm long x 2 mm wide, it is flat and it moves (fast enough that it was many inches lower on the glass 10 minutes later).

What is it ?

Thank you !

stomatella!

 

[Current Tides]

stomatella!

at least if the shell seems to be "solid" rather than in a "blinds" fashion

 

[Idech]

Does it have a shell at all?

I haven’t seen one, it is really flat. And I see no head, no antennas.

Looks like either a limpet or chiton either way its a good guy. It looks like in the pic it has a hard shell on one side with its "foot" the soft part on the glass. Any chance you could get a pic of the shell if this is the case?

I don’t see a shell but I will try to get a better picture with my phone if I can find it now.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I haven’t seen one, it is really flat. And I see no head, no antennas.


I don’t see a shell but I will try to get a better picture with my phone if I can find it now.

limpets and chitons shells are flat against them. Hard to tell in the pic hence my question

 

[Idech]

limpets and chitons shells are flat against them. Hard to tell in the pic hence my question

My phone isn’t able to focus enough to get a better picture.

I’ve looked very closely and I see no shell, no antennas, no head even. Just an oval shaped, very flat organism. If you look from the side, you can’t even see it because it is really thin, almost like paper.

I added 2 new corals yesterday so maybe they came from it. Which means they survived dipping. Or they might have come from the rocks I transferred from my other tank that I shut down. Even though this tank was less than a year old.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

My phone isn’t able to focus enough to get a better picture.

I’ve looked very closely and I see no shell, no antennas, no head even. Just an oval shaped, very flat organism. If you look from the side, you can’t even see it because it is really thin, almost like paper.

I added 2 new corals yesterday so maybe they came from it. Which means they survived dipping. Or they might have come from the rocks I transferred from my other tank that I shut down. Even though this tank was less than a year old.

if that’s the case probably a flatworm of some type.

I’m not knowledgeable about the flats.

@ReefSquad

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Possibly a fleshy limpet?

 

[minus9]

Chiton, another tiny CUC addition.

 

[Idech]

if that’s the case probably a flatworm of some type.

I’m not knowledgeable about the flats.

@ReefSquad

That scared me so I got it out. Up close, it does look like it has a shell, but still no head or antennas.

Here are pictures from the top. Should I discard it or put it back ?

Thank you

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

That scared me so I got it out. Up close, it does look like it has a shell, but still no head or antennas.

Here are pictures from the top. Should I discard it or put it back ?

Thank you

Yeah, I have to agree that it looks like a chiton (especially from the top).

 

[ssunthar]

My tank is 4 months old. I just saw this on the glass this morning.

It’s about 5 mm long x 2 mm wide, it is flat and it moves (fast enough that it was many inches lower on the glass 10 minutes later).

What is it ?

Thank you !

Can't see it very clearly but it looks like either a chiton or limpet.. if so.. a friend.

A pic showing its top/shell view might help to ID it better.

 

[Idech]

A pic showing its top/shell view might help to ID it better.

The pictures just above your post show that specific view.

 

[ssunthar]

The pictures just above your post show that specific view.

Just saw the pics... cool.

 

[Idech]

Thanks everyone for your help ! After doing more research, I believe it is a chiton, as suggested.

I was confident enough to put it back in the tank.

 

[minus9]

It's a chiton and there's probably a couple more you'll start to see, especially after lights out. They'll emerge from the sand or hide under overhangs, overflows, pumps, etc... Most predatory flatworms would never just hang out, exposed for very long and they wouldn't be stationary on the glass. They would be looking for their next meal or finding a place to hide.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Limpet and very reef safe algae eater.
Not chiton which is layered as in pic below