cultivatedreef
10/23/2007, 05:14 PM
Hello
I was wondering if someone here from the liveAquaria might help me. I would liked to get a large number of red banded throchus snails, also sometimes called black footed throchus snails, for a good sized coral propagation system. These can be hard to get, and I was happy to see them on your sight. The trouble I am having is pinning down what you actually have or what I will get. The description is a bit vague as is states “depending on the exact species.” When I called customer support they said they could not confirm or tell me what species would be sent.
The issue is I have is that in my experience there is a huge difference in the behavior and viability characteristics of throchus snails. The red banded throchus are, in my opinion, the best snail for a propagation system or for that mater a reef tank. I have had other species of throchus “substituted” in wholesale livestock orders for red banded, and they were awful. All died within 3 months. The primary difference is the red banded has the ability to turn over if it falls on its back. The other throchus, such as the pyramid throchus, does not and all eventually died when they fell off the walls of plastic tanks or off egg crate. They were worse than astraea. Also the red banded are much more nimble and faster than any other throchus or other genus of snail I have used in the propagation system.
To further confuse the description on you site, the red banded has a black foot which is off white or tan on the bottom, but the pyramid has an solid off white tan foot. The listing states “Depending on the exact species these snails may have either a black or an off white/tan foot.” Personally I could care less of the color of the foot, what I care about is what snail I will actually be getting before dropping several hundred dollars in snails. If they are red banded it is worth it. If there are pyramid throchus or some other species, it is essentially flushing money down the protein skimmer. The snail pictured on your site for the listing is a red banded throchus.
If there is anyway you could let me know what you would be sending if I ordered 100 to 200 of these that would be very helpful.
If I may throw in my opinion, I think it would be helpful to all customers, as you would be doing them a disservice to have a picture of a red banded throchus, but actually in the fine print be selling them any kind of throchus you may happen to have. It would border on bait and switch, as the red banded is the desirable one, and the others I have worked with are not. It would be like having a picture of a royal urchin, or blue tuxedo urchin, but state that you will actually be sent just some kind of urchin, and it turns out it could be a long spine or a rock boring (I know the same genus element does not apply in the comparison but the point is the same. )
Thanks in advance for your help.
I was wondering if someone here from the liveAquaria might help me. I would liked to get a large number of red banded throchus snails, also sometimes called black footed throchus snails, for a good sized coral propagation system. These can be hard to get, and I was happy to see them on your sight. The trouble I am having is pinning down what you actually have or what I will get. The description is a bit vague as is states “depending on the exact species.” When I called customer support they said they could not confirm or tell me what species would be sent.
The issue is I have is that in my experience there is a huge difference in the behavior and viability characteristics of throchus snails. The red banded throchus are, in my opinion, the best snail for a propagation system or for that mater a reef tank. I have had other species of throchus “substituted” in wholesale livestock orders for red banded, and they were awful. All died within 3 months. The primary difference is the red banded has the ability to turn over if it falls on its back. The other throchus, such as the pyramid throchus, does not and all eventually died when they fell off the walls of plastic tanks or off egg crate. They were worse than astraea. Also the red banded are much more nimble and faster than any other throchus or other genus of snail I have used in the propagation system.
To further confuse the description on you site, the red banded has a black foot which is off white or tan on the bottom, but the pyramid has an solid off white tan foot. The listing states “Depending on the exact species these snails may have either a black or an off white/tan foot.” Personally I could care less of the color of the foot, what I care about is what snail I will actually be getting before dropping several hundred dollars in snails. If they are red banded it is worth it. If there are pyramid throchus or some other species, it is essentially flushing money down the protein skimmer. The snail pictured on your site for the listing is a red banded throchus.
If there is anyway you could let me know what you would be sending if I ordered 100 to 200 of these that would be very helpful.
If I may throw in my opinion, I think it would be helpful to all customers, as you would be doing them a disservice to have a picture of a red banded throchus, but actually in the fine print be selling them any kind of throchus you may happen to have. It would border on bait and switch, as the red banded is the desirable one, and the others I have worked with are not. It would be like having a picture of a royal urchin, or blue tuxedo urchin, but state that you will actually be sent just some kind of urchin, and it turns out it could be a long spine or a rock boring (I know the same genus element does not apply in the comparison but the point is the same. )
Thanks in advance for your help.