Identification of Xenia Eater????

[salt55]

Hey, recently ive seen this creature patroling my reef that crawwled from the live rock. The top of it looks like a medium oval shaped shell with grooves all radiating from the center. It is fairly flat as well. The other day it was on the glass and the bottom looks just like my astrea snails, foot, mouth and all. It has longer and thicker tentacles underneath though. Recently i have notice it hanging around my xenia and when it moves it looks like it has eaten some of the base of the coral. Has anyone ever seen anything like this or know what kind of weird snail it could be? Thank you very much

 

[bang guy]

Does it resemble this critter?

 

[stacyt]

Bang Guy,
Don't mean to jack the thread from salt55, but I have some of those snails in 1 of my tanks. Are they a danger to clams, and other corals? I was planning on tearing down the tank they are in, and combing with 1 of my other tanks, that is a reef. I'd hate to add them to my reef, if they are not safe.

 

[bang guy]

They are fairly safe. They mostly eat algae including coralline. Occationally they have been known to eat soft corals. They are very good at eliminating Hydriods. That's why I like them.

 

[newbe reefer]

I have two of them in my tank and the bigger one eats on my Leather now and then. The damage is minor and the Leather seams to repair it's self pretty quick (with a day or two). I go back and forth on weather or not to take them out. I believe they are called Limpets.
NewBe

 

[salt55]

That is exactly what it is, and i have since found two more small ones. The one i removed was pretty big about the size of a quarter. I had to remove him because he was just hanging out by a large patch of my xenia. I thought everythig was fine till i saw he had basically mowed one of the stalks down like a damn beaver. He was gone at that point. Sucker held onto the rock pretty good too.