lanman September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 Has anyone else ever had a coral that came complete with limpets?? These limpets do NOT move - and they do NOT appear to actually cause any problems for the corals - this one is dying just because new aquacultured corals sometimes die. But a strange thing to have living all over a coral: bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 interesting....thanks for sharing Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 barnacles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Almon September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 That can't be good for the coral. Are you sure that's not what is affecting it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 Is that a shell? Keyhole limpet? Limpets are considered predacious. They are voracious eaters of coraline algae. Has anyone else ever had a coral that came complete with limpets?? These limpets do NOT move - and they do NOT appear to actually cause any problems for the corals - this one is dying just because new aquacultured corals sometimes die. But a strange thing to have living all over a coral: bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 barnacles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 there are some limpets that eat acropora. I believe they were mentioned in Julian Sprungs book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 Good point Jan and Rob..don't limpets(if that's what it is) eat algae off rocks on the shoreline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucelli September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 omg you guys, stop it. These are pictures of barnacles. FWIW, they are harmless to the acros they live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 Really? Are they rock barnacles? Very cool. omg you guys, stop it.These are pictures of barnacles. FWIW, they are harmless to the acros they live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 Really? Are they rock barnacles? Very cool. He's joking- they're really not barnacles- they are acro eating limpets. A barnacle is a crab and doesn't have a mantle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 25, 2009 Author Share September 25, 2009 He's joking- they're really not barnacles- they are acro eating limpets. A barnacle is a crab and doesn't have a mantle. They are NOT eating the acro... the acro is dying from the bottom up, slowly. The limpets have not moved, and the flesh around them has remained healthy, right up until the STN got to them - and the limpets die when the coral around them does. They are more like the tube worms that live in some acro's - but not so annoying! I hope the main colony of this coral lives. It is showing only a slight bit of necrosis at the bottom. If it moves any further up, I'll frag and pray. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 For the third time, they are BARNACLES. Do you really think a limpet snail could stay in one place without moving around to get food? It would starve to death if it didn't move around and eat. I give up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan September 25, 2009 Share September 25, 2009 crazy glue on the necrotic section helps to stop the spread of the necrosis. It worked for me. Good luck! J They are NOT eating the acro... the acro is dying from the bottom up, slowly. The limpets have not moved, and the flesh around them has remained healthy, right up until the STN got to them - and the limpets die when the coral around them does. They are more like the tube worms that live in some acro's - but not so annoying! I hope the main colony of this coral lives. It is showing only a slight bit of necrosis at the bottom. If it moves any further up, I'll frag and pray. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 26, 2009 Author Share September 26, 2009 crazy glue on the necrotic section helps to stop the spread of the necrosis. It worked for me. Good luck!J Hmmm... do you dry the coral first? Gel? Liquid? Certainly worth a try... bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 I did pat the coral dry. I covered the necrotic section up to the point where it's still alive. I used crazy glue liquid and brushed it on. I put a little on the portion that's still alive. And at that section is where the necrosis ended. name='lanman' date='Sep 25 2009, 08:03 PM' post='281565'] Hmmm... do you dry the coral first? Gel? Liquid? Certainly worth a try... bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 These are definetly barnacles, I agree with Coral hind. Limpets DO NOT have the opening in the top that you can see on these. A barnacle is stationary and filter feeds through the opening in the top of the shell. Barnacles CAN NOT move. Limpets on the other hand are pretty much snails and if you manage to pry one off a rock (very hard), you can see a foot on the bottom. As coralhind said, they MUST MOVE, otherwise cannot get food because limpets feed off algae. Also, limpets don't have the jagged edges around the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 26, 2009 Author Share September 26, 2009 Okay... makes sense - I just called them limpets, because they look an awful lot like my 'skimmer limpets'. Yes - I have limpets living in my skimmer. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 I've got $20 to say that know one here knows what they are talking about. These are definitely LIMPETS, not barnacles. Just because they didn't move in this instance, doesn't mean thay are barnacles. Maybe when Bob dipped the acro, it killed the limpets in the process and they just died whre they were. Barnacles do not have mantles. That is a dead giveaway that it is a limpet, not to mention the shape of its' shell and the 'keyhole' at the top. I don't suppose any of you barnacle 'experts' looked this critter up anywhere. did you? Like I mentioned before, there is a blurb about these particular types in J.Sprungs' book, "The Reef Aquarium". Any takers on the $20? C'mon, an easy $20 for you barnacles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 (edited) Bob, can you lift one of these critters off of the coral easily? A limpet should come right off. A barnacle on the other hand, even dead, would have to be pryed off. They usually crumble apart too. This is a very close call but I have to say that it looks more like a barnacle than a keyhol limpet. Keyhole limpet Rock Barnacle I've got $20 to say that know one here knows what they are talking about. These are definitely LIMPETS, not barnacles. Just because they didn't move in this instance, doesn't mean thay are barnacles. Maybe when Bob dipped the acro, it killed the limpets in the process and they just died whre they were.Barnacles do not have mantles. That is a dead giveaway that it is a limpet, not to mention the shape of its' shell and the 'keyhole' at the top. I don't suppose any of you barnacle 'experts' looked this critter up anywhere. did you? Like I mentioned before, there is a blurb about these particular types in J.Sprungs' book, "The Reef Aquarium". Any takers on the $20? C'mon, an easy $20 for you barnacles. Edited September 26, 2009 by Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 I've got $20 to say that know one here knows what they are talking about. These are definitely LIMPETS, not barnacles. Just because they didn't move in this instance, doesn't mean thay are barnacles. Maybe when Bob dipped the acro, it killed the limpets in the process and they just died whre they were.Barnacles do not have mantles. That is a dead giveaway that it is a limpet, not to mention the shape of its' shell and the 'keyhole' at the top. I don't suppose any of you barnacle 'experts' looked this critter up anywhere. did you? Like I mentioned before, there is a blurb about these particular types in J.Sprungs' book, "The Reef Aquarium". Any takers on the $20? C'mon, an easy $20 for you barnacles. I'll take it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 I've been searching the net for 'coral barnacles', 'acro eating limpets', and 'acro eating barnacles'. I too ran across the picture of the Acorn Barnacles that Jan put in her post. Those are rocky shoreline species, definitely not a coral inhabitant plus no mantle. I've found that there are several species of barnacles that are commensal with fire corals, brains, fungias, and montiporas. All of these are permanently embedded in the calcified skeletons of the coral, they cannot move and they don't have a mantle. Everybody is overlooking Bobs' picture that clearly shows a mantle that mimics the flesh of the acropora. This is a sure sign that it is a limpet, not a barnacle. Bob- remove the critter in question and look inside its' shell. Compare what you see there with the anatomy of a limpet vs. the anatomy of a barnacle. My argument warrants the $20 so far- any good counterpoints? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 Barnacles do not have mantles. Every diagram of a barnacle I find on the net says they do have a mantle. http://scienceillustration.org/gallery/ima...le_anatomy2.jpg http://www.reefsanctuary.com/photopost/sho...to/1510/si/crab http://data.aims.gov.au/waAesthetics/serva...060S&zone=4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 26, 2009 Author Share September 26, 2009 Had I but known that this was going to cause such an argument - I would have taken better pictures! Even after they, and the corals are dead - they are 'embedded' in the coral. They do not come loose. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan September 26, 2009 Share September 26, 2009 They are barnacles! Limpets are mobile. They can be removed easily. Barnacles are not mobile. They are almost impossible to remove from where they've attached. Rob, you owe David $20.00. Had I but known that this was going to cause such an argument - I would have taken better pictures! Even after they, and the corals are dead - they are 'embedded' in the coral. They do not come loose. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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