Anybody doing DIBS?

[aujay]

I was reading the newest (Feb) Reefkeeping magazine and saw an article on DIBS http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-02/bp/index.php

For those not familiar, its a project to use hobbyists tanks to attempt to breed snails more suited for our aquariums and that will readily breed. Some are familiar to us already such as stomatella and colonista.

I was wondering if anyone around here is a part of this project attempting to breed snails? I think its an awesome idea. It may be something to be discussed at the next club meeting.

 

[Tunguska]

I wasn't aware of any project, but I had quite a large population of stromatella until my skunk cleaners developed a taste for them (both of which promptly jumped out of the tank after they had caused the local extinction of my stromatella snails!).
I've never tried the colonistas.

 

[aujay]

Did you have a skimmer on that tank? I was reading that stomatella are broadcast breeders that release sperm and ova into the water to combine and form larvae. Everyone I've known with any success with stomatella in significant numbers has a skimmerless system.


I am considering trying some of these snails. I may delay since there is a strong possibility of me moving this summer and the tank may or may not go.

 

[Nitroq2]

I think Nichole had said she had really good luck with snails in her tank before the move here.

 

[Tunguska]

No skimmer.
Actually, I just saw a picture of colonistas, and I had some of those that were breeding like crazy for a while too. The disappeared for what seemed like no reason, but I recently found a flatworm that was ID'd as a species that survives entirely on mulluscs...
Anyways, I think I'm going to join them, since I've been after several species of self-sustaining detrivores, and would happily refrain from adding predators to keep them that way.

 

[greenbean36191]

I'm a data miner for the project ATM, since I lost all of my breeding snails when my tank crashed this summer.

 

[NicoleC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9218546#post9218546 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nitroq2
I think Nichole had said she had really good luck with snails in her tank before the move here.

Collonistas need no help at all!

Aujay may have something about skimmerless tanks and stomatellas. I never thought about it, but when I run skimmerless I do seem to have more stomatellas. And baby corals and many other kinds of reproduction, which is why I think I am probably permanently skimmerless now after my brief fling the past few years with the technology.

I think most people have seen cerith eggs, but I am not aware of anyone who has succeeded in raising babies.

I have plenty of luck with columbellid snails. I did have some babies survive the more, perhaps a dozen. They are growing rapidly, but no egg cases yet; they just aren't big enough for that yet.

If DIBS is run by who I think it is, I was asked to participate about a year ago, but at the moment I have too many things on my plate to tackle another project.

 

[Tunguska]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9220610#post9220610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NicoleC
Collonistas need no help at all!

I second that! Stromatella varia never needed my help either.

 

[Herpervet]

I have literally hundreds of 1 to 2 mm mexican turbo juviniles in my 300 gallon skimmerless system.

The only problem is that I also have some pyramid snails that are attacking some of the babies and anything I put in there that would eat the pyramid snails will probably eat the turbo's too.

I have also had astrea snails spawn and settle in the tank but not nearly as many as the mexican turbo's.

Hawaiian Strombus snails from Inland aquatics lay eggs on substrate and will become pests acually.

 

[THB]

No shortage of collonistas here.

 

[timrandlerv10]

you could always have somebody else grow out a hundred or so of your babies, and then give you back some adults later.

wouldnt they survive in a skimmed system now?

you could even sell those 8 for a buck, and save some wear and tear on the reefs...

for that matter, sign me up to 2 bucks worth...

 

[Tunguska]

Most likely, those Mexican turbo babies are colonistas, which look similar, but stay small. They are wonderful little cleaners.

 

[H@rry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9238116#post9238116 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tunguska
Most likely, those Mexican turbo babies are colonistas, which look similar, but stay small. They are wonderful little cleaners.

I agree. I used to think that I had baby turbos but they never grew. I don't know anything about mm but I've never seen one larger than an okra seed. That's how I measure small things, compare them to something everybody knows. Y'all do eat okra don't ya?

 

[NicoleC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9237555#post9237555 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Herpervet
Hawaiian Strombus snails from Inland aquatics lay eggs on substrate and will become pests acually.

Pests? Well, if you have a lot of algae you'll get a lot of them. But they don't eat corals, don't kill anything and are too small to clog up anything except the injector on an Aqua-C skimmer. Unlike many snails, they are happy to eat algae anywhere -- substrate, glass, rocks, plastic, the inside of plumbing -- you name it.

I've had them for about 6 years now and have nothing but good things to say about them.

I've never had them lay on substrate; they prefer a hard, smooth surface. (Like the tank walls.) Are you sure you have the so-called "strombus grazers." (They aren't strombus species at all.)