Pyramid Snails only eat clams?

[falconut]

I occationally have some tiny (1/16"), white snails hanging onto some of the Astrea Snails. They have a long white shell and look like the photos I've seen for Pyramid's.

I hear that the will starve and die without food. My tank has been running for a little over a year. I've never had a clam. Do they also feed off of the Astrea Snails?

Is it possible they are accually a different type of snail? I know it's hard without a photo, but my photos of them never come out any good. I'm just currious if they could be something else, since I don't have any clams, but am considering one.

[Ereefic]

They eat astrea snails as well as clams.

[Weatherman]

And, in sufficient numbers, pyramid snails will kill astreas.

[falconut]

Are they the only snails that they will eat? Also, if I remove all the Astrea Snails. How long before the Pyramids die off?

[Weatherman]

The ones I had killed both astreas and Mexican Turbos, however, they appeared to prefer astreas. Once all the astreas were gone, I'd see a couple attached to the Mexican Turbos' shells, but the number was significantly reduced.

They left the Margarites alone.

The host preference depends on the species. Some will only attack clams.

Once the hosts are gone, the pyramid snails only last a few weeks before they are gone, too.

[falconut]

Where do they attack the clams? Around the Mantles or underneath?

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6910662#post6910662 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by falconut
Where do they attack the clams? Around the Mantles or underneath?

both

[Johnsteph10]

I can't repeat enough that there are multiple kinds of pyramid snails - there are obligate parasites (meaning they must feed off of them to survive) for clams and for snails - but not both.

No pyramid snail sp. feeds off of both snails and clams. They can only be imported on either snails (for the snail variety) or clams (for the clam variety).

If you have no clams in your tank, then you cannot have the parasites that feed on clams as they quickly starve. You can only introduce them on clams that already have the snails feeding off of them. Same for snails (typically astreas).

In the wild, this is very common and a clam or snail may only have a few on it and be totally fine. However, in our closed systems, the snails can reproduce out of control and feed off a limited supply...thus leading to problems.

[mbbuna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6913698#post6913698 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Johnsteph10


No pyramid snail sp. feeds off of both snails and clams. They can only be imported on either snails (for the snail variety) or clams (for the clam variety).

do you have any documentation on that? i would love to see it!