Leech-like with hard shell

[pangz]

Hi all!

I found this leech-like looking flat thing stuck to my tank wall, about 1.5 cm in length... when i tried to pull it off, i found it to have a hard shell and somewhat vacuumed stuck to the wall.

You guys ever seen one of this thing before? Just wondering if it is a parasite. Looks like something I might have seen fossilised in rock..... primitive creature...

My bro has my cam now at sch.... will dry it out and take a pic on sat.

[blueheaven]

Moonsnail?

[blueheaven]

I've never seen an abalone that's 1.5cm long

Baby one maybe

[cityofangels]

You might want to try these links, which can assist you in the identification process & to determine whether it is harmful or not.

Hitchhiker FAQ

Visual Identification

Hitchhikers - Good vs Bad

Hope it helps!

[pangz]

I have one abalone... doesn't look anything like it. Maybe my drawing will be of help (sorry, no artist here)

[pangz]

You might want to try these links, which can assist you in the identification process & to determine whether it is harmful or not.

Hitchhiker FAQ

Visual Identification

Hitchhikers - Good vs Bad

Hope it helps!

Hey... your link is good! I found the id on this thing..... Here's the mystery guest...

A write-up on it:

'I have some sort of critter that is crawling on my glass/rock. It is has an outer shell that is seperated into several segments rather like an armadillo. It is approximately 1" long and moves very slowly across the glass leaving a trail in the algae there. What is this?

This sounds like a chiton. They are molluscs that graze on film algae. A nice addition to a reef tank. John Rice has a page with a few more pictures of his chiton here. For an in depth discussion about chitons, please visit Ron Shimek's article at http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/19...fault.asp.'

Opps..... mine is now drying in the moon.

[cityofangels]

Chitons are good! They are our friends, not enemies.

[zephyros]

put it back ... maybe its still alive

[AREA51]

chitons are like pangolins in the ocean

they can roll up into an armored ball as defence