Snail ID Please...

[RHagemann]

My tank has recently become a haven for these little 1/4" buggers. I noticed one of my Candy Cane (Trumpet) Corals had 5 or 6 heads eaten away today and as I pulled it from the tank, there were three of these guys stuck on the eaten areas. I don't know if they are resonsible or just happened to be there after it had happened.

Any help is greatly appreciated...

 

[pagojoe]

I believe all of those are the same columbellid species, either Euplica varians or Euplica scripta. In either case, your snails belong to one of the species associated with sea grass (because I've often collected them there), and they are considered to be reef safe. The "Seashells of NSW" website says this:

"Columbellids are active, crawling snails that live in a variety of habitats. The majority of species live on hard substrates, crawling on the underside of stones or on algae, but some species crawl in sand in seagrass beds. They are unusual among advanced gastropods in that a few species include both plant and animal material in their diets. Species that live on seagrass are grazers, consuming the diatoms, sponges and other animal life forms on the seagrass fronds, while also consuming the plant material. Carnivorous species are known to include other molluscs, polychaete worms, crustaceans and ascidians in their diet."

http://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Columbellidae/Pages/Columbellidae_intro.htm

Cheers,



Don

 

[RHagemann]

Don,
Thank you for the in-depth explanation of what these little buggers are. This is what forums are for, and fellow reefers like yourself who take the time to provide understandable info (and resources) are what makes this web site such a fantastic resource.

Many thanks for your time and response sir...

V/R,
Rob