Small White Snails - 10/28/05
Hey!
<<Hey!>>
I started to get these little white snails (quite a few of them) in my tank, they tend to only come out when the light has been off and once the light turns off 
<<on?>> 
they slowly retreat to hiding. I have some Astrea snails in my tank now and I was just wondering if it could be juveniles? I know they reproduce asexually.
<<Mmm... Not likely in either case. Though Astrea snails will "reproduce" in aquariums to the extent that they will group together and release sex products in to the water column, actually having the eggs become viable and settling out/growing is rare. And no, they don't reproduce asexually (budding, fragmentation, etc.).>>
There seem to be more and more of them, they are almost flat disks but have a slightly pyramid structure, and their foot seems perfectly round. What are these things?
<<Ah! These sound like Limpets...which are frequent hitch-hikers on live rock and will often prosper and reproduce in the aquarium.>>
Anything would help,
Matt
<<Regards, EricR>>

Leslie's Lettuce Nudi - 10/24/05 Hi Bob and Fellow Crew Members, I seem to have a little troublemaker in my tank. This cute little guy showed up a week or so ago. I noticed my gorgeous piece of Maiden's Hair or Turtle Grass (Chlorodesmis) slowly getting smaller and smaller. I wondered where it was disappearing to since there was no evidence of it "shedding" and seemingly disintegrating like one I had a while ago did. This afternoon I noticed this little guy in the middle of what is left of my poor pathetic looking Maiden's hair and am pretty sure he is responsible for it slowly diminishing in size. Can anyone ID this little guy or know what other trouble it might cause in my seahorse corral? I have some gorgeous red macros Meristiella and Botryocladia. The Meristiella seems to be a fast grower and is growing amazingly well. I wonder if this critter likes red macro as much as he seems to like greenery? Will my reds be next? Thanks so much, Leslie  <Although mine are paler in color, it looks identical to my lettuce Nudibranch.  HTH, Jeni/PP>

<<Leslie,   This critter looks a lot like the group of slugs sold as "Lettuce Nudibranchs". Ounce for ounce, they are quite voracious herbivores, although sometimes they are quite specialized in what they eat. There is no doubt what this one likes!  These critters are totally safe to tankmates, but are often harassed and picked on. They also are quite easily injured or killed by powerheads, drains, pumps, etc. The most specialized can starve when their preferred food source is exhausted. I would suggest that you either remove it to salvage what is left of your Maiden's Hair or enjoy it as long as it survives. If you remove it, pass it along to someone else that is trying to contain a nuisance algae problem.  If it isn't all that specialized, they can help.  Adam C>>

Leslie's Lettuce Nudi - de Justin I'm about 99.999% sure that it is a lettuce Nudibranch.  The only thing that is stopping me for a second is the color. This guy eats algaes of all types and its color becomes what it eats if you will as it uses the plant chloroplasts and puts them in its skin and uses them to make food for it as well. Very interesting character and other than being very algae unsafe its a
great animal.
If you are a macro algae loving person then remove it ASAP. Otherwise let it do its maintenance chores and save you some scrubbing.  If you don't want it ill be glad to take it, I love the little tykes.  Justin - Jager