What Are Chitons?

[fretfreak13]

Saw something on my LR today, which is weird cause I really havn't added any in ike 5 months, and low and behold it was a little chiton. I just remember hearing someone saying they looked like potato bugs a long time ago (spent a ton of time in the hitch hikers board when I first started). Looking closer, I saw two more next to it. They're very small, not even half the size of my pinky nail. Poked one and it shrunk into itself a little, and then started to move very sloooowwwlllyy. Seeing pictures of them, I imagined them to be fast like bugs and they creeped me out because of that. These slow guys aren't so bad...maybe.
-Are they harmful to any fellow tank inhabitants? Inverts, fish, coral?
-How do they benefit? Part of the CUC? What do they do?

 

[bill109]

ha, nope not bad. i have a million of them they are almost camoflaged with the rock. you really have to look for them. i never noticed them till i really looked. they will help break donw detritus. they are slow, snail speed slow at that.

 

[fretfreak13]

Thaaank you. That's what I though (besides the slow part lol), but I just needed to make sure. Do they normally cluster like my three are doing? I saw a pic on google with them doing that too.