Why do we still use Astraea snails?

[tmz]

Astrea do a nice job but don't las very long for me. I no longer use them. Trochus, ceriths, nasarius and a turbo here and there work well in my experience.

 

[Posidion]

I like many other posters use a variety astreas included. I got a dozzen about 2 years agoe still have 7. they started about the size of a dime and are now about 1 1/4 inch dia

 

[2006]

No more Astreas for me anymore either. Cerith, Trochus, Nerites and Nassarius from now on.

 

[Dragonlady]

Re: Why do we still use Astraea snails?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14363795#post14363795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zachtos
Is there a secret snail tip I'm not aware of yet that the LFS' hide from me?

I overheard an employee gettting cussed out by the owner for not acclimating the snails properly if that helps. I prefer to keep a variety of snails and limit the types such as astreas that cannot flip themselves back over. Trochus are great snails!

 

[ReeferAl]

Astreas are OK for a BB tank like mine. They have a much easier time righting themselves. I also have about a dozen zebra turbo snails. These have dark and light stripes (sometimes partially hidden by coralline algae). They have lived over 3 years in my tank. The key is that they are from warner waters around Belize rather than the cooler Mexican waters. The only downside is that they can grwo up to 4". Mine have all about doubled in size since I got them, but none are quite that large yet. They aren't easy to find though.

Allen

 

[Letmegrow]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14383201#post14383201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trmiv
I like my astreas. I have all but two of the 15 I bought about two years ago. They actually bred in my tank. The first batch of babies are about half the size of the original astreas now. There are two or three other batches that are progressively smaller.

That is highly doubtful as the larval stage never survives in a aquarium. It's possible you have a different species. Perhaps a limpet or something. It's possible but highly unlikely.

 

[Letmegrow]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14384456#post14384456 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xJake
There are 2 tennis-ball sized astraea snails at the Toledo Zoo that would like to have a word with you...

Astreas, to my knowlege do not get anywhere near that big, that is also a different species of snail.

The snail in your picture is not a astrea either, I don't know if you meant it to be or not, but it's not an astrea.

 

[trmiv]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14425525#post14425525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Letmegrow
That is highly doubtful as the larval stage never survives in a aquarium. It's possible you have a different species. Perhaps a limpet or something. It's possible but highly unlikely.

I know an astrea snail when I see one, these are definitely astrea snails. The earliest batch is roughly half the size of the original snails I purchased so it's pretty unmistakable what they are.

 

[PaintGuru]

I have found that owning a lot of snails is never a good proposition, as I seem to get massive die off until they reach a sustainable level. My 90 gal tank has probably 15-20 of them, and everything is going well...they've been around for quite a while too.

 

[xJake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14425543#post14425543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Letmegrow
Astreas, to my knowlege do not get anywhere near that big, that is also a different species of snail.

The snail in your picture is not a astrea either, I don't know if you meant it to be or not, but it's not an astrea.

So... what exactly would your credentials be? These snails are almost a decade old, so unless you've kept one for that long, then I'm not sure how you can really attest to that. Also, the snail in the photo IS an astraea snail; at least, it was when the staff at the Toledo Zoo ID'd it in 1999. It has definitely changed dramatically with age, so I'm not sure how you would be able to properly identify it from a single, decent-quality photo of only the foot.

 

[Letmegrow]

I don't work at an Aquarium, have formal training, or have ever been to school for anything Marine related.

You must be right.

IMO - That picture doesn't look like a Astrea.
IME - 11yrs keeping reef tanks, I have never seen, or heard of anyone rearing viable astrea snails in a display tank. I have seen them spawn a bunch of times. No babies. ever.

 

[trmiv]

Well here are my tank bred astreas. Keep in mind I didn't set out to do this, it just happened. The original snails were purchased from Sea Life Inc in Florida.

Here is one of the original one's I purchased at the top left. The other three were born in the tank:

The one on the right was one of the purchased ones, the other three on this rock were born in the tank:

Another tank bred one:

Now I realize I have no way to prove to you these were born in the tank, but i can assure you they were. They started appearing about a year after the tank was setup, and there are probably around 30-40 right now.

 

[Logzor]

I no longer use astraea snails.

I also have what are sold as "strombus grazers" (Hawaiian Strombus maculatus snails) which multiply like crazy. I must have hundreds in my tank now.

I have several other breeding snails. One looks very similar to the 'sundial' snail (but isnt). Another is an extremely tiny version of a cerith snail (super tiny). The last is the stomella, which have been breeding more than ive ever seen.

So with 4 types of snails that breed in my tank there is no need to buy any. Other than these I have 1 turbo snail.

 

[jmart55]

I love my tiger trochus, a few turbos and some small nassarius.

 

[jonrx]

The only success I ever had with Astraea's long term was in my bare bottom QT tank. Every tank with a sandbed that I've ever had them in, they eventually fell on their tops and were massacred by hermits.

 

[Dizzle63]

Not sure on the scientific name, but does anyone use zebra turbos? I have two of these in my tank and they do a wonderful job. I also have five astreas that I have had for 2 1/2 years. I think the key is not getting more than the tank can support. Just a theory, but I think the reason they fall in the sand is because they simply don't have the energy to stay on the glass when they don't have anything to eat. It may also have something to do with the amount of flow in some tanks. If they are weak, it may be very difficult for them to hold on in high flow.

 

[musty baby]

I probably went through 200 astreas over a few years of reefkeeping. I got down to 20 after buying 35 of them and witnessed blue leg hermits attacking a seemingly healthy one that I had knocked down cleaning the glass. I got rid of the hermits and if I can recall correctly lost 2 astreas in the following two years.

I've even witnessed them spawning in my nano at work. Good to see [above] that some of my little snails might survive!

 

[ReeferAl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14472065#post14472065 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dizzle63
Not sure on the scientific name, but does anyone use zebra turbos? I have two of these in my tank and they do a wonderful job. I also have five astreas that I have had for 2 1/2 years. I think the key is not getting more than the tank can support. Just a theory, but I think the reason they fall in the sand is because they simply don't have the energy to stay on the glass when they don't have anything to eat. It may also have something to do with the amount of flow in some tanks. If they are weak, it may be very difficult for them to hold on in high flow.

I have about 10 of them. I've found them listed here and here from Belize and listed as Trochus sp.


Live Aquaria has zebra turbos that they label as Turbo sp. and say are from asia. If so then these are likely a different species.

The snails I have look quite a bit like these snails in this picture of Turbo undulatus:

Others I've seen for sale look more like these Turbo cinereus:

I just found this site where they have them listed as Turbo fluctuosa (although that is very likely incorrect). I suspect these are the snails I have:

Finding out the true species name appears very difficult though.

 

[dkirchoff]

zachtos...On the Trochus Snails you so dearly love...go with Bluezooaquatics.com (http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productlist.asp?did=2&cid=82) the got em for 2.12 if you buy a bunch and based on the size of your tank , Im assuming that might be just what you want. And personally, Ive only been up and running for about a year and I got a bunch of the Astraeas in mine but its along with all the other ones Bluezoo has in their ultimate clean-up crews. Whether they're anymore useful than the others is hard to say, but if they aint working, they're food for someone in my tank

 

[robertifly]

No more Astreas for me anymore either. Cerith, Trochus, Nerites and Nassarius from now on.