Snail ?

[rshimek]

Hi,

Given that there somewhere over 50,000 described species of snails from the marine environment, and given that any number of several hundred species have been mentioned from marine tanks, I suspect we will probably need some bit of a discription.... or a photo.

Size, shape, color, sculpturing, are some of the basic attributes necessary for the identification.

Cheers, Ron

 

[The Shaman]

Talk about your gross generalizations!

Sorry about that. I'll try to narrow it down as much as possible. The snails I'm referring to are ~1mm in length. The shape of the shell closely resembles that of the ones you typically see hermits in( Cerith, I believe). They have a 'sandy' color, ie. tan, lt. & dk. brown, etc.(like beach sand). They are rarely seen during the day, but everywhere at night. They seem to feed mainly on algae. They have been in my tank off and on for several months and appear to get no larger than ~1-2mm.

This is the best desc. I can provide using my eyes and a pair of 'reading' glasses for magnification. In retrospect, I can't believe I'll spend $100's on the tank but haven't shelled out $10-15 for a magnifying glass! Sheesh!

 

[The Shaman]

Hi all,

I have a bunch of these really tiny snails in my tank. They seem to be nocturnal for the most part, and I don't believe they are harming anything. Anyone know what these might be?

 

[rshimek]

Hi,

They may well be a species of small cerithiid, I have been sent some some ceriths from a couple of reef folks' tanks, and I think they are not too uncommon. There are a couple of other alternatives.

If you want to collect a few and send them to me, I will be glad to try to put a handle on them for you. If this is the case, email me, and I will get back to you with instructions.

Cheers, Ron

 

[The Shaman]

Ron,

CYM