So much for the snails I got today...

[Engloid]

Janie got me some nassarius snails today with her mail order. Got a deal on them, 79cents each and buy one get one free...so about 39 cents each.

I put them into a cup in the tank so I could see which ones moved out of the cup and which didn't , possibly dead. I noticed the coris wrasse grabbed one and started shaking it, hitting it on rocks. I took the rest of them and buried them in a pile.

I get up at 1am and there's 3 crabs around that area, and they all seemed to be obsessed with the small shells in the area. I dig in to find the snail shells I buried and out of the ones I found, none of the shells had snails visible inside. :eek1:

the bastards appear to have eaten most of the snails.

Perhaps the lesson learned here is that if I want snails, I have to buy big ones. These were pea sized, and must have just been a snack size for them.

Do you all think I'd have better luck with the larger ones? I'm now suspecting that even the big ones will be "outed" by their snorkel when they are under the gravel. I really need to get something that will help stir up my substrate.

 

[macclellan]

I've never had luck with Nas snails (nor did they stir up the substrate much). To me, the key to a clean substrate is keeping it shallow (and none under rocks) and stirring it right before a water change with an acrylic rod or turkey baster. That is, unless you're using a deep sand bed, which is a completely different scenario.

 

[Engloid]

I probably average 2" of substrate, because I have a watchman goby and pistol shrimp. They don't do much to dig stuff up. I'm still thinking about a sand sifting star, but I'm concerned that it would eat copepods and other bugs that the mandarin and wrasse need. They have a nice Red starfish at AM that I am debating on also. I haven't found any indication that they eat pods, but Russel said they usually stay on the glass or rocks, which makes me think they'd be more into eating algae. I would be a cool addition, but I dont' think it would be good for mixing sand.

 

[Steve W]

snails

snails

From what I've read, if everything was attacking them, then probability was that they were dead or dying upon arrival. Most crabs prefer carrion to live.

Just a guess, since I'm just getting started in this hobby, but I've done extensive research both online and at the library. Given the heat here lately it's probably not a good time to order.

Steve W

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I believe Steve W is correct about this. I have had a number of Nassarius nails over the years and they stir up the sand bed when they come out to feed. They don't bother zoanthids and acans like hermit crabs and peppermint shrimp do (walking all over them, pinching and steeling food.) I like to see them pop out of sand. I consider them important members of my clean up crew because they eat leftover food. It's like having a puppy under a baby high chair. My fish are messy eaters and they never pick up food that fall to sand bed.

If you are looking for something to stir up the sand bed well, a large fighting conch cannot be beat for that IMHO. It keeps the sand of my 180 pristine looking all the time.

 

[planejane]

Yes, all mine were gonners too. I've contacted the seller and we will be getting a refund!

 

[Engloid]

Good news, Jane!! I figured just my luck was bad and they got eaten. I guess our best bet is to buy local from the stores this time of year? They didn't want to reship, huh?

Tomo- The fighting conch...any animals that it will bother, or animals that will bother it? I've got hermits, blue hippo tang, red coris wrasse, damsel...other than that I dont' think the others would be a problem. How big does the fighting conch get?

 

[Weetabix]

Fighting Conch is a good option.
There are also Giant Tonga Nassarius, which are much larger Nassarius.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

My fighting conch is pretty big (its shell is 3 inches long) and no one seems to bother it. It is always on the sand and vacuuming the sand surface. It does not seem to bother anything. If I place a small frag on the sand bed, the snail will bulldoze it out of the way, though.

 

[planejane]

Good news, Jane!! I figured just my luck was bad and they got eaten. I guess our best bet is to buy local from the stores this time of year? They didn't want to reship, huh?

Tomo- The fighting conch...any animals that it will bother, or animals that will bother it? I've got hermits, blue hippo tang, red coris wrasse, damsel...other than that I dont' think the others would be a problem. How big does the fighting conch get?

I don't think the actual shipping was the issue, all of the other things I got were AOK. My guess is that a few dead ones went into the bag which killed off the rest. I opted for the credit for now rather than a reship, as they are out of nerites now , which I want. Probably will reorder next month.