Breeding snails
- Thread starter dgibbs
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LMAO!! One of these days we'll learn. dgibbs, I think Ron might be looking for something a little more specific. Don't take offense, really, but it is kind of an open-ended question. Maybe you could give us a little more info about which snail you have in mind, etc.?
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Larry M
See my tanks at Northern Reef
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Larry M
See my tanks at Northern Reef
dgibbs;
I have had great success with certith snails spawning in my systems. The eggs hatch into a planktonic state that is very good food for my system.
However, never got any snails out of the deal that I know of.
So, was your question spawning or raising?
DougL
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Email: dougl@speakeasy.org
Alt email: douglxyzzy@netscape.net
Homepage sites.netscape.net/douglxyzzy/homepage
[This message has been edited by DougL (edited 03-26-2000).]
I have had great success with certith snails spawning in my systems. The eggs hatch into a planktonic state that is very good food for my system.
However, never got any snails out of the deal that I know of.
So, was your question spawning or raising?
DougL
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Email: dougl@speakeasy.org
Alt email: douglxyzzy@netscape.net
Homepage sites.netscape.net/douglxyzzy/homepage
[This message has been edited by DougL (edited 03-26-2000).]
The walls of my SW pond are covered with snail eggs by the thousand. I don't think I get any snails out of it because I see the cleaner shrimp picking at the eggs and I am sure that my corals or Damsels eat them as soon as they hatch if they do. The snails in my wifes tank appeared to spawn one time because they were "smoking". I was eating breakfast one morning and one of our giant feather dusters started "smoking" and it was a truly bizzare thing to see. After some time passed we had baby feather dusters sticking out of the substrate. It was really cool. I believe that you would have to raise them in a tank with nothing else in it. I rasied a batch of IndoPacific Sea Farms Trocus larvae and I did it in a tank setup just for that purpose.
I believe that you would have to raise them in a tank with nothing else in it. I rasied a batch of IndoPacific Sea Farms Trocus larvae and I did it in a tank setup just for that purpose.Dgibbs,
You said, "I was thinking of any type of snail that is good for an reef tank."
There are, by some estimates, 150,000 species of snails. Probably some 5,000 to 10,000 species would be "good for a reef tank" in one way or another. Probably 100 or more species have been regularly imported for the trade. These have reproductive methods ranging across the gamut from free spawners with direct development to to ones with long-lived plankton feeding larvae to ones with ovoviviparity resulting in live birth of crawl away juveniles.
You will have to be more specific in your query.
Cheers, Ron
You said, "I was thinking of any type of snail that is good for an reef tank."
There are, by some estimates, 150,000 species of snails. Probably some 5,000 to 10,000 species would be "good for a reef tank" in one way or another. Probably 100 or more species have been regularly imported for the trade. These have reproductive methods ranging across the gamut from free spawners with direct development to to ones with long-lived plankton feeding larvae to ones with ovoviviparity resulting in live birth of crawl away juveniles.
You will have to be more specific in your query.
Cheers, Ron
Hi Kim,
Probably the easiest to raise are trochids of various species. They have a short non-feeding larval stage, and if there are no hermit crabs in the tank, the babies survive pretty well.
Sooo....
Trochus, Stomatella, and Turbo will all spawn, settle and grow in reef tanks. The major needs for incidental reproduction are simply a lot of food - both for the adults and for the juveniles, and lack of predators, so no hermits, cleaner or other shrimp, crabs, etc.
If you want to try to raise them commercially, this ought to be easy, but I don't know if it would be cost effective. Contact me by email and I will discuss some of the specifics.
Cheers, Ron
[This message has been edited by rshimek (edited 03-27-2000).]
Probably the easiest to raise are trochids of various species. They have a short non-feeding larval stage, and if there are no hermit crabs in the tank, the babies survive pretty well.
Sooo....
Trochus, Stomatella, and Turbo will all spawn, settle and grow in reef tanks. The major needs for incidental reproduction are simply a lot of food - both for the adults and for the juveniles, and lack of predators, so no hermits, cleaner or other shrimp, crabs, etc.
If you want to try to raise them commercially, this ought to be easy, but I don't know if it would be cost effective. Contact me by email and I will discuss some of the specifics.
Cheers, Ron
[This message has been edited by rshimek (edited 03-27-2000).]
coralhound
New member
Ron,
I have those ones I sent to you for Identification. I am starting to sell cultures of these because they reproduce exponentianlly.
I have wanted to set up a 10 gallon with just them in it to see if I can video a spawning for the Breeders registry paper that I want to write. Was waiting until you came up for the symposium to discuss your thoughts on this, but since we are already talking about it here....
CH
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Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
I have those ones I sent to you for Identification. I am starting to sell cultures of these because they reproduce exponentianlly.
I have wanted to set up a 10 gallon with just them in it to see if I can video a spawning for the Breeders registry paper that I want to write. Was waiting until you came up for the symposium to discuss your thoughts on this, but since we are already talking about it here....
CH
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
bigben
Premium Member
LOL. I still haven't gotten around to rescuing any of my dozens of cerith eggs sacs--guess I'm not committed enough. Darn things have laid eggs about 11 times in the past two weeks. Each time, the sac is a good 3-4 inches long (not counting the zig-zag). I have never seen anything like this before...
In my last tank, I had strombus successfully breed in my tank--to the point that I started killing the little suckers. There were hundreds and hundreds of them everywhere!
Ben
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"Bake 'em away, toys."
--Police Chief Wigham
In my last tank, I had strombus successfully breed in my tank--to the point that I started killing the little suckers. There were hundreds and hundreds of them everywhere!
Ben
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"Bake 'em away, toys."
--Police Chief Wigham
coralhound
New member
hello ron here's the email you sent to me
I hope you dont mind me posting it,
The snails arrived today in good condition. They are a small species
within, probably, the genera Turbo or Homolopoma (which I am sure tells you
a lot).
Basically they are small herbivorous snails specialized to eat microalgae or
small filamentous algae. They probably would be a good grazer, particularly
in if they are abundant.
I can't more precise on my identification for you than what I gave you
above. There are numerous small species of the family Turbinidae, which
these animals belong to, and unless you know the area of origin, they are
pretty hard to pin down. They don't match any from the Caribbean as best as
I can tell, though. On the other hand, the Indo-Pacific is a large ocean,
and these small guys are probably from there. I have seen this species from
several tanks, and it appears to be: 1) widespread in the hobby, 2) harmless
to most or all animals, 3) beneficial in that they eat algae.
They are not likely to do much for disturbing the sediments, but they won't
do any harm to the sediment fauna either.
Thanks for the opportunity to see them.
Cheers, Ron
HTH
CH
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
I hope you dont mind me posting it,
The snails arrived today in good condition. They are a small species
within, probably, the genera Turbo or Homolopoma (which I am sure tells you
a lot
).Basically they are small herbivorous snails specialized to eat microalgae or
small filamentous algae. They probably would be a good grazer, particularly
in if they are abundant.
I can't more precise on my identification for you than what I gave you
above. There are numerous small species of the family Turbinidae, which
these animals belong to, and unless you know the area of origin, they are
pretty hard to pin down. They don't match any from the Caribbean as best as
I can tell, though. On the other hand, the Indo-Pacific is a large ocean,
and these small guys are probably from there. I have seen this species from
several tanks, and it appears to be: 1) widespread in the hobby, 2) harmless
to most or all animals, 3) beneficial in that they eat algae.
They are not likely to do much for disturbing the sediments, but they won't
do any harm to the sediment fauna either.
Thanks for the opportunity to see them.
Cheers, Ron
HTH
CH
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
coralhound
New member
I was looking for some help here! lol
like these types of snails would spawn at ____ (night, day, doesnt matter)
a group of ___ would probably be good for a 10 gallon to see a spawn.
the larva would settle in ____ days and be visible in ___.
etc etc
would a bare tank be OK? I think its the only hope I have to capture the event.
TIA
CH
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
like these types of snails would spawn at ____ (night, day, doesnt matter)
a group of ___ would probably be good for a 10 gallon to see a spawn.
the larva would settle in ____ days and be visible in ___.
etc etc
would a bare tank be OK? I think its the only hope I have to capture the event.
TIA
CH
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
Hi,
If knew the answers to your questions, then I would write article...
Many free spawning animals will do so at tidal shifts on out going tides (mixes and disperses gametes better). Suggestion get the animals in a tank, make sure there is good current. Let them acclimate for a day or so, and stop the current and watch...
Often they like to climb up on rocks and get to the highest spot.
Don't know when the larvae would settle - depends on the species and temperature. I would guess 4-7 days at reef temps, could be faster or slower. You get to determine.
In a bare tank the larvae will be visible in the water with back lighting - as small "dust". If the tank water is still you will be able to see them move. They will probably be on the order of 0.1 to 0.3 mm across.
If you had spawning occur, you could remove the adults, and power heads etc. Keep the temperature of the tank steady and keep records as to spawning. The eggs should be visible, I suspect they will be slightly negatively buoyant, but with backlighting you will be able to see them. They will settle to the bottom, and develop for maybe a day or so. During this time, backlighting the tank will show no specks in the water.
When the larvae hatch fromt the egg membrane they will start to appear in the water column. They may be phototropic, which you can test by putting a bright light near one side or the other. Normally at this stage the water should be gently agitated, perhaps with a fan. You want slight ripples of the surface (enough so the larvae don't get caught in the surface tension).
Eventually most of the larvae will be in the water. This group of snails has non-feeding larvae, so you don't need to worry about adding plankton.
You might want to illuminate some ceramic tiles or plastic plates in another tank so they get a good diatom growth on them. After about 3 days post hatching, put a tile in the tank, a pebble or two (pebbles not rocks) with some coralline algae on them may help as well.
Most snails will NOT metamorphose until they get the appropriate cues, and without the cues they will die. So, the diatom plate and coralline pellet are attempts to provide appropriate chemical cues.
If they work and settlement occurs, the dust specks swimming the water will no longer be there. Without significant magification you will not be able to see the juveniles, but if they are present they will be tiny dust mote sized shells moving on the bottom and sides of the tank. At this stage start to illuminate this holding tank and let diatoms grow. The little snails will need these.
If you have any, they should reach visible size and be discernable on the walls in a few weeks.
Cheers, Ron
If knew the answers to your questions, then I would write article...
Many free spawning animals will do so at tidal shifts on out going tides (mixes and disperses gametes better). Suggestion get the animals in a tank, make sure there is good current. Let them acclimate for a day or so, and stop the current and watch...
Often they like to climb up on rocks and get to the highest spot.
Don't know when the larvae would settle - depends on the species and temperature. I would guess 4-7 days at reef temps, could be faster or slower. You get to determine.
In a bare tank the larvae will be visible in the water with back lighting - as small "dust". If the tank water is still you will be able to see them move. They will probably be on the order of 0.1 to 0.3 mm across.
If you had spawning occur, you could remove the adults, and power heads etc. Keep the temperature of the tank steady and keep records as to spawning. The eggs should be visible, I suspect they will be slightly negatively buoyant, but with backlighting you will be able to see them. They will settle to the bottom, and develop for maybe a day or so. During this time, backlighting the tank will show no specks in the water.
When the larvae hatch fromt the egg membrane they will start to appear in the water column. They may be phototropic, which you can test by putting a bright light near one side or the other. Normally at this stage the water should be gently agitated, perhaps with a fan. You want slight ripples of the surface (enough so the larvae don't get caught in the surface tension).
Eventually most of the larvae will be in the water. This group of snails has non-feeding larvae, so you don't need to worry about adding plankton.
You might want to illuminate some ceramic tiles or plastic plates in another tank so they get a good diatom growth on them. After about 3 days post hatching, put a tile in the tank, a pebble or two (pebbles not rocks) with some coralline algae on them may help as well.
Most snails will NOT metamorphose until they get the appropriate cues, and without the cues they will die. So, the diatom plate and coralline pellet are attempts to provide appropriate chemical cues.
If they work and settlement occurs, the dust specks swimming the water will no longer be there. Without significant magification you will not be able to see the juveniles, but if they are present they will be tiny dust mote sized shells moving on the bottom and sides of the tank. At this stage start to illuminate this holding tank and let diatoms grow. The little snails will need these.
If you have any, they should reach visible size and be discernable on the walls in a few weeks.
Cheers, Ron
coralhound
New member
Thanks DR RON!!!!!!
thats EXACTLY what I was looking for!!!
I see really small ones 1mm alot its the stage before that I am trying to learn about and document. Apparently what ever they need is in my tanks because just 6-12 seeding a tank yields 100's within 2-3 months!!!
Thanks again
Chris
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
thats EXACTLY what I was looking for!!!
I see really small ones 1mm alot its the stage before that I am trying to learn about and document. Apparently what ever they need is in my tanks because just 6-12 seeding a tank yields 100's within 2-3 months!!!
Thanks again
Chris
------------------
Please BUY captive bred marine life...
My website: Moon Tide Reefs
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