Slugs o doom

[WaterDog]

So I was looking at the aquarium this morning, when I see this sluggish thing that basically looks like a cerith snail without a shell crawling around. I thought 'Eh, can't be that bad.' It then proceeded to eat two feather dusters. So my question is, what is this thing? And is it actually eating the feather dusters? The slug/snail things are the brownish looking creatures with antennae in the pictures, sorry about the bad quality.

Edited January 16, 2010 by WaterDog

[magnetic1]

Stomatella maybe?... good for the tank. I used to have them, but havent seen in a while

Edited January 16, 2010 by magnetic1

[Coral Hind]

Stomatella, and as Eric said they are good guys.

[WaterDog]

Ok thanks...nice to know there isn't a killer in my tank.

[Coral Hind]

If you have shrimp they normally will eat them. I have seen my skunk cleaners flipping them over and eating them.

[WaterDog]

If you have shrimp they normally will eat them. I have seen my skunk cleaners flipping them over and eating them.

 

Oh well so much for that. At least my peppermints will be happy.

[bluefunelement]

I agree

BTW Stomatella trivia for you? What happens when you accidentally break a Stomatella in half?

[Coral Hind]

I have never broken one in half but they do drop their tails in a defensive nature. The tail stays beind and wiggles so the prey eats that while the snail makes a get away. The tail will wiggle for awhile and then dies.

 

So what happens when you break one in half?

[WaterDog]

I agree

BTW Stomatella trivia for you? What happens when you accidentally break a Stomatella in half?

 

Just guessing here but...you have two little stomatellas?

[discretekarma]

while the snail makes a get away.

 

 

While the snail makes a get away? That is something I'd have to see to believe.

Edited January 17, 2010 by discretekarma

[WaterDog]

While the snail makes a get away? That is something I'd have to see to believe.

+1 Lol

[bluefunelement]

One came up attached to my heater so I got my thumbnail under him to pop him back in the tank and he broke in half cleanly - I only say half cause the tail is so long - wiggly wiggly tail and shelled body both went back into the tank and while the shell one moved off as the tail was picked up by a sexy shrimp half it's size in less then a minute.

Fun to watch nature play out safely in our tanks. Gotta pick here somewhere

[WaterDog]

Hehe...Do stomatellas lay eggs? Because there are these white egg/spore looking things around the area where I first saw the stomatellas.