What Is This

[kramers]

I need to pick someone's brain. This was found in my tank (center of pic). It's roughly the size of a nickle (3/4"). I haven't added anything to my tank in quite some time now and not sure how it got there. It looks like some type of snail, but is flat. Any help is appreciated. Royce

 

[Colin_T]

don't know coz there isn't a pic to look at

 

[kramers]

lets see if this works
http/i56.photobucket.com/albums/g168/dod...32714_0_ALB.jpg

 

[Colin_T]

The little green thing in the middle of the pic is a bit small to id but it looks harmless enough. If it is soft and squishy it is probably an anemone of some sort. If it is hard then it is most likely a coral.

 

[kramers]

It's hard like a shell of sorts. Spiral in formation and mobile.

 

[Colin_T]

it could be a little starfish if it's mobile.

 

[Donya]

Looks to me like a type of snail, forget what the common name is. "Star turbo" or something similar. They're related to Turbos, although different genus if I recall. I had 2 of them until recently.

 

[kramers]

Yeah, I thought that too because I do have a sandsifter in the tank and I've seen about 6-7 smaller ones hanging out around a patch of caulerpa. But each of the smaller ones only have 3 "arms". The other thing that came to mind would be a juvenile conch. But I'm not sure of the lifecycle of one or how it would have even gotten in. unfortunately, I couldn't get any better pics of it.

 

[BigC]

Looks like a Star Astrea snail to me
Does it look like the snail at the side of my Blastomussa

Regards
BigC

 

[kramers]

BigC, that looks almost exactly like it. Thought he cone still isn't formed yet, I was able to see where it could or will be.

 

[Donya]

Yeah, I thought that too because I do have a sandsifter in the tank and I've seen about 6-7 smaller ones hanging out around a patch of caulerpa. But each of the smaller ones only have 3 "arms". The other thing that came to mind would be a juvenile conch. But I'm not sure of the lifecycle of one or how it would have even gotten in. unfortunately, I couldn't get any better pics of it.

Probably not a conch, at least if you're meaning true conches. True conches (Strombidae) are usually distinguished by their trunk-like mouth. They look pretty distinctive when grazing. If you pluck one of yours off the rock and have a look at it on the other side, you probably will see a round-ish operculum (conches usually have an elongate, knife-like oeprculum) and, if it will open up for you, a little normal snaily mouth rather than something that looks like a Martian elephant.

As the spikey snails go, the number of spikes varies per rotation, and the rate at which they put down spikes varies by species. There are a number of crazy spikey guys, each with different width and length spikes put down at different frequencies over the growth. Sometimes growth variations between individuals can also change the spike pattern slightly. Another variation between species and also sometimes between individuals is how flattened the shell is. The very first individaul I saw a couple years ago from that group of snails was so heavily flattened that the spikes from the smaller whorles were almost completely fused to the outer, larger whorles. It was like spikey pancake lol.

 

[kramers]

Thanks all for the inputs. When I got to work yesterday i did a little looking around online and found a webseller that had some of these for sale labeled as "ninja star astrea snails". But his was the only place i saw them and didn't find out anything as for a proper name, characteristics, etc.