Unidentified mollusk, what is this thing?

[vince82]

1.5mm long thing that sort of looks like... A mussel? It has a shell and it sticks to things, does not seem to move, at first I thought them baby snails but the shell is flat.. Like a one-sided clam.. there are a few dozens in my tank now...

 

[Mikeyboy123]

Looks like a freshwater limpet to me. Pretty harmless. If they are established in your tank then you will most likely never get rid of them.

 

[vince82]

Tank is new, just a couple months old, there are a few... Same population control as for snails? (don't overfeed, outcompete them with shrimps?)

 

[Mikeyboy123]

They will have come in on plants or even just in the bag that the fish were in. They are hermaphrodite and so you only ever need one to start a population. yeah, their population will be kept in check if available food is kept in check. They do eat a little algae so are not all bad. The ones commonly found in aquariums don’t get much bigger than the one in the photo.

 

[Seisage]

Yep, can confirm limpet! I see limpets every day, although they're all the saltwater variety (never actually seen any freshwater limpets), but they're pretty distinctive. Turn them over and you'll see a large muscular foot and maybe even a little face with tiny antennae and a mouth. They're pretty closely related to snails. I think they're very cute, although some consider them pests.

 

[Colin_T]

They are harmless, let them be.

 

[MaloK]

They are a sign of good light and nutrient level in the water.

They thrive on algae growth, so controlling algae by adjusting light and fertilizer is the best way to indirectly control them.

 

[ElectricPurple]

I had some white ones that I did not like. They were multiplying rapidly. I added a dojo loach and he cleaned them up and have not seen any since