pyramid snails what to do?

shy07guy

shy07guy

Premium Member
I think I have found some pyramid snails on my two clams. I was looking at the tank the other night just for fun when I found a few small white specks on my clams they looked like rice but on closer inspection they were white cone shaped snails. They are not on the mantle of the clam but on the shell up close to the mantle and also around the bassel. I have not had any reason to be concerned because my maxxima and and crocea have both been opening fully and not looked stressed in anyway but now I am worried as I am sure it is only a matter of time before they do some damage. What should I do? I did a search on RC but only came up with the possilbilty of getting a lighting wrasse or 6 line is there anything else? I already have a mystery wrasse in the tank so I dont really want to risk putting in a 6 line. Any ideas or methods that work would be great.

Thanks
Derek
 
hey - a wrasse is a good thing, i'tll help keep 'em under control.
These things breed like mad. Are you able to remove your clams from the tank? I keep all mine on old half-shells rather than let them atach to rocks for these kinda reasons. If you can get them out, pull 'em first thing in the AM & grab a toothbrush & tweezers, go over the clam as well as possible - out of the tank! and remove all the snails you can find then scrub all over with the toothbrush. Do this every morning for a week or so & then maybe a few times a week. All it takes is 1 snail to make more of 'em so I still check mine every weekend & sometimes theres a flare up & I'll find 5 snails, sometimes you'll go 3 weeks without seeing any.

good luck
 
Yeah hopefully the mystery wrasse is doing some good. I have the calms on half shells and may have to use that method. I can not come up with anything better. Thanks
Derek
 
Just took my clam out this morning, guess what I found? About 30 little snails all attached to the shell. I also had a bristle worm attached, am I really screwed or could this possibly have a good ending if I scrubbed the clam every morning for a while?

Zac
 
it can indeed have a good ending. well, not so much an ending as a never ending scrub appointment... scrub every AM for a while, then 2 or 3 times a week forever....
 
So basically, I will always have these snails to battle with, and getting another clam should be advised against.

The girlfriend is going to be bummed...

Zac
 
Blue knuckle hemits, 6 lines wrasse, Chrysus wrasse and Leoprad wrasse are the best solutions

Taking the clams out 3 times aweek for cleaning "forever" as suggested will harm the clams in the long run.

When you see the snails, take them out and continue inspecting the clams +cleaning them+ introduce the fish/hermits.

Otherwise, you need just a routine inspection.
 
Good news, my clam is opened up today, full out and looking good. I didn't chekc the bottom today because I only found a couple of snails the other day. I think I am just going to check when the clam looks like it doesn't want to open. Maybe this whole snail scrubbing won't be as bad as I think.

shy07guy, how is your clam doing???

Zac
 
Keep removing those snails. Check at night as this is when they are most active. Also look for (and remove) any gelatinous masses (egg cases), which more than likely can be found within the scutes.

Certain wrasses can be used as a natural method of removal, but this IME can be hit or miss. These same wrasses will also target the infauna we try so desperately to maintain. And good luck trying to remove that wrasse when the job is over.

My method of removal was to create a syphon, using a combination of rigid and soft airline tubing. Then syphoning into a brine shrimp net over a bucket. This is less stressful to the clam, and you can return the water to the tank when you're finished. You'll have to be diligent though as these snails are persistant.

Good luck.
 
both my clams are doing well I have not seen to many snails recently it was just those few days. Not sure what did it but my guess is the wrasse I did not what to move the clam because I know it is very stressfull for them and now that I am not seeing as many I am leaving them be.
Derek
 
MindEraser,
You are right, I should have worded my response a little more clearly. I mostly meant I wouldn't take the poor clam out to scrub every single day. I figured that would be kind of hard on the little guy.

Could you explain more on how you made the siphon tubing with both rigid and flex (I guess I don't know what you mean by a combination)?

Zac
 
Oh... and another question, do you do this at night when the lights are off? I have been doing it in the morning. Any difference? I guess with siphoning them, it's more of seeing what you are doing, so could I do this right before the lights go out? (my clam usually closes about half way through my dusk cycle).

Zac
 
The rigid end goes into the tank. Makes it easy to direct where the siphon will occur. The flexible (standard airline tubing) is attached to the opposite end of the rigid. This end sits in the brine shrimp net, which catches the snails.

Yes this should be done at night, when the snails are most active.
 
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