FAQs about Nerites, Nerita, Neritid
Snails
Related Articles: Gastropods, Sea Slugs, Mollusks, Abalone,
Related FAQs: Marine Snails 1, Marine Snails 2, Marine Snails 3, Marine Snails 4, Snail ID 1, Snail ID 2, Snail Behavior, Snail Selection, Snail Compatibility, Snail Systems, Snail Feeding, Snail Disease, Snail Reproduction, Mollusks, Sea Slugs, Abalone,
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neritidae
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Nerite snail breeding 1/13/13
Hello:
I was wondering if people ever breed Nerite snails? I have four in a 46
gallon. I heard that they breed in either brackish or saltwater. I have
a ten gallon with nothing in it and I was wondering if it is possible to
turn it into a place to breed Nerite snails if it were brackish or
salt?? Thank you
<Nerite snails lay their eggs pretty much all the time. But as you say,
the tricky bit is that the planktonic larvae that hatch drift downstream
to the sea where they develop for a few weeks before turning into little
baby snails that (amazingly!) crawl their way back inland. At least,
that's the usual story. I'm not sure that scientists know how every
freshwater Nerite breeds, and the idea the offspring go to the sea is
based upon observations of a very few species. So it's aquarists like me
extrapolating from a limited data set. Given how rare baby Nerites in
fish tanks are, we can be fairly confident they don't breed in the same
way as, say, Apple Snails, which have large fully-formed offspring that
don't require any special care to survive. It's likely that no matter
what, Nerite hatchlings are tiny and planktonic, and consequently would
need an aquarium without a filter but with lots of green algae floating
about in the water column. A quick Google with the terms "freshwater" "Nerite"
and "reproduction" turned up an interesting thread on AppleSnail.net
called "Olive Nerite breeding/veliger pics in freshwater" that may be of
interest to you. But if this was me, I'd have a bunch of tanks on
windowsills or under strong lights so they're full of algae-rich green
water; I'd have groups of Nerites in each of them (they're aren't
hermaphrodites so you need a male and female); and I'd run the tanks at
a range of salinities from freshwater through to, say, SG 1.010
depending on the species being kept. I'd use nothing more than sponges
for very gentle filtration. And then I'd experiment! Why the salinity?
Because I suspect finding the hatchling snails and gradually
acclimatising them to brackish conditions would be difficult. Cheers,
Neale.>
White hemispheres on tank back
7/15/11
Do any of you wonderful people here have any idea what these
might be?
<Eggs; likely gastropod/snail>
Several dozen of these little white hemispheres appeared on the
back surface of my tank. They are about 3-4 mm across and almost
perfectly round. Their appearance has roughly corresponded with
the appearance of a dozen or so Spirorbids on some live rock,
which may or may not be a coincidence. Thanks!
Tim
<What species of snails do you have present? Any Neritids?
Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/SnailEggIDF2.htm
Bob Fenner>
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Re: White hemispheres on tank back
7/15/11
Bob - Thanks! You always come through. I checked the link you gave,
and the Nerite snail egg pics there look exactly like what I've
got. I do have a few Nerite snails, along with several Nassarius
(my favorite!) as well as several Cerith and banded Trochus. In
fact, at this very moment there is a Nerite snail on the back wall
just a few inches from a patch of these eggs!
You folks are the best.
Tim
<Thank you Tim. BobF> |
Identification Help, sans pic 3/16/2011
Dear WetWebMedia,
<Samantha>
I need your help identifying something in my saltwater aquarium.
I've been seeing these puffy little oblong-shaped things in
my aquarium for over a month now. They are white in color with a
grayish/purplish tint. I thought it was just a few of them
because they blended in with the LR, but upon closer inspection
this afternoon, there's a TON of them! I guess they're
multiplying...? I took a scalpel and tried to scrape one off the
rock. It seemed soft, and when I tried to scrape it off the rock,
I ripped it open and it looked like it released a bunch of little
specks (spores, maybe?).
Do you know what they are, and are they harmful?
<Would be impossible to accurately ID your invaders without a
pic. My best guess would be sponges or tunicates (Sea Squirts)
which would not be harmful in your system.>
My aquarium is 50 gallons with a 20 gallon sump, and it has been
set up for almost a year. My non-coral livestock consists of a
yellow watchman goby, a splendid leopard wrasse, 2 naked
clownfish, two sand-sifting starfish, a cleaner shrimp, two
peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs, scarlet hermits, blue-legged
hermits, and Nassarius, Trochus, margarita, Nerite, and zebra
turbo snails.
Thank you so much for your help,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
~Samantha
Re Identification Help 3/16/2011 - 3/17/2011
Dear WetWebMedia,
<Samantha>
Thanks for your help. I've attached a picture to this e-mail
of the "creatures" in the hope that you may be able to
get a more exact ID.
<Difficult to see any detail as the pic pixelizes when blown
up. I'm guessing a sponge or Ascidian of some type, likely
the later. Bob may have a more accurate ID.><<Appear to
be Nerite eggs... Do read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/SnailEggIDF2.htm
and on WWM re the family (Neritidae). RMF>>
Thank you,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Samantha
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Re Identification Help, Neritid snail eggs 3/16/2011 -
3/17/2011
<<Appear to be Nerite eggs... Do read here:
> http://wetwebmedia.com/SnailEggIDF2.htm and on WWM re the
family
> (Neritidae). RMF>>
Thank you!
<You're welcome and will pass on to Bob. James (Salty
Dog)>
Sincerely,
Samantha
Thank you, Bob
J
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White Spots: Possible Nerite Egg Capsules --
3/9/11
Hello,
<Hello there, Lynn here this evening.>
Our tank has been up and going for around 7 months. In the last
48 hours or less these white dots have appeared on my live rock.
I have done several searches for them and asked the question on a
couple of forums before bringing it to you guys. It started as 5
spots that I noticed on one rock. Last night I noticed a group of
ten of them one the same rock. This afternoon I found say 50+ of
them all over the tank. The tank is 180 gallon and I have these
peppered all of the way across. I am at a total loss for what it
might be. All of my water parameters are within normal limits. I
enclosed a picture with some of the spots circled to help with
the ID.
<By any chance do you keep Nerite snails? If so, then those
are more than likely egg capsules. Nerites typically deposit
loose groupings of oval to round, white to cream colored capsules
on hard surfaces, and are often compared to sesame seeds. Each
capsule contains a number of eggs that soon hatch into
free-swimming larvae with, unfortunately, very little chance of
survival. For more information and photos for comparison, please
see the related FAQ's at this link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/SnailEggIDF1.htm?h=
More info here: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/9/inverts
>
Again thanks again so much guys this will be a great help to
us.
<You're very welcome! By the way, if you don't have
any resident Nerites, let me/us know what other snails you do
have and we'll take it from there. Also, if you could get a
close-up shot of one of the spots, that would be great! Take
care, Lynn Z>
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turbo snail HHs -- 03/24/10
Hello from Portugal! I hope you can identify what is in my turbo
snail.
The photo goes in attachment.
Best regards,
Pedro
<Mmm, can't quite make it/these out... Could be other
snails/Gastropods... might be discrete bits/colonies of a sponge
of some sort... there are even other possibilities. If
they're not apparently harming the Turbo, I'd
ignore/enjoy them. Bob Fenner>
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Re: turbo snail
3/24/10
Hi Bob,
> Those do look like gastropod eggs to me, too. Bogwood
in one of my tanks is covered with similar egg cases
produced by the various Nerite snails (see attached). For
some reason, the snails are picky, and only lay them on
wood, not plastic or glass.
> Cheers, Neale
<Thank you for this. BobF>
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Re: More: re: turbo snail 3/24/10
Hi!!!
That's what I thought in the first place, but since I
only have got one Nerite I thought it was impossible for it
to mate.
Thank you for everything,
Pedro
<Perhaps you have more than one Nerite hidden somewhere?
Anyway, glad to have helped. Cheers, Neale.>
Comment on Re: More: re: turbo snail, Nerites
don't need "two to tango"
3/26/10
Good afternoon!
<Hello Audrey,>
Just a quick comment about the answer to the following
question Re: More: re: turbo snail 3/24/10 Nerites
don't need to mate to lay eggs. One lonely Nerite will
happily cover all suitable surfaces (wood, and occasionally
other snails' shells) with eggs.
<Very interesting. My specimens do seem to be mating
quite a lot of the time, but unlike the Clea helena or the
Tylomelania, I never find any baby Nerites. That's a
good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view,
I suppose. It does make them a great choice for tanks where
you don't want too many snails.>
They lay an incredible number of eggs each.
<Yes, they do!>
As usual, thank you so much for all your hard work,
Audrey
<Thanks for writing in! Cheers, Neale.>
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Unknown Thing Growing on Glass: Snail Egg Capsule --
3/14/10
Dear Crew,
<Hello Justin, Lynn here this evening.>
Can you guys help me out with what this is?
<Yes, it's a neat little egg capsule that looks very much
like those left by Nerite snails. They're typically white (or
whitish), oval to round in shape, around 3mm or so in length, and
deposited either singly or in groupings on hard surfaces.>
They look like eggs of some sort, but I have never seen anything
like it. They are quite small, a little larger than the end of a
ball point pen.
<Since you said 'they', I'm guessing that you mean
the individual eggs inside, not the capsule itself. If that's
the case, then it's consistent with Nerite
capsules/eggs.>
I tried my best with the macro lens, but this is the best I could
get.
<You did very well, thank you! For more information/photo,
please see the following link:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm
By the way, if you do not have any Nerite snails in residence, do
send along a list of what snails you have and we'll see if we
can't figure out who the culprit is!>
Thanks all
<You're very welcome.>
Justin
<Take care, LynnZ>
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Re: Unknown Thing Growing on Glass:
Snail Egg Capsule, Nerite -- 3/14/10
Thanks LynnZ,
<It was a pleasure, Justin.>
Actually though the capsules themselves are only about the size
of the end of a ballpoint pen.
<That's pretty small but not beyond the realm of
possibility. The Nerite egg capsules commonly reported to us tend
to be larger, but they can vary according to species. For
example, Nerita tessellata (aka the Checkered Nerite) from
Florida reportedly has capsules that are only about 1mm in
length. Please see the following link for more
information/comparison:
http://www.sms.si.edu/irLspec/Nerita_tessel.htm >
I do have 3 Nerite snails left in the tank,
<I believe we have a winner!>
..some Trochus,
<It wouldn't be these snails. They're broadcast
spawners. That is, they release gametes (eggs/sperm) directly
into the water column (no egg capsules).>
..and I seem to have a breeding colony of Elephant snails as
well
<I'm guessing you don't mean the giant African land
snail (genus Achatina)! That's the problem with common names;
they're common as opposed to specific. Sorry to give you a
hard time but I just couldn't resist. I blame it on losing an
hour of sleep last night to the Daylight Savings Time switch. I
really need to move to Hawaii, where they don't mess with the
time twice a year! Anyway, back on topic, the terms 'Elephant
snail' and 'Elephant slug', are also used in
reference to Scutus spp. snails (black, slug-like snails in the
family Fissurellidae). If that's what you have, then we can
rule them out as well. Like the Trochus snails mentioned above,
they're spawners. See this link for more information/photos:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/scutus >
..(I say this because every few weeks it seems as if I find
another small one (1/4" or so) crawling along the glass.
<Neat! Apparently, their survival rate in captivity is aided
by the fact that they go through a non-feeding, planktonic,
larval/'veliger' stage before metamorphosing into
crawlers. Non-feeding veligers tend to have shorter planktonic
stages than those that need to feed. The advantages are two-fold.
First of all, less time in the water column equates to less
chance of becoming food for fish, corals, etc., or perishing
within/as a result of pumps, filters, etc.. Also, the fact that
they don't need to feed gives them a distinct advantage over
those that require specific planktonic foods (that may not be
available in a captive system).>
It seems as I might have some pyramid snails attacking my other
snails though, since they have these tiny white conical shaped
snails hitching a ride, and starting to attach around the shell
opening by the foot.
<Hmmm, are the snails long, slender, and mobile, or
short/squat and sessile? If they're long, slender and mobile,
you're right, they're most likely 'Pyrams'
(family Pyramidellidae) and you'll need to get rid of them
(see WWM re: methods). The fact that they're gathered around
the foot/opening is typical of these pests. If the snails
you're seeing are short, squat and sessile, they could be
Hipponicids (aka 'Hoof snails'). These are roughly
conical, Limpet-like snails that begin life as mobile crawlers,
but eventually become sessile; attaching themselves to hard
surfaces (including snail shells). Luckily, they don't
actually prey on the snails they're attached to, but it's
possible that as they increase in size, they could inhibit the
snail's ability to move around and/or feed. Here's a link
with some terrific photos for comparison:
http://www.conchology.be/?t=65&family=HIPPONICIDAE
Hipponicid on a snail shell (see the FAQ titled 'Mollusk
Identification - Hipponicids 06/20/08'):
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snailid16.htm
>
What a pain it is to deal with that....darn pests!!
<Yes, indeed!>
Other than that, that would be it. Thanks again for the help, I
appreciate it.
<You're very welcome, please let me/us know if there's
anything else we can do for you.>
Justin
<Take care, LynnZ>
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ID: Nerite Egg Capsules -- 3/26/09 Hello
again.
<Hello Tammy, Lynn here this evening.>
I have an interesting growth that is on some of my live rock and
one of my power jets. I tried to search the forums but I
wasn't sure what to really search for. Can you help me from
my picture?
<I sure can. What you're seeing is a grouping of Nerite
egg capsules, possibly left by the nearby adult!>
The spots are not fuzzy... was hard to get a picture to come in
clear. They are flat, smooth, white, and round, about the size of
an eraser head.
<They actually look a bit like white sesame seeds, don't
they? Please see the following links for more information:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/MolluscPIX/Gastropods/Prosobranch%20PIX/Neritids/NeritesF1.htm
>
Thanks.
Tammy
<You're very welcome. Take care, LynnZ>
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Re: ID: Nerite Egg Capsules -- 3/27/09
Hi Lynn...
<Hi Tammy>
Thanks for the quick reply.
<You're very welcome.>
I did have one of my Nerites beside the eggs but it didn't
register because I've never seen snail eggs quite like
these.
<Yep, they have a distinct look about them, don't
they?>
I thought I had some bad fungus starting or something so thanks
for putting my mind at ease.
<I'm glad I could help. Believe me I've been in the
same position a time or two as well, so I know how it feels. The
good news is that the overwhelming majority of things that show
up in our tanks are beneficial or at least innocuous. Thank
goodness it's not the other way around!>
You helped me with my button polyps question with the white film.
The white film subsided and they are doing fine so whatever it
was, it went away.
<Yay!>
Thanks again and maybe I'll have babies but from what you
sent me to read, probably not.
<Yep, that's unfortunately true. The young hatch into a
free-swimming form that has a very low rate of survival due to
predation, lack of appropriate foods/conditions, run-ins with
equipment, etc. You never know, though -- some might get lucky
and make it!>
Tammy
<Take care, LynnZ>
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Nerites snails 9/1/03 Anthony...and all this time
I have been feeding him bresaola and proscuitto! I knew I was doing
something wrong. <heehee!> I am currently runny an AquaC
Remora...and emptying it every day. <excellent.. although that still
doesn't explain where the nutrient problem is. Perhaps poor water
flow or distribution. Look for dead spots in the tank or flow under
10-20X which lead to accumulated matter which dissolves and feeds the
algae that grows the snails> The snails don't really bother me
that much... but there are a bunch of them. <limit their food source
and you will limit their numbers> Would they have been a hitchhiker
on the LR? Steve <oftentimes intertidal species and brought in with
collected plants, algae, live sand, corals, live rock... even as larvae
with water or on the shells/surface of other collected matter (like
jellyfish medusae on Astraea snail shells). Anthony>
Nerites Snails in Canada? 11/13/07 Hi
guys and girls, as always I really appreciate your work and help!
<Good> Wondering if you know where I can find Nerites
Snails (Freshwater or Saltwater) in Canada? I have tried to get
some shipped from the United States, but they will not ship them
up here anymore. My LFS have never even heard of them. I once got
a shipment from Arizona Gardens, and they cleaned the algae on my
glass like nothing else. Thanks so much for your help. Deryck
<I saw them at the Big Al's locations in Toronto last
year... Are there any locations near you:
http://bigalscanada.com/storelocations/storemap.htm Bob
Fenner>
Re: Nerites Snails in Canada? Converting FW to BR... not
all 11/14/07 Thanks, they had closed down a while ago, but
looks like they are reopening! I will give them a shot when they
are open for business. <Okay> I still have a few
freshwaters Nerites, I have researched and heard they may breed
in brackish water. Think I can give it a shot to acclimate them
to brackish? <Not if they're totally freshwater species.
Please read here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=freshwaters+Nerites&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA
The first couple citations> Thanks again for your help. Deryck
<Welcome. BobF>
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What Are These Calcareous Discs On The Live Rock? ...Nerite
Snail Egg Capsules 3/30/08 Hi Crew, <Hi Tom, Mich
here.> Could you tell me what these small (1-2mm) gray/white
discs are that are growing all over our live rock? <Yup.>
They're flat, hard, round plates and can easily be popped off
intact, not like the usual coralline algae I'm familiar with.
<They are Nerite snail egg casings. You can read more about
them here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm >
The tank is about 130G and has been set up for 3+ years. Some of
the rock has been in use 6+ years, some less than 2 years. We run
a Chaeto fuge, calcium reactor, PhosBan reactor, EV180, 2x 250W
Ushio 10K MH lamps (10hrs/day) w/T5 actinic/blue. Good
circulation, over 4000GPH total from 2x SeaSwirls, 2x
Koralia-type powerheads, and a chiller loop. We keep mostly SPS
up high, a few small Euphyllids placed low, and a medium fish
load. Water tests as follows: 80-81 deg F SPG 1.026 dKH 10.9 Ca
425 Mg 1320 NO2, NO3, NH3 are all consistently zero I scrubbed
several rocks clean about 2 months ago but the discs are
regrowing. Seems strange that they just started showing up about
a year ago. They only grow on the live rock, while the walls and
sides of the tank grow lots of pink, purple, and maroon
coralline. I'd rather have the coralline cover the live
rock...but mostly just these discs, alga, and a little Cyano seem
to grow well on the rocks. <All very common.> Thanks,
<Welcome! Mich> Tom
Re: What Are These Calcareous Discs On The Live
Rock? ...Nerite Snail Egg -- 04/1/08 Capsules Thanks Mich,
<Hi Tom> Let me provide a better description for you.
I'm not sure these discs are egg casings, at least
they're nothing like other snail eggs we've seen come and
go. <No they are quite different than the gelatinous masses
many other snails produce.> They look/feel like some kind of
non-organic growth. <Yes, they feel very tough, almost calcium
like.> They don't have the sesame seed shape of the Nerite
egg capsules as described in the linked article. These discs are
flatter, thin, and brittle...a tiny, plate-like, calcareous
growth. Think of a miniature poker chip, but even thinner and
with a sharp edge. They're evenly spread over all areas of
the live rock...high, low, everywhere. They number in the
thousands, not just tens or hundreds. <Yes. Your
description/image appear to me to be consistent with Nerite
eggs.> We have mostly Astraea, Nassarius, and Ceriths. We do
have a few Nerites and Stomatellas that hitchhiked in, but not in
large numbers. This morning I couldn't find any Nerites at
all. Wish I could get a better picture for you. Do you still
think these are produced by Nerites? <Cheers, Mich>
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What Is This!?! Nerite Snail Egg Capsules
9/10/07 Ok.. I have a 90g tank.. and just moved across town..
and set up all my rock/sand/water in new 90g tank with built in
overflow...well... needless to say the move made my tank angry.
<I'm sorry your tank is upset.> and I am now getting over
the wave of algae that happened.. but I am finding a large amount
of rust colored flat worms <So long as they are not too big,
they are generally beneficial detritivores.> (which I am taking
care of) <???> and alot <This is not a word. Should be
'a lot'. I mention just for Bob, as it is one of his pet
peeves'¦ Right RMF? ;) > of these white hard disks I
don't know where they came from if they are related to the rust
flatworms, or if they are a parasite or not.. take a look and let
me know please. As I said they are hard, white and cannot be
siphoned off of the rock. <These are completely harmless Nerite
Snail egg capsules, nothing to worry about. You can read more about
them here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm Hope
your tank gets happier! Mich> |
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Unknown White Growths...Nerite Snail Eggs
5/15/07 Hello all... <Hi David, Mich with you tonight.>
First I would like to mention that I love your site and I find a
lot of much needed information on it that I use in the daily
maintenance of my tanks. <Thank you for this fine
compliment!> Now, to my problem/dilemma. Over the past two weeks
I have been having a problem with ich and some other parasites
attacking the swim bladder that caused me to lose 9 fish in 2 1/2
days <Yikes!!! I'm very sorry for you large loss.>
(believe it or not, this is not my problem). <Ok, I'm a
little scared now!> The other day when I woke up I went to look
at my tank to see how the survivors are doing and much to my
surprise all my live rock and even the snail shells were covered
with these white growths (I've attached two pictures, one of
the snail shell (IMG_0485) and one of a piece of my live
rock(IMG_0504)). I've searched your website, along with some
others, and I may be missing something or using the wrong keyword
but I cannot find anything that resembles or sounds like this
outbreak. I'm guessing that it has nothing to do with the ich
and other parasites that have taken over my tank but I would like
to know what these unknown growths are and how to treat them.
<Seems like you have some frisky Nerite snails in you tank.
These would be Nerite snail eggs, they generally don't mature
in captivity and there is nothing to treat here. A photo here:
http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/largfoto/r422fx.htm
> I took one of the snail shells to my LFS and after careful
examination the owner determined that it looked like this growth
feeds off of calcium. He came to this conclusion by taking a razor
blade to the growth and removing it. When it came off the shell was
all soft and a few layers could easily be scraped off. When you
took the razor blade to other parts of the shell where no growths
were, the shell was hard, as it should be. Could this be clam or
mussel larvae? When I got home I was looking around my tank and
found a snail that had a growth (looks like a shell) on it.
I've attached that picture as well (IMG_0512). I'm sorry
about that picture but it was as close as I could get to the turbo
snail using my digital camera and lens. Do you have any suggestions
as to what this problem could be? <This is not a problem or
anything to be concerned about. You will likely see these
"sesame seed" like eggs wax and wane in your system.>
If so, how do I treat it because my 125 gallon is stocked full of
these white growths. Thank you for your time and continued
knowledge. <Welcome! My pleasure to assist.> <G'night!
Mich> |
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Snail Id 1/16/06 Hi, My reef tank is recently having a
population explosion of these guys. They are about 1-2mm across.
Can you help me to id them? Are they sun dials? <Mmm, can't
tell if this is a Neritid, Turbinid or torched from the one pic
(need to show obverse, the other side, as well)... but if all stay
small as you state, I would guess the first family. Bob Fenner>
Chee Thong |
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What Are These Calcareous Discs On The Live
Rock? ...Nerite Snail Egg Capsules 3/30/08 Hi Crew, <Hi Tom,
Mich here.> Could you tell me what these small (1-2mm)
gray/white discs are that are growing all over our live rock?
<Yup.> They're flat, hard, round plates and can easily be
popped off intact, not like the usual coralline algae I'm
familiar with. <They are Nerite snail egg casings. You can read
more about them here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm > The
tank is about 130G and has been set up for 3+ years. Some of the
rock has been in use 6+ years, some less than 2 years. We run a
Chaeto fuge, calcium reactor, PhosBan reactor, EV180, 2x 250W Ushio
10K MH lamps (10hrs/day) w/T5 actinic/blue. Good circulation, over
4000GPH total from 2x SeaSwirls, 2x Koralia-type powerheads, and a
chiller loop. We keep mostly SPS up high, a few small Euphyllids
placed low, and a medium fish load. Water tests as follows: 80-81
deg F SPG 1.026 dKH 10.9 Ca 425 Mg 1320 NO2, NO3, NH3 are all
consistently zero I scrubbed several rocks clean about 2 months ago
but the discs are regrowing. Seems strange that they just started
showing up about a year ago. They only grow on the live rock, while
the walls and sides of the tank grow lots of pink, purple, and
maroon coralline. I'd rather have the coralline cover the live
rock...but mostly just these discs, alga, and a little Cyano seem
to grow well on the rocks. <All very common.> Tom |
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Snail ID Nerites
11/14/03 howdy guys, <howdy> think you could help me out
with this one? found a bunch (3 or 4) of these little snails
hitchhiking on a nice bunch of star polyps I just placed in my
tank. they appear to be nocturnal. <pretty harmless likely...
appear to be Nerites> I first though that they might be
Heliacus, but after looking it up (in your book I might add) they
are the wrong shape and do not have a cone shaped door. <hmmm...
the cone shaped door can be scary. Do watch closely> are they
good guys or bad guys? <likely safe... but look out>
<Anthony> |
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Orange Mitra Snail 3/28/04 Hey, I was at my LFS and had asked
for some Nerita lineata snails, where they suggested that I should get
an "orange Mitra Snail" because it was good for digging
through DSB's. <more below on the "Mitra snail"... but
first let me say that I agree with you. Do pursue the Nerites or small
Strombus or Stomatellids instead as much more useful and safer
gastropods for this intended purpose> That was their answer to not
have any serpents or black brittle stars for eating detritus and poop.
The snails are $10.50, and I don't know anything about them, so I
didn't get any. <very wise move> But I haven't been able
to find anything about them on the web, except for shell collectors. I
am not going to buy a snail (or anything) for my tank if I don't
know how to support it or its compatibility. So what can you tell me
about it? <I cannot say for certain without a scientific name to be
sure we are talking about the same animal. Our crew here and our
friends/queries like yours are spread all around the world. Common
names like "orange Mitra" mean little to nothing at times. I
reckon yours is either and Acmaea limpet species (in which case it is
not reef safe, like most limpets... in this case eating at least your
desirable coralline algae)... or the snail is of the genus Mitra, in
which case is not an algae eater a'tall and is of dubious
omni-carnivorous nature. I'd avoid both> I have also been unable
to sustain the life of any brittle stars, but my tests read fine, and
no copper contamination. <there are several sea salts out there that
have received some notoriety/legend unexplained (may simply be QC if
even true) regarding the stunning/killing of starfish and snails for
example. By chance, are you using Crystal Sea salt?> I will check
the faq's before I ask anything specific. Thanks, Ben <for what
its worth... I strongly favor the long-standing quality and reputation
of Tropic Marin or Instant Ocean. Anthony>
Orange Mitra Snail II 3/28/04 thanks, as for the Mitra snail,
its appearance suggests that it would be within the genus Mitra by
comparison to the images found by the shell merchants (but no
resemblance to Rhona Mitra, from Tomb Raider and "the practice).
<ha! too bad> However, I will avoid it per your advice. <a
safer way, yes> as for the salt. I had initially setup with IO 18
months ago, but thought I got a 'good deal' on a 200gl bucket
of Red Sea, which plagued me with Cyano and moss smothering everything.
<some salts do seem to have issues with quality control. Public
opinion from actual/practical applications is outspoken in some
cases> My city is surrounded by farming and we have a high amount of
Phosphates in the water which certainly doesn't help. <do
consider a de-ionizer when you can... I like Kati/Ani brand (Drs Foster
and Smith)> Recently I moved (within the city) and have gone back to
IO, as I have finally used up most of the Red Sea. <good to hear
IMO> At the time of my starfish demise, there was probably a 50/50
ratio of salt types, not including what would have absorbed into the
substrate and rock. <best of luck, my friend. Anthony>
Sudden Nerites Death Syndrome - 4/15/03 Hello WWM crew.
<(2010 HAL voice) Good morning Dave. Ha! I always wanted to say
that! Just like HAL......Gosh, I am a nerd. Anyway, I'll just say
my name is Bob Fenner.....not Paul Mansur Hehehheeee> Before I go
any further, I'd like to thank you for the excellent job you guys
do....this website has proven to be an invaluable resource for me.
<Glad to hear it. That is why we do what we do. Thank you for
validating us> Now onto my question. I have a couple of Nerites
snails, and they appear to be dying slowly, and I'm completely
stumped on this one. I also have a couple keyhole limpets and a
bumblebee snail (which are doing fine, I might add), so I really am
quite unsure of what could be causing this. My tank param.s are as
follows-am-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-<10ppm, KH-9, CA-380. <Calcium
and KH are a little low. Not enough to kill them though. Sounds like
they could be starving or already sick. Do you quarantine?> As soon
as I put them in the tank, they choose a spot on the wall of the tank
and stay there, never moving at all, and eventually die. Absence of
food is no issue, as there are small amounts of filamentous algae for
them to graze on, <Hmmmmmm> so I really see no reason for this.
<Nor do I if food is not the most obvious issue here. Not totally
sure though> Is there something that Nerites, and snails in general,
are sensitive to? <Well, pretty much the same things that other
snails, limpets and many invertebrates would be sensitive to. Hard to
say what the problem is here but the limpet and the other snails would
tip you off if something were severely chemically wrong.> I know
they are intolerant of high nitrate levels, <To a degree> but
that is about all I know when it comes to these tank janitors.
<Well, food issues aside (try adding Nori), medications, chemicals,
various predatory animals, parasitic disease, or just plain highly
stressed animals are killers.> Hmmmm.... If you could provide any
insight here I would really appreciate it! Oh, btw, the only additions
to the tank as far as supplements are concerned are Kent essential
elements and C-balance. <Well. insight.... hmmmm.....could be any
number of the above I mentioned. Too hard to tell. How long has the
tank been set up? I have had some Nerites live for a short time in the
beginning months of my setup, but now almost two years later I have had
three Nerites in my tank for 5 months no problems. Try adding a sheet
of Nori or some type of sheet algae and see what that does, but nothing
stands out really. So many possibilities. One piece of insight might be
to steer clear of Nerites and try some other algae cleaner like an
Astrea, Trochus, margarita. That is about all I can come up with. So
sorry for the lack of a definitive answer. Try the various reef site
forums as well. Many knowledgeable snail keepers out there> Thanks
again, and kudos on the AWESOME website. <Thank you very much.
Paul> -Dave Conners
Olive Nerites Snails sold to go in garden ponds [Neritina
reclivata] Hi, I recently purchased three olive Nerites snails online
as the seller said that they are good in freshwater aquariums and are
also good for "cleaning" the algae in ponds. I have an
outdoor pond but bring my fish in for the winter. I treat my fishes
holding tank just like a pond, same water, same filter, etc. I bought
these snails strictly for the tank. So, when these snails were
delivered, they gave me five instead of three. After being placed in
the tank, they opened up almost right away and scattered. Now, it has
been about 24 hours and they are not moving much at all. <they may
have been recently collected/imported from an estuary... little or poor
acclimation to freshwater perhaps> So as I search on the Internet,
the only info that I have really found is that they are brackish water
snails. <true> My question is, are they ok for this type of set
up that I have, or am I doing them harm? Thanks so much Ashlee <some
aquarists claim to have success with these snails in FW... but they are
truly brackish. Take one specimen out and remove it to another vessel,
bucket or aquarium and salt the water very slightly and slowly over
some days to see if you get a positive response. This Nereid snail does
naturally invade freshwaters in Florida. Still... it would not be my
first choice for algae control in the FW pond or aquarium with so many
other proper FW species available. Best regards, Anthony>
Nerites Hey Bob, I figured that you'd be the person to
ask about contacts for getting a collection of a variety of marine
Nerites. We're doing a project to look at the taxonomy of the
marine Nerites and trying to get as many of the species as possible.
We're having trouble locating people who can supply us with a few
animals from different areas around the world. Do you have any
suggestions for who to contact in regards to buying about a half dozen
to 10 (preferably live, but EtOH preserved would be OK) snails of every
damn species of Nerites in the world ;) Thanks a million! Rob >>
<Hmm, think I do have just the person to contact (next)... Marty
Beals of Tideline (Los Angeles), he and his partner Dennis Mok mainly
deal in skeletons... but do have the most, best contacts for
opisthobranchs, live or no. 310-641-9106, fax 649-1131 And you're
welcome to say I referred you; these are old friends... Hey, not that
old! Bob Fenner
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