Breeding Trochus Snails **PICS**

cham

New member
A few months ago I looked at my tank one morning and noticed my fish & corals were going nuts. I had about a dozen trochus snails at the time and I could see some were spraying eggs while others were spraying sperm.

I quickly removed my filter sock and turned off my skimmer. Did some searching online but never found very much info on these snails breeding. I forgot about it until today when I'm cleaning my tank and I see this guy

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At $2 a snail I say breed on guys!!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14207153#post14207153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LockeOak
Are you sure that one isn't an adult Collonista?

Anything's possible but I don't think this snail is.

The shell is shaped identical to the adult Trouchus, almost perfectlky flat on bottom and cone shaped all the way to the top.
 
Congrats! Do tell if they make it to adulthood. Most baby snails do not because of very specific and difficult food requirements. This is what I was told regarding nerites. Strombus grazers seem to be a different story, as they are successfully reproducing in my tank to adulthood. Don't know about trochus.
 
I saw another on the front glass today. I was able to get a closer look at it and I can see that it is indeed a Trochus Snail. I can clearly see it and hopefully my cheap point & shoot camera can give you enough detail.


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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14224977#post14224977 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whys
Great close-ups.

Thanks, I don't do camera stuff and I'm amazed that my point & shoot did that well.

Here is a zoomed in view, easier to see the mouth parts and the bottom of the snail.


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Very cute little guy! I get baby Nassarius snails a lot but not trochus snails.

Do you have fish that will leave it alone or is it destined to be an appetizer?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14226916#post14226916 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OceanLover2
Very cute little guy! I get baby Nassarius snails a lot but not trochus snails.

Do you have fish that will leave it alone or is it destined to be an appetizer?

So far my PBT, small and large blue green chromis and anthias have not touched them.

But they did their damage at conception. All my fish were swimming circles around the female snails when they spawned that morning. Eating all the eggs that they could. I kept them at bay with the tongs and took of my filter sock for a day to allow the eggs to settle and develop.

I'll be really happy if I end up with a sump full of them.
 
Update.

I've had about 6 survive and they are about a quarter of the size of an adult and today I noticed another new baby on the sandbed. It looked like a dark piece of sand it was so small.

So were on round 2 of snails. I love these guys breeding. I'm going to open up a trochus snail shop soon.
 
I've had ceriths, stomatella, collanistas (please excuse my spelling) breed in my tank with no problems but I didn't think it was possible with trochus snails. In October I got a dozen banded trochus snails and they have breed too. I've got probably close to 50 babies ranging in size which I think means that the snails have spawned a few different times too. Mine look just like yours. Pretty darn neat. :)
 
I have probably 3-4 dozen in my 200 that are now about 1/4". When I broke down my 180 and moved to the 200, the 20-30 BFT I moved over all spawned like crazy. I've seen them spawn here and there individually with a few babies occasionally, but never in that magnitude. Congrats. It's good to see them reproducing in your tank.
 
I happened to catch another small guy at the top of my tank. For fun I took a picture.

The largest one is bought at a LFS, the other two have bred in my tank although at different times.

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I have had similar results. I had a significant number grow to adulthood. It's always great to get things "out" of your tank instead of always putting things "in".

Check out this video:

 
very cool! i have a lot of very tiny snails on my glass that i believe to be ceriths bred in my tank. there are eggs on the glass almost constantly and in the past few weeks these new little snails have started appearing. good work on the trochus!
 
I love Trochus snails. Just right size, upright themselves, hardy too. I wish mine would breed. Wonder why yours are. You doing anything special to your tanks cham?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14676351#post14676351 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jer77
I love Trochus snails. Just right size, upright themselves, hardy too. I wish mine would breed. Wonder why yours are. You doing anything special to your tanks cham?

Not really anything special. I've had ceriths breed in tanks before but I've always read that the trochus snails will rarely have any brood that will make it to adulthood.

My Tunze 7095 simulates the lunar cycle, that could play a role. :confused:
 
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