What are these things in my Refugium?

[Daniel Vickery]

Started a refugeium in my sump about a month ago and having some trouble getting the cheto to grow, seems like it was dying and rotting mostly but over the last week what remained has been growing. Yea!! Today I was cleaning out what remained of the rotting algae and found what looks like a bunch of slugs on the glass. See pictures below...

Any idea what there are or how they got there? Bought clean Cheto from AlgaeBarn. To be on the safe side I sucked out all the ones I saw with a turkey baster (8 of them). Anybody know what they are, and what I should do about them? Can they harm my tank, is a more aggressive treatment is necessary?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Started a refugeium in my sump about a month ago and having some trouble getting the cheto to grow, seems like it was dying and rotting mostly but over the last week what remained has been growing. Yea!! Today I was cleaning out what remained of the rotting algae and found what looks like a bunch of slugs on the glass. See pictures below...

Any idea what there are or how they got there? Bought clean Cheto from AlgaeBarn. To be on the safe side I sucked out all the ones I saw with a turkey baster (8 of them). Anybody know what they are, and what I should do about them? Can they harm my tank, is a more aggressive treatment is necessary?

Do they move around pretty quickly? And do they have like a half hard she'll on the top side of them?

 

[Daniel Vickery]

@crabs_mcjones no shell, looks a lot like a slug. Ideas?

Do they move around pretty quickly? And do they have like a half hard she'll on the top side of them?

 

[Crabs McJones]

@crabs_mcjones no shell, looks a lot like a slug. Ideas?

My first impression was stomatellas snails. #reefsquad any other ideas?

 

[Monroereef]

Stomatellas snails - harmless.

 

[KJ]

Hard to tell from the pic @Lionfish Lair

 

[Lionfish Lair]

If that's a shell in the second picture, I would have to agree it's a stomie.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

There's just something about the shape of the first picture that doesn't sit right though....

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I agree with everyone above. I think what is throwing us off is that the first pic looks so different from the 2nd. In the first they look ruddy brown and translucent in the second they appear green...

If they are in fact green I think they probably have a shell and are stomatellas. If this is the case they are BY FAR my most favorite algae cleaner in the world. If this is the case they will be VERY fast, have a super tiny shell that sits on top of a large slug body, eat algae like crazy, spawn regularly in the aquarium... and typically totally disappear in the daytime. You can have 20 of these guys full grown in a 10 gallon and never see them. They get into nooks and crannies -and are super cute when larger (they kinda resemble Jar-Jar Binks -probably spelled that wrong).

If they are transparent with no shell try to get a better shot... as I will not love them (might be flat worms). Super hard to tell since the two photos look SO different.

Can you shoot a 3rd?

 

[Daniel Vickery]

@ectoaesthetics and everyone else thanks for you help on this!

Here are a few more pics, tried cropping them a bit too:

 

[ectoaesthetics]

Stomatella from your dry shots you can see the little shell. They are super cool little cleaners!

 

[Perry]

I will add that when they spawn/lay eggs, they shoot mist squirts out into the water column, and corals will go bonkers for this as a food source. I have tons of them, certain wrasses love them too

 

[Kamden Uelton]

That doesn't look a thing like a stomella to me... looks like a type of bubble snail?

 

[Kamden Uelton]

turn the little guy over and get to his shell, If it looks like this he's a bubble snail

(i'd gladly pay for a bubble snail as I have a species of Navnax Slug I have to work with at my local LFS)

 

[Daniel Vickery]

Bubble or stomella sounds like I will need better pics and an understanding of a shell structure. Unfortunately tossed the ones I saw out of fear it was a problem in the tank and don’t have any more pics.

If they re-appear like they did I’ll take some better photos and post them up!

turn the little guy over and get to his shell, If it looks like this he's a bubble snail

(i'd gladly pay for a bubble snail as I have a species of Navnax Slug I have to work with at my local LFS)

 

[Kamden Uelton]

If they ever pop up again, i'll buy them off you.

 

[DanielCervantes]

Looks like a sort or sea cucumber. Can’t remember the exact name but if they are it they’re a good part of the clean up crew.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

totally not a sea cucumber but alright