FRIEND or FOE ??? This Snail...

[artguy1]

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?!?

 

[lvsuckerfish]

search for collinista snail possible it maybe that one

 

[jag3534]

Try looking at heliacus snail too.... It looks similair to those.
And if it is a heliacus, they apparently eat zoas.

 

[edwing206]

Looks like a sundial snail. They will eat your zoanthids...or so I have read.

 

[artguy1]

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.

 

[jag3534]

Excellent news.....

 

[artguy1]

search for collinista snail possible it maybe that one

Yep, that might be the right snail! Thanks lvsuckerfish

OK? Not OK...Looks like these get into powerheads/pumps/filters but are not predators.

Can anybody confirm?

 

[artguy1]

Excellent news.....

Ya, whew! That's all I need, huh!

 

[TJL]

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

 

[artguy1]

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

Yep, these are mainly nocturnal. Sounds like I'm OK with havin' em in the reef tank.

 

[burning2nd]

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

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]

yah looks like a sundail

 

[TJL]

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

 

[artguy1]

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

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!