Identification please

[PTPuffers]

Hi, Found this in our tank today. It's at least two inches long. Looks dangerous. Anyone know what it is?

Thanks
Gary

 

[matts125]

wow I have never seen anything like that before. by all means dont touch it with your hands, there are a lot of very toxic species of sea slugs and other such inverts that can cause big problems... I hope some one chimes in with an answer for you..

Matt

 

[PTPuffers]

I used tongs to get it out

Thanks

 

[edwing206]

Weird! Looks like a nudibranch.

 

[Elmo18]

Hi there.

That is just a type of Chiton.

More specifically, a Cryptoplax spp., probably a Cryptoplax striata, or Cryptoplax larvaeformis.

What gives this away is that most chitons have 8 fairly noticeable shell plates. However, in the Cryptoplax family, most tend to hide/reduce the plate size by hiding them in the skin. Notice that in your photos, there are 3 plates which are visible. The rest are just "the tops" of the other plates that are hidden in the skin.

Harmless in your tank, and not dangerous to humans. They eat algaes. When I ordered live rock from Tonga a couple years ago, there were about 10 of these same exact chitons dead inside the box.

Best,
Ilham

 

[Elmo18]

Here is a reference:

http://www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=8502

Best,
Ilham

 

[PTPuffers]

Hi Ilham,

Yes, that is definitely him! Thanks for the information. Now we just have to decide
if we should let him back in our tank or not.

 

[burning2nd]

let him back......

 

[krisfal]

Anything harmless and eats algea would stay in my tank!

 

[Jan]

Yay, Ilham!

 

[Boomer]

Elmo good job

 

[Elmo18]

Thanks Now I better read those Chemistry manuals.....heheh j/k

Best,
Ilham

 

[Krish]

10 points for Ilham!!!!! We have tons of chitons (which we call curbs) here in the Bahamas in the wild (different species than in the pic though) but a friend of mine swears by them that they helped rid his tank of algae. Good luck Gary with it if you decide to keep it

 

[Tieg]

My vote is to put him back in...sounds pretty harmless and for sure looks cool

 

[PTPuffers]

We put it back in the tank. It is now hiding and hopefully eating algae.

 

[Elmo18]

That's good It's rather rare for this animal to make the trip. Most of the time they are on live rock and coral pieces. However, I believe, and just my opinion, that they come in more often on coral shipments, since live rock die off is rather big, and most die during transhipping.

I would have kept it in the tank, too. BTW, it is more of a nocturnal creature.

Best,
Ilham