Snails on snail action...

[jmadden]

has become a concern of mine. These small white cone shaped snails seem to always be on my other snails. Can someone please ID them for me. I'm also wondering if they are feeding on the snail itself or just algae on the shell. They seem to irritate the snail and I rarely see them anywhere else in the tank. When I do see them on the rock work they are floating in the water column, but are attached by some kind of thread. Does anyone know what these are and are they beneficial or pests?


<a href="http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q253/mad_dog1884/Fish%20Tank%20Stuff/?action=view&current=IMG_3296.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q253/mad_dog1884/Fish%20Tank%20Stuff/IMG_3296.jpg" border="0" alt="Snail on Snail"></a>

 

[pagojoe]

They're pyramidellids, probably either Turbonilla or a closely related species, and are pests. They are parasitic on your snails, and can eventually kill the host species. You'll want to remove them, but you'll likely have to do it manually.

Cheers,




Don

 

[jmadden]

They're pyramidellids, probably either Turbonilla or a closely related species, and are pests. They are parasitic on your snails, and can eventually kill the host species. You'll want to remove them, but you'll likely have to do it manually.

Cheers,




Don

Thanks for the ID. Not long after I posted this I noticed two of these tiny snails attached to the host snail's foot. I just started removing them with a turkey baster, so far I've collected nine from various snails. Thanks again.

<a href="http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q253/mad_dog1884/Fish%20Tank%20Stuff/?action=view&current=IMG_3316.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q253/mad_dog1884/Fish%20Tank%20Stuff/IMG_3316.jpg" border="0" alt="Parasitic Snails"></a>