Tiny Snail ID please? (good pics)

[Myka]

I just noticed these guys today. There's hundreds of them. They seem to only be in the sand, and the lowest couple inches of the glass. They also seem to come out during the last hour of the light cycle. To ME they look like baby Black Cerith (especially under the magnifying glass), but I don't think they are supposed to reproduce in captivity are they? I suspect they are in fact Pyramid snails... RRRG!

I haven't lost any Astreas, and I just checked them all, none of them have any of these snails on them. I don't have any clams. I have noticed my other snails have really lost population in the last few months. Particularly my Stomatella. I haven't seen a Stomatella in quite some time, and I used to have a very adundant population. Do Pyramids attack Stomatellas at all?

If these are in fact Pyramid snails, is manual removal the only way of ridding them? I am getting a Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus) next week, will he help at all?

The ones pictured are not quite 3 mm. I have seen a few as small as 1 mm. The sand in the pictures is Caribsea Oolite if that helps too.

 

[pagojoe]

Those are probably rissoids. If they aren't hanging on your snails or clams, they must be eating something else, so I'd guess they aren't pyramidellids.

Cheers,



Don

 

[pagojoe]

...and no, a pyramidellid couldn't catch a Stomatella. There are a ton of other things that eat Stomatellas, though. Some fish and most of the cleaner-type shrimp will eat them.


Don

 

[OrionN]

I agree. They are not Pyramids. Pyramids are obligatory parasites. They must have host and they live on their host. You have free living snails that are fine. Leave them alone.
BTW, I only see red x but none of your pictures.

 

[Grey Reefer]

I've got the same snails in my tank. I freaked out at first too. OMG Pyramids eveywhere! Then I realized that they were no where near any of my other snails and I don't have any clams in the tank...so a little research later found out they were harmless rissoids. Mine look exactly like the ones in your pic. Wish I had a Macro lense.

 

[Myka]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12295647#post12295647 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grey Reefer
Wish I had a Macro lense.

I used a $400 point and shoot Canon S400 on auto no flash...through a magnifying glass. :lol: It only works if you can get really close to the object. Since the snails were on the glass I was able to use the magnifying glass.

Thanks for the information everyone!!! I've never heard of Rissoid snails. I'll have to go do some research!

Very interesting about the clean shrimp eating Stomatellas. Now that you say it, the Stomatella population declined right around the time of adding a Peppermint shrimp back in August. Now I can't find a Stomatella anywhere. Bummer...they are THEE best algae eating snails!

 

[Myka]

Upon doing a quick bit of research, I think you guys are right, as the apex of the shell isn't 90 degrees.

Whew!!!

 

[Grey Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12295857#post12295857 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Myka
I used a $400 point and shoot Canon S400 on auto no flash...through a magnifying glass. :lol: It only works if you can get really close to the object. Since the snails were on the glass I was able to use the magnifying glass.

Thanks for the information everyone!!! I've never heard of Rissoid snails. I'll have to go do some research!

Very interesting about the clean shrimp eating Stomatellas. Now that you say it, the Stomatella population declined right around the time of adding a Peppermint shrimp back in August. Now I can't find a Stomatella anywhere. Bummer...they are THEE best algae eating snails!

You used a magnifying glass . Why didn't I think of that :lol:. I miss my Stomatellas too . The weird thing is my refugium was full of them and now there is not a single one in the tank or refugium, at least to my knowledge.

 

[Myka]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12297006#post12297006 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grey Reefer
You used a magnifying glass . Why didn't I think of that :lol:. I miss my Stomatellas too . The weird thing is my refugium was full of them and now there is not a single one in the tank or refugium, at least to my knowledge.

I never would have thought of it, if I didn't hear of someone else doing it.

I pulled a few of these little snails out lastnight, and looked REALLY close at them out of the water under a good magnifying glass, and there's no doubt that the apex of the shell suggests Rissoid, not Pyramid. Wow, I'm so happy!!!