FAQs about Marine Snail
Identification 8
Related Articles: Gastropods, Sea Slugs, Mollusks, Abalone,
Related FAQs: Snail ID
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ID 24, Snail ID 25, Snail ID 26, & Marine Snails 1, Marine Snails 2, Marine Snails 3, Invertebrate ID, Snail Behavior, Snail Selection, Snail Compatibility, Snail Systems, Snail Feeding, Snail Disease, Snail Reproduction, Mollusks, Sea
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Re: what is it? 11/15/06 Dear
"crew", Ok, I'll look up some pictures of a Stomatella. I
have never heard of those, a few more FAQs on Stomatella's would be
great. It does have a shell. The little creature showed up again last
night and I reached in to touch him and there is a hard shell on his
back. Shannon <Mmm, use your search tool/s on/off WWM with the genus
name... Plenty there. Bob Fenner>
Re: Re: what is it? 11/15/06
Thank you for heading me in the right direction. After doing some more
research on a Stomatella, I am 100% sure I have
a Stomatellid. However, I am a bit concerned because the
posting that lead me to this critters name was about how they had over
run a tank. Is this a problem I should be concerned about? <Mmm,
highly unlikely> Since I have one, are there probably more that came
in with the live rock. How big will he become? <Not too large... not
a problem> It seems otherwise he will be a good cleaner for the tank
and I should just let him go about his business. Your thoughts and any
other facts on Stomatellids would be appreciated. Thank you, Shannon
<Mmm, the Net... Bob Fenner>
Bright green snail
10/26/06 Hi I have a 33 gal tank with 4 seahorses and just found a
pea sized very green snail on my plant on live rock. The shell and body
are same colour. Is it harmful to seahorses or plants? <Mmm, highly
unlikely> Thanks so much if you can help me out, I searched the web
and can't find info on it. Johanne <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Small white snails in marine tank - 08/26/06 I am
new to your site but I see others have written about this topic but
cannot locate the answer. I have about 50 small white snails
on the glass of my 55 gal fish only tank with live rock. Size of a
pinhead. Are they harmful? How can I get rid of
them? Will my starfish or other snails eat
these? Source of these pests? Thanks. Lynne
<<Lynne: It's hard to help you without a
picture. However, the most common small snails would be
either Collonistas (harmless) or pyramid (parasites to either other
snails or clams) snails. Do a search and see if you can
confirm what you have. A six line wrasse will eat small
snails. Best of luck, Roy>>
Goodbye Blastomussa 8/22/06 Bob,
Anthony, crew: Hope you are all well. Been a while, all has been
good. But you know, rarely do we mail you when things are
currently good :). Although I have sent along some thank
yous over the last year... Anyhoo, one day, my small colony of
blue zoo's 'poof' seemed to vanish. A couple
days later, my 14 head ruby/silver Blasto colony appeared to be down to
skeletal stages on about 7 polyps and fringes of others. <Bizarre...
frightening> I scooped it out to check and something launched (not
exaggerating) off the rock, landed on another rock and did a 'I
have squished myself into a small blob and now you don't see
me', so there - maneuver. <Mmmm> Well, I did see
it. And sucked it up in a baster. Now it lives in
a Tupperware. It looks like a whitish slug, about the size
of a nickel, with a somewhat darker top. Moves rather
fast. Multiple sensory tentacles (appx 4,
frontal). I am trying to get a clear pic but it is bland,
small and my camera is not the best. I have researched on the site as
well as the slug forum. Nothing. Any ideas or a
genus or something to point me in the right direction? Am I
looking for the Blasto/zoo eater in the wrong place and should return
the goober to the tank? Thanks much, best to you all Bill (Tirion)
<... need more to go on... Could be a fast-moving mollusk of some
sort... Perhaps a Notaspidean... that seemed to "jump"...
Please send along the pix... Bob Fenner> Re: Goodbye
Blastomussa 8/22/06 Crew; Strike some of
that. It has turned more darkish on top and I never touched
it previously (never be too careful).. However, I have found
that it has a thin shell like top but is still very
flattish. Very fast mover. Almost whelk like in
speed and movement. Mouth has no visible barbs or
rasps. Still no good pic. Thank you. <Still no
good guess. Bob Fenner>
Re: Goodbye Blastomussa 8/23/06 Bob,
Crew. I might have caused a ruckus over nothing. I now
believe this is a largish Stomatella. <Ah ha!> Had
never seen one this size prior, mostly smaller in refugiums and
'dingy' with that environment. Testing in my zoo
frag tank :) <Do keep your eyes peeled for others... Bob Fenner>
Mollusk ID...Keyhole Limpet? - 08/14/06
Hello, <<Good Evening>> I apologize for bothering you,
but I have been searching for hours to what this creature is.
<<No bother friend>> A few hours after the aquarium
lights went out I looked at my aquarium with a flashlight and came
across this odd guy. <<Ahh...indeed many cool things to espy
in our reef tanks after the lights go out!>> It almost looks
like a snail, but as I watched it, it seemed to excrete small white
particles at an interval of one every 30 seconds from the
tip. I took a few pictures, but when I went back later
it was gone. It's in a 180 gallon reef/fish tank
with 200lbs of live rock. It was pretty remarkable to
watch, but I'm concerned it may be bad news. Thank
you so much for any help and information you can provide, and for
your time. <<Well Jerry, this picture is not close
enough/clear enough to be sure...but from what I can see in the
picture and your description I believe you have a Keyhole
Limpet...and a beneficial herbivore if so. Try a Google
search re and see what you think>> Your web site has been
very handy in maintaining my reef. <<A collective
effort...we're happy you find the site useful>>
Sincerely,
<<Regards, Eric H. Russell>> |
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Unknown snail... 7/24/06 To the WWM
Crew,
Thank you for making
such a great and informative site. I recently noticed two
snails in my 55 gallon reef tank that must have hitch-hiked their way
in. I could not get a decent photograph due to their size;
about 1/8 of an inch. I became concerned with them when I
noticed things starting to disappear, and/or end up dead. I
have a very bare stock level for the take, and all my levels are at
zero. There was absolutely no reason for the deaths to occur
from what I know of. So far it was a healthy Coral Beauty,
and a large Peppermint Shrimp. The most aggressive thing in
my tank that I purposely put there is my Thai Damsel. Well,
these snails looked peculiar because they had a very large proboscis
extending from the shell, which is always waving around the
tank. They have a long shells and are very intricately
patterned brown and white. The bodies of the snails are a
mottled grey and cream color. I found them on the glass near
the top of the tank, and separated them into a fish bag and left the
bag in the tank. I was worried they might be a cone snail
species but still unsure. They were not grazing algae from
the glass, that I can tell. I know cone snails are more
prone to be in/on the sand bed. Are there any other snails
that have a large proboscis, that these might be? Ones that
just wave it around in search of something? Are there any
good books or websites that focus with pictures on
gastropods? Thank you for your
time, and great website. Sincerely,
Brett R. <<Brett: It seems highly unlikely
that such a small snail would cause the death of a fish and
shrimp. Since you don't have a picture, here are 3 links
to sites with pictures and/or more info. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snailidfaqs.htm
http://melevsreef.com/id/snails.html Here
is a link to the first of 3 articles on snails. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php Best
of luck, Roy>>
Beneficial Gastropod? - 07/15/06 Hi Crew,
<<Howdy!>> I've a couple of snails appeared,
presumably LR hitchhikers in my reef tank that I was wondering if
you could help me ID. <<Will try>> I've had a good
hunt about on this site and others, particularly Googling for
images. They don't seem to be cone snails or tulips
from what I've seen. <<Agreed>> They both have
tubes - proboscis? (similar to Nassarius snails).
<<Breathing tubes/siphons...similar to Nassarius
snails>> I've not seen them up to anything I disapprove
of yet, just grazing on the glass. <<I have these as well
(breed prolifically)...seem to be quite well behaved
detritivores>> Their shells are currently less than 2 cm
long. My main concern is if these will prove reef safe
or not. Please see 2 attached images. Cheers, PR
<<These do look to be a species of Nassarius...but notice the
eye stalks. I don't recall the name, but when
Anthony (Calfo) saw these in my tank he made mention of a tiny
"Conch", in fact the only conch he felt was suitable/reef
safe. But whether Nassarius or Conch, you should have
little concern over these Gastropods. Regards,
EricR>> |
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Smoking Hitchhikers 07/10/06 Hello, and thanks
again for all of your great information. <<Hello...and you're
quite welcome!>> I have used your site religiously since starting
out and things are going fine. <<Excellent>> My question
regards a few hitchhikers that have "appeared" in my tank.
<<What a neat hobby this is, eh?>> They seem to have the
slime over the shell. <<...?>> Some are black, some white.
<<Hmm, could this "slime" be a fleshy mantle?...cowries
perhaps?>> I have maybe 3 or 4. My concern is if they
are a danger to my soft corals. <<Hard to say without knowing
more/seeing a picture>> I have noticed every now and then they
stop and have a smoke. They start puffing little smoke
billows for about 10 puffs in a row and then it won't happen again
for a while. Any ideas? <<Is likely spawning
behavior>> I'm sorry I have no photo. Thanks so much, Jill
<<While unwanted hitchhikers are a possibility, often times these
incidental organisms are harmless, with most "cycling out" of
a system in short order. I would keep watch and enjoy the
critters while you can/remove them if it becomes apparent they are
harmful. Regards EricR>>
Thrum, thrum... Don Knotts is gone but not the
incredible Mr. Limpet 7/1/06 I have a 125 gallon
reef system that has been running for about a year and just recently I
found a snail that's shell looks like an abalone but it is only
about 1/2 a dime in size. It was found around what looks
like rows of eggs. Is this creature bad? if not what is it?
<Uhh, please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snailidfaqs.htm and the linked
files above. Bob Fenner>
Snail ID 6/17/06 Hi there, <Hi> We had a snail
named Speedy who met an unfortunate encounter with a crab this
evening, and we would like to be able to see if we can find another
one as my wife ended up being very attached to him. Can you help in
identifying what he is so we can ask the right
questions? He had both a horn and two little feelers at
the front, which doesn't quite come out with the
photos. We've seen the same shells in hermit crab
tanks locally so I'm sure it's quite a common one. Thanks
Denis C. <Looks like some type of Nassarius
snail. With a Google search you may be able to narrow it
down to species, but are fairly common in the
trade. Sometimes referred to as sand sifting snails or
burrowing snails.> <Chris> |
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Mystery Marine Snail - 06/09/06
Greetings WWM Crew, <<Morning Crystal>> First, a huge
thank you goes out to each one of you for doing what you do!
<<We are pleased to assist>> Your site has been a
tremendous help for me in setting up my tank.
<<Wonderful!>> Almost every question I've had has
been answered and clarified, so I now have a deeper (though still
'shallow' in the grand scheme of things) understanding of
how things "should" work. <<And your
"understanding" will only continue to improve...just
keep reading, researching>> So, on to my
question. I've cycled my new 47g tall tank with 45
pounds of live rock, 40 pounds of live sand and decided to start
stocking by adding a very basic, small clean-up
crew. I have two scarlet reef hermits and two
Nassarius distortus. Last night, one of the snails
popped up and stuck onto the glass while remaining very
still. This morning, when the lights came on, I found
him still there, but it had created this trail of yellow
palm-frond looking dots. <<I see them>> The entire
work measures approx. 2" long and is very
intricate. I have no idea what it is, and I've
looked over and over your site for an answer. Google
images yields no answers, and they look nothing like Nassarius
eggs. <<Agreed>> So now two questions come to mind,
the little guy looks exactly like Nassarius distortus, was sold
to me as such, and behaves as such. <<Though very difficult
to tell from the picture, but the shell of this snail looks more
narrow/elongate than the typical "Nassarius"
shell. Possibly a Cerith species>> But this is
odd - so is the answer simply that I do not actually have a
Nassarius distortus and that the snail is laying eggs?
<<Would be my guess...I have seen snails get mixed/confused
during selection/shipment before>> I don't think my
snails are happy enough to do this in just three weeks, but who
knows. <<Three weeks or three hours, wouldn't make a
difference to the snail as long as the proper environmental cues
were present>> I've included the best picture of it as
my camera could manage. <<Hmm, perhaps time for a new
camera <grin> >> Thank you in advance for any answers
or help! Crystal <<Thank you for writing so
well. Cheers, EricR>>
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Mystery Marine Snail II - 06/10/06 Hello again!
<<Howdy!>> Thank you for the quick response about the
eggs. <<You're quite welcome>> Per your suggestion,
I began looking at information on Cerith snails, and the eggs
certainly do look a lot more like theirs. I included
another photo of the snail coming out of the sand, and two of a
shell, sans snail (don't ask). <<Ruh Roh!>> Tell me
what you think! <<Hmm...from this angle, with the empty shell
photos, it indeed looks to be a Nassarius species. Try
searching this site for a positive ID: http://gastropods.com/
>> Was I indeed taken for a country rube and sold something
other than Nassarius? <<Maybe not>> I apologize for the
resolution, but all my money is currently floating in a large box
of salty water in the living room and is not being thrown at new
cameras. <grin> <<Ha! A common
issue>> Keep on truckin' and thanks again! Crystal
<<Always welcome, EricR>> |
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Who is this guy in my reef aquarium
4/12/06 Greetings from Portugal. <Hello Pedro> Can you
please tell me who is this guy in my reef aquarium? <Wish I
could... very nice photos... distinctive... has a shell like a
gastropod mollusk... an Ovulid?...> He's little, about half
inch (+- 1cm), and when he feels in danger a white liquid comes out
from he's shell (fig. 3). <Likely reproductive products and
no problem> I'm afraid about this white liquid and the
toxins on it since my shrimps don't like it and run away every
time this happens. <Mmm...> Best regards (sorry about my bad
English), Pedro Azevedo <Your English is perfect. Am going to
show these images about and see if someone can identify this
organism. Thank you for sending this along. Bob Fenner> |
MOLLUSK - OVULID? Dear Bob,
Hope all is well with you
guys. I'm sure you've been off and about - any
interesting shell finds while as of recent? <I do have some
shells to show you...> Sorry
for the delay in getting back to you re the requested shell i.d.
I was over in the P.I. & Thailand until early this
month & it's been a crazy rush since my
return. Hunting for new employees, and still dealing
with our conflict of business interest situation re our ex-sales
manager! My only comment - stay away from legal schist
if at all possible - I don't have one (comment) re
Workman's Comp.!!!! <Heee! Well I know...>
Anyway, if the little orangish
gastropod is from the Med., and indeed an Ovulid (an Ovulid should
have cephalic tentacles - not to mention eyes?), then it most
closely resembles (without examining it firsthand) Simnia
nicaeensis Risso 1826. <Ahh!, thank you Marty>
If the fellow really is
determined to find out what it is - see if he knows
origin/locality, I'll then see if John can i.d. - he's
better on general misc. Gastropoda by far! As a parting
thought - if it is an Ovulid - it shouldn't last very long
without its host! <Agreed>
Regards, Marty <Hope to see you
soon. Hello to Angela, Harry, John... Bob F> Marty Beals
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