FRIEND or FOE ??? This Snail...

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artguy1

artguy1

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This snail is one of many I pulled from my tank. Seems to be a Bi-Ped and looks to have a mouth of a herbivore when viewed with a loop magnifier on the glass. This snail in the photo is approx. 3/16" in diameter.

I have not searched thru countless pictoral data bases but I thought I'd query the RF gang.

Any input here from my fellow reef buddies?!?
 
Try looking at heliacus snail too.... It looks similair to those.
And if it is a heliacus, they apparently eat zoas.
 
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Ya, the operculum is different

Ya, the operculum is different. It is not cone shaped as in the sundial snail...see reference picture below.

Also, the Sundial seems to grow rows of mini "nodes" on the shell as it grows spirally if I see that clearly

I snagged this picture from the web & don't know the photographer but I would always give credit where credit is due.
 
I have quite a few of these in my system, if they are nocturnal feeders. They seem to be a herbivore and using a flashlight I have not noticed them bothering anything. Looking through multiple books on inverts a while back I believe they were a specie of Stomatella snail. My Leopard Wrasse likes to hunt them in the morning before the lights come on. Survival of the fittest... pretty soon I'll just have 'truely' nocturnal ones left

Todd

Found it; Julian Sprungs book 'INVERTIBRATES A Quick Reference Guide' pg. 104
 
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TJL said:
I have quite a few of these in my system, if they are nocturnal feeders. They seem to be a herbivore and using a flashlight I have not noticed them bothering anything. Looking through multiple books on inverts a while back I believe they were a specie of Stomatella snail. My Leopard Wrasse likes to hunt them in the morning before the lights come on. Survival of the fittest... pretty soon I'll just have 'truely' nocturnal ones left

Todd

Found it; Julian Sprungs book 'INVERTIBRATES A Quick Reference Guide' pg. 104
Click to expand...


Yep, these are mainly nocturnal. Sounds like I'm OK with havin' em in the reef tank.
 
bad news that lil guy
... but then again your only showing the shell.. would need to see if alive..

that could be a hermit,
lol
Picture3002783.jpg



my feeling on this is i would have like to have kept this guys, as now my tank is older and im sure it could have handled one zoo eater
 
Sullest, definately not a Sundial snail. The 3 pics in post #1 are what Artguy found in his tank and post #5 is the reference shot of a Sundial to show what they are not. They are a Stomatella spp snail and a nocturnal Herbavore and a great little hitch-hiker like the mini-brittle stars. I have hundreds of them in my system and they do a thorogh job of cleaning algae out of nooks & crannies that larger snails and Tangs can't reach.

Todd
 
TJL said:
Sullest, definately not a Sundial snail. The 3 pics in post #1 are what Artguy found in his tank and post #5 is the reference shot of a Sundial to show what they are not. They are a Stomatella spp snail and a nocturnal Herbavore and a great little hitch-hiker like the mini-brittle stars. I have hundreds of them in my system and they do a thorogh job of cleaning algae out of nooks & crannies that larger snails and Tangs can't reach.

Todd
Click to expand...

Yep, you are right Todd, post #5 is a snail for reference showing a different operculum, and a sundial.

I can not believe how many of post #1 I have in my system, even thought it is a nano. I just have to watch for plugged powerheads and filter pipes etc. from the way it looks.

Thanks to everybody for their input!
 
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