bad snails?

[Chiefsurfer]

Ok guys, I just thought I would run this past you before I start ripping the snails from my system. I got a bunch of hitch-hiker snails with my rock and sand. The most common one that I have seen, seems to be a bad snail.

It looks like a whelk snail, seen below. They all seem to have that big tube out the front. The tube is just about as long as his "foot". Am I correct that it is a Whelk? If so, what is it he will do to my tank that is bad? I have heard they will "drill" into other things to eat them. I have probably about 200 barnacles, and near 15 turkey-wing oysters, and have not seen them go after anything. They are all over, probably about 8 or so, and in a 20 gallon tank that seems like a LOT to me.

 

[stealle]

Are you familiar with Nassarious snails? They are awesome! However, the whelk snail is an evil twin that looks very similar.

Maybe this will help you identify that snail for sure: http://www.melevsreef.com/id/whats_a_whelk.html

 

[stealle]

From reading that article, I think that is a Nassarius. The shell doesn't look "dark" enough to be a whelk. The Nassarius snails I had always submerged themselves in the sand with only about a 1/4 to 1/2 of there snout sticking up out of the sand. They only came out when I fed the tank. When they came out to feed they stayed on the sand and glass. Sounds like the whelk doesn't submerge in the sand and prefers the rocks.

 

[-=James=-]

I have snails that look exactly like the ones pictured above but their size is small to tiny. I also have medium nassarius and im pretty sure those arent nassarius. I only see them come out at night too...must be whelk??

So whelk snails are bad? Should I try to remove mine?

 

[pagojoe]

The one in the pic above is a true buccinid whelk, Gemophos tinctus (ex-Cantharus tinctus). In parts of their range, they eat only barnacles, but in other parts (and in reef tanks) they tend to eat other snails.

http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_3228.shtml

Cheers,



Don

 

[lildraken]

to me that looks like a nassarius vibex snail. if it's a whelk, then go out and buy an olive snail. they eat conchs and whelks.

 

[pagojoe]

to me that looks like a nassarius vibex snail. if it's a whelk, then go out and buy an olive snail. they eat conchs and whelks.

It's not a Nassarius, it's absolutely Gemophos tinctus. And by the way, any olive that would eat your whelks would also eat your Nassarius snails (same superfamily as the whelks).

Cheers,



Don

 

[lildraken]

I have an olive snail and it lives with my Nassarius snails. Maybe it's misidentified. The grey snail that lives in the sand bed and eats clams.... they were sold to me as "super or tonga nassarius snails". The olive snail doesn't eat them.

 

[FranktheTankTx]

This is the exact snail I was speaking of in another thread this evening. I've seen online stores sell these as Nassarious snails. I always order the super tonga nassarious snails so that I don't get any of these.

 

[mayjong]

great, i was going to post this pic today. looks like i have whelks.
it has the "tatoo" on its snout! what do you think?

 

[pagojoe]

The tattoo on the snout is another rule of thumb that works less than 50% of the time. There are a lot of rules like that which get propagated in the hobby, and many of them fall into the same category: they are only true less than half the time, which makes them not exactly great rules of thumb. The snail in the pic above is a columbellid, or Dove Snail. They are reef safe grazers.

http://www.gastropods.com/9/Shell_2239.shtml

Cheers,



Don