Pest ID? Baby snail that's about half the size of a pea.

[Probiesmasher]

Pretty strong shell, and didn't move when i nudged with tweezers. Good bro or bad bro?

 

[ManWithAClam]

limpet, they eat algae specifically.

 

[Double monti 61]

Look like this?

 

[Double monti 61]

Not a pest.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Look like this?

This is astrea and other agreed is a limpet snail and very good algae eater

 

[Kasrift]

@Probiesmasher does it have a hole at the top? The black dot looks like a hole, if so it could be a keyhole limpet which are not reef safe.

 

[Probiesmasher]

@Probiesmasher does it have a hole at the top? The black dot looks like a hole, if so it could be a keyhole limpet which are not reef safe.

Ya know, it kind of looks like a hole but super hard to tell from the angle. I'll have to try and get it out and get a closer look. Thanks for heads up!

 

[Probiesmasher]

limpet, they eat algae specifically.

Thankyou!

 

[Kasrift]

Agree limpets are generally good. Look at this post from Reef Cleaners and the eighth snail listed is the keyhole limpet https://www.reefcleaners.org/bad-snails

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@Probiesmasher does it have a hole at the top? The black dot looks like a hole, if so it could be a keyhole limpet which are not reef safe.

This is not entirely true. There are tiny ones that are technically keyholes but are completely reef safe

 

[Kasrift]

This is not entirely true. There are tiny ones that are technically keyholes but are completely reef safe

Probably true Erin, I'd just defer to what Reef Cleaners says to be safe. Others like you or @ISpeakForTheSeas may be able to identify further, but without more readily available online info specifying the taxonomy of different keyhole limpets, i would default to it isn't safe.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Probably true Erin, I'd just defer to what Reef Cleaners says to be safe. Others like you or @ISpeakForTheSeas may be able to identify further, but without more readily available online info specifying the taxonomy of different keyhole limpets, i would default to it isn't safe.

I've heard the claim of some keyholes eating SPS corals before, but I don't think I've seen anyone actually be able to verify that claim (though there are enough species of limpet out there that it wouldn't surprise me if some did eat SPS). That said, as mentioned at the end of my quote below, with limpets of any kind, I would assume they are safe until proven otherwise.

Normal limpets are totally fine, but there's some speculation about Keyhole Limpets possibly eating SPS corals. If yours is a keyhole limpet (which it looks like it may be, but the photo is too grainy for me to tell you for certain), I don't know that anyone has actually confirmed that they eat SPS (much like how people believe "Asterinas" - actually Aquilonstra - stars might eat their corals: it might be a species specific thing, it might be a you have way too many starfish so they're out of other food options thing, it might be they're eating the slime coat/mucus on the coral rather than the coral itself, or they might just opportunistically eat unhealthy corals).

If it has a little "keyhole" or bullet hole looking hole on the back of it's shell (where the shell comes to a point) then it's a keyhole limpet.

Personally, I'd assume keyhole limpets are probably safe, but I know a lot of people would rather play it completely safe and not take the risk.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Probably true Erin, I'd just defer to what Reef Cleaners says to be safe. Others like you or @ISpeakForTheSeas may be able to identify further, but without more readily available online info specifying the taxonomy of different keyhole limpets, i would default to it isn't safe.

FWIW, I don't recommend going to reef cleaners for ANYTHING, let alone their website descriptions, but that's a discussion for another time

 

[Kasrift]

FWIW, I don't recommend going to reef cleaners for ANYTHING, let alone their website descriptions, but that's a discussion for another time

Haha, fair. They do have a good compendium of different types of CUC with pictures though.