ID this pest?

[Saltinthedesert]

I first noticed this a couple weeks back, and thought that perhaps the one mystery snail I had in this 5 gallon tank came with babies on board. They never developed into baby snails, they are oval and very flat and possibly are destroying some of my Java plants. Anyone know what this is?

(picture is taken under a 4x microscope)

[Saltinthedesert]

This is an example of the damaged plant. 

[Zenzo]

I'm not sure...but now I want to buy myself a microscope!

[Brandon p]

How long have the plants been in the tank.

[Brandon p]

On 9/8/2021 at 12:28 PM, Saltinthedesert said:

I first noticed this a couple weeks back, and thought that perhaps the one mystery snail I had in this 5 gallon tank came with babies on board. They never developed into baby snails, they are oval and very flat and possibly are destroying some of my Java plants. Anyone know what this is?

(picture is taken under a 4x microscope)

They look like freshwater limpets. From my experience with is not much is they come and go and feed on algae. Limpets are not the problem, there is likely microscopic algae growing on the plants themselves. I would add some other algae eaters. I personally like Malaysian trumpet snails if you have a course dark substrate. If not, as far as snails ramshorn are smaller and can really eat the algae off of plants. Mystery snails are good when small but bigger snails don’t eat as much off of plants. Then if you have fish you may have to find a few for your tank. 

[David W]

If your plant is fairly new it may just be trying to adjust to your water chemistry. Java fern didn't do great at first in my tank. The old leaves have been slowly turning brown and dying for the last 8 months. I let it ride out and the new growth is very healthy. 

It is more than likely some kind of nutrient deficiency. Here is a good starting point to identify what may be off. 

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/plant-nutrient-deficiencies?_pos=1&_psq=Plant De&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 

 

[Stef]

I have these limpets too in my 5 gal. As @Brandon pmentioned, they come and go. I scrape them off the walls as I do water changes. After about a year of this, they went away on their own. I thought they might have come in on some moss balls I got when the tank was new.  

I also have Java’s and can’t keep ‘em alive either. Ugh

[Zenzo]

On 9/8/2021 at 10:46 AM, Brandon p said:

They look like freshwater limpets. From my experience with is not much is they come and go and feed on algae. Limpets are not the problem, there is likely microscopic algae growing on the plants themselves. I would add some other algae eaters. I personally like Malaysian trumpet snails if you have a course dark substrate. If not, as far as snails ramshorn are smaller and can really eat the algae off of plants. Mystery snails are good when small but bigger snails don’t eat as much off of plants. Then if you have fish you may have to find a few for your tank. 

Ahhhh...now I know what the little, translucent, disc things are in one of my tanks. Limpets! I love learning new things. Thanks!

[Saltinthedesert]

Thanks everyone.