Sun Dial Snails

[Primetime33]

I am starting to notice a few sun dial snails in my Zoa/Paly Frag tank. Does anyone know of a way to get rid of these besides plucking them one by one?

Thank you,
Brock

[650-IS350]

I dunno if the usually employed wrasses would bother with them, but manual removal is best. Maybe do a interceptor treament since its only a frag tank.

[Nikee1404]

Yellow Coris/Canary Wrasse will usually take care of them for you with the addition of a few more reef pests.

[cloak]

Plucking them one by one is probably your best option.

[Primetime33]

I would love to get a a wrasse of some sort, but my frag tank is only 12" high so they may jump out too easily. So I may have to resort to the one by one eradication :(.

[650-IS350]

I have a 1 1/2" six line in my 20gal... open top.

[Nikee1404]

What are the dimensions of your frag tank? I bought a screen for a reptile terrarium to put on my 20 gallon reef. I just used wire cutters to cut slits and openings for my overflow and light fixture. I got mine for $15 or you could make one. Your LFS should carry them.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752182&lmdn=Habitats+%26amp%3B+Accessories

[Pufferpunk]

Can you post a pic of your snails? There is a very similar one often mis-IDed as sundial.

[Primetime33]

As soon as I see another one, I will post a pic.
the tanks measures 24x24x12 but I dont know if I want to put a screen on top of it. :(

[cloak]

Anything like this?

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jAb83_2007/sundial.jpg

[Primetime33]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15308730#post15308730 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloak
Anything like this?

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w16/jAb83_2007/sundial.jpg

Yes,
Those are the buggers that I am seeing.

[Pufferpunk]

Before you decide on that, you should see the ones that are mis-IDed as sundials. Very close to sundials but totally harmeless. Are you noticing zoas missing?

[650-IS350]

When in doubt.......

[Primetime33]

Yes, Zoas are coming up missing for sure!!
Can you point me to the ones that are mis-ided ?

[dark_stranger]

as a few others have said, there are similar snails that look like sundials, such as Collonista Snails .

[ct_vol]

Collonista Snails are smaller than Sundials and do not have the conical trap...

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/cucbasic/2collonistaleft.jpg

I tend to agree with cloak in that manual removal is probably your best option, however I have never experienced an infestation, just a couple coming in on wild collected colonies...

[dark_stranger]

i am aware of that, but suspect the OP hasnt check the snails hatch & simply saw a small black & white checked snail. I have 100's of these snails & their population increases/decreases dependant of food source & I wouldnt want him/her to have to pick out lots of snails unnecessarily.

[ct_vol]

I was agreeing with you dark_stranger... I was posting an image so that the OP could see the similarities for himself... :) Cheers...

[dark_stranger]

opp's

[Primetime33]

ok.. sorry it took soo long to get back to this thread... I have been wanting to get a better pic of a larger "sun dial". I found this guy on top of one of my colonies. He was probably munching away as the mini-colony was missing a few polyps..


Is the real deal or an impostor?
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb164/primetime33lions/SunDial.jpg

[650-IS350]

Brock my friend, I believe you might be in bad luck....

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/sundial_snail.html

http://www.zoaid.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=424

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestsnailfaqs.htm

http://www.melevsreef.com/archives/2005_07_01_archive.html
almost at the bottom of the thread.

http://www.horozbina.com/icerik/1699/Sundial-snail---Heliacus-Areola.html

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/sundial.shtml

[650-IS350]

can you post pics of the underside exposing the cover of the opening of the shell.

[jeremystotts]

Ive taken 2 out of my SPS tank that only has 1 Zoa colony in it and haven't seen any more for a couple months. What is everyone's experience with this snail popping up again, do they seem to reproduce a lot or are they more likely to have come in as a hitchhiker and if you get them out most likely I wont have any more problems?

thanks

and if your(primetime33) snail has the cone shaped tail its most likely a sundial

[Primetime33]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15387875#post15387875 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 650-IS350
Brock my friend, I believe you might be in bad luck....

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/sundial_snail.html

http://www.zoaid.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=424

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestsnailfaqs.htm

http://www.melevsreef.com/archives/2005_07_01_archive.html
almost at the bottom of the thread.

http://www.horozbina.com/icerik/1699/Sundial-snail---Heliacus-Areola.html

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/sundial.shtml

I kind of thought I was in for some trouble. Any way of helping eradicate these %^%#@& snails besides one by one picking them out?
I also pulled out a few clear "mucous-like" sacks from under one of the rocks. It had white "eggs" in it.

[Primetime33]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15387889#post15387889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 650-IS350
can you post pics of the underside exposing the cover of the opening of the shell.

This is the best shot I have...

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb164/primetime33lions/Sundial_underside.jpg

[650-IS350]

Yup, the little triagular rattle like tip ... its a preadator. Good you got the egg masses. Check the tank glass/walls for egg sacks too besides the bases of the polyps. Manual removal is what's know to help at this point.

[Primetime33]

Ok. I will definitely be doing more inspections over the next few days. I will start my VIT C dosing again. I was thinking that the VIT C was causing the zoas to come up missing, so I stopped dosing. Hopefully my Zoas will start reopening.

Thanks for all the tips and info!!! :)

[650-IS350]

watch for the Alk/KH rising with the VitaC treatment. I stopped with it, really screwed up my system for months, lost lots of corals. I could be a select few but I don't want to risk more than I already have.

[Primetime33]

Are you saying that dosing screwed up ur tank or when you stopped dosing it got screwed up?

[650-IS350]

While dosing, the recommended amount daily (morning/night time )... KH went up to high 20s.

lost all the polyps that were left from my previous tank crash (except for PPE/NG/PD) everything else was gone. Lost a lot of my Tyree SPS/LPS, and other collector chalices and such. Very hard lesson learned. Mine could be one of the few issues but I won't do it again, still have 2 bottle left too. took me a couple months and $$$$$$$ to restock my tank... see the empty boxes of deliveries..

This is not all the boxes either.....I've stopped buying since finishing accquiring some pieces again.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n230/delsol650/DSC05158.jpg

[Primetime33]

WOW!!! Sorry to hear that happened. Maybe I will rethink my VIT C dosing. I had been dosing for almost a year now, but only once a day.

[650-IS350]

If it aint broke then don't try to fix it. If it aint doing harm then why stop. It was my own experience in my tank which made me stop and not go back to it again.

keep me updated on your situation.