Please Help ID these snails

[baloutang]

Hello,

I found these snails stuck together and under my zoo's, I don't know what type these are and I know that I've never added any of these guys to my tank outside of them being hitch hikers. Any info on them is great (ie. if they are beneficial or a pest).
Also, baby Trochus snails have been appearing, but they are definitely a different color than these guys (purple/pink and white)
These are more black/brown and white.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[KUDA]

Those are sundial snails. They eat zooanthids, thats why they were under the colony.

 

[venwu225]

these are very unique animals, you most likely have a pair. You can keep them happy by feeding them a steady supply of zoanthids. They make rather unique pets.

 

[baloutang]

If they eat my zoos then I guess they are definitely not wanted....how do you get rid of them if there are more? Do you just pick them off?

 

[JackKerouac]

I'm with venwu225 don't throw out this snails if you can't keep them in another tank and feed them sometimes with some zoa try to gift them to somebody who like them

 

[graveyardworm]

I'm pretty sure it is a sundial, but not 100% convinced. Can you post a closer clear picture of the shell opening?

 

[baloutang]

Ok, so anyone want these unique pets? What makes sundials so unique outside of eating prized zoo's?

 

[pagojoe]

It's a Heliacus species for sure. Was it feeding on the red zoas or the green ones?



Don

 

[baloutang]

It was feeding on my Reds...pretty good guess though.

 

[stephencraig]

bump to get notified on new post. I want to follow this thread.

Stephen

 

[graveyardworm]

Rather than bumping you can just hit the "Subscribe to this Thread" button underneath the reply box.

 

[pagojoe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10008675#post10008675 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by baloutang
It was feeding on my Reds...pretty good guess though.

"Marine Mollusks in Japan" (edited by Okutani) shows several photos of Heliacus snails feeding on their prey species. Even though the photos are too small to independently verify the snail ID's, they identify the species that feeds on the red zoa's as Heliacus areola.

http://www.gastropods.com/2/Shell_10032.html

The snails shown on the green zoas, and the ones I always found eating the green ones, are Heliacus variegatus.

http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_5765.html

If they are right, your snails should be Heliacus areola.

Cheers,



Don