nassarious snails ate clam?

[lifeform]

Hi, I placed a small clam in my reef tank on the sandbed walked away for about 10 minutes and when I returned I noticed my nassarius snails devouring it. Anyone else have a similiar experience? Thanks

 

[timnnell]

Man never heard of that! Sure the clam was in good health? Sorry bout your luck. I hate loosing anything. Especially when something eats it!

 

[skinz78]

If the snails were on it that fast it was already on its way out. How did you acclimate it and what kind of clam was it?

 

[mbbuna]

i would be suspect of the identity of the snails. there are many "nassarius snails" sold in the hobby that aren't really nassarius snails

 

[pagojoe]

I suspect it was Nassarius arcularius, and you're about the hundredth person who has told the same story of putting in a new small clam and the Nassarius killing it immediately. Every time it gets reported, everyone is shocked and has never heard of it, and most of the responses suggest it was already dying. I'm wondering when people are going to stop being shocked, and figure out that this happens fairly often. If the Nassarius are capable of killing the small clams, and they are, there's no reason to ascribe some nobility to them suggesting that the clam must have already been dying or they wouldn't have pounced on it. I guess 50 years from now someone will finally publish a study that says "be careful putting baby clams in a tank with large Nassarius, they may attack them immediately" and then people will finally figure it out.

Cheers,



Don

 

[Jeff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12512667#post12512667 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pagojoe
I suspect it was Nassarius arcularius, and you're about the hundredth person who has told the same story of putting in a new small clam and the Nassarius killing it immediately. Every time it gets reported, everyone is shocked and has never heard of it, and most of the responses suggest it was already dying. I'm wondering when people are going to stop being shocked, and figure out that this happens fairly often. If the Nassarius are capable of killing the small clams, and they are, there's no reason to ascribe some nobility to them suggesting that the clam must have already been dying or they wouldn't have pounced on it. I guess 50 years from now someone will finally publish a study that says "be careful putting baby clams in a tank with large Nassarius, they may attack them immediately" and then people will finally figure it out.

Cheers,



Don

Calm down

 

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12512667#post12512667 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pagojoe
I suspect it was Nassarius arcularius, and you're about the hundredth person who has told the same story of putting in a new small clam and the Nassarius killing it immediately. Every time it gets reported, everyone is shocked and has never heard of it, and most of the responses suggest it was already dying. I'm wondering when people are going to stop being shocked, and figure out that this happens fairly often. If the Nassarius are capable of killing the small clams, and they are, there's no reason to ascribe some nobility to them suggesting that the clam must have already been dying or they wouldn't have pounced on it. I guess 50 years from now someone will finally publish a study that says "be careful putting baby clams in a tank with large Nassarius, they may attack them immediately" and then people will finally figure it out.

Cheers,



Don

Hey Don, can you post photos of the different Nassarius snails and Whelks that look similar and tell us how to tell them apart and which ones are and aren't predatory

 

[pagojoe]

LOL Hey Guys,

There are a lot of different whelks that may pose more or less of a threat to other macromolluscs in your tanks, but the two most common ones that get accused, or sometimes caught red handed, are Indo-Pacific Cantharus species, Cantharus (Pollia) undosus and Cantharus (Pollia) fumosus. I don't think it's as much a case of these snails specifically targeting animals that aquarists want to keep, as much as it is that they are more generalist feeders than some of the other snails in the family. I'd watch out for these two:

http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_798.html

http://www.gastropods.com/6/Shell_796.html

As for the Nassarius snails, almost without exception, the alleged clam killers belong to one of these species:

http://www.gastropods.com/0/Shell_160.html

http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_1158.html

http://www.gastropods.com/9/Shell_1159.html

I'm only aware of one report of a different species being accused of killing a clam. It was Nassarius distortus, which seemed odd because these snails are usually buried in fine sand under slabs or rocks, often at subtidal depths, and typically not in the areas where you'd find tridacnids.

http://www.gastropods.com/9/Shell_3309.html

As you might notice by the size ranges listed for the above species, all are fairly large, with the maximum sizes being over an inch and a half. It makes sense that the larger species could be more well-equipped for killing their own prey, and since the smaller species never seem to be among the accused, that very well may be the case.

Cheers,



Don