any one wanna do a $60 e-bay group buy on snails?

edsimmons and i ordered some a few weeks ago. Not 600 though, i don't know if they would all survive shipping. Ours all arrived alive, and the seller (different than yours) even included a few extras just in case.
 
well if i can get 5 people to chime in $10 then each of us can get 100 snails (or $5 for 50)

this is the best deal i have found on e-bay and the free shipping is a big bonus

plus the person does include some extra snails and claims that sometimes "extras" sneek in to like mist shrimp (what? never heard of them) copepods, and even hermit crabs.

i don't have many snails left in my tank and i hate paying $1+ for individual snails and i hate paying $20 shipping.
 
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For Nassarius snails, this would be a tremendous deal. Illynassa obsoleta are closely related to Nassarius, but behave differently and are more suited for temperate water.

Research a bit on the species, than you can decide on whether or not it would be a useful inhabitant for you:)

HTH

Karl
 
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Ummm.
Dont shoot the messenger.
I found a page on reefcentral regarding these types of snails. Seems like their not tropical species and could be easily collected in San Fransisco Bay for free.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/mg/index.php

And the ebay seller is from the region that the article author implied they would be from.

Read the part about nematode flukes in the article. yikes.

I just ordered some snails and hermits (100 of each for 99 bucks) from http://www.keyscritters.com.
I should be recieving them thursday and can report on how the order looks and the size of the critters if anyone is looking for good places to get cleaners.
 
hmmmmm after reading that article at think i will wait untill i find some real Nassarius snails
i mean ikkk! i had no idea there was such a difference between the 2 and i don't like the idea of the blac ones being able to carry a paracite that attacks us
 
Well, first thing this morning I get my cleaners. They are shipped dry, but seem to be adjusting just fine into my tanks. I floated them for a while to balance temp and just popped them right in. the hermits are the tiny ones you see at LFS all the time. the snails are the same size. About a quarter inch long. eighth of an inch wide.
 
The flukes mentioned in the article posted are found in the snails from the SF bay. I did some research last night as well, and i didn't find any mention of the flukes from other areas. Mine have been doing extremely well in my tank for several weeks now, and i've only lost a few to my hermits, and i haven't gotten swimmers itch either.

While these snails may indeed be temperate, if you look at the following pic you will notice that the current marine temp in the Carolinas is 70 -75 degrees, and from personal experience in the summer can easily reach 80 degrees.

marine_westhem_640x480.jpg


All the temperature and location tells me is that they are very adaptable animals.
 
i got some of these same black snails on ebay 2 years ago but only like %10 are still here (but i do have a hawkfish and hermits who may be a fault)

BUT the deal i go then was killer

the starting bid was $0.99 and i was the only bidder!!! i got the snails for $15 and that was mostly the shipping!

sooo...yeah now i am not sure what to do about bidding on these snails.
especially if they really can be collected free from the coast, i'd much rather do that as i do intend to get some hermit crabs next time i go now that i know its okay as long as you have a fishing permit and do not collect from protected areas.

any of you still wanna chime in on the snails?
maybe i should make a poll?
 
I have gotten these snails several times from the east coast. Mostly I buy them for my puffer, to help keep his teeth trimmed and they are a cheap way for that. I also have put them in my reef and many are still living. I have not noticed any problems with pods and such, as my two mandarins are both fat and happy and I have had my male for 1-1/2 years and female for over 6months. Seem okay to me. I don't think I would get the west coast ones, though.
 
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