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Unread 07/23/2020, 09:26 PM   #1
CTaylor
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do nassarius snails eat acros?

Hi
I just saw a nassarius snail on an acropora branch (it's a live branch). It didn't fall on the branch, it was just on it.

** Is it eating the slime of the acro? I took it off as soon as I saw it, the area it was on is alive it seems still. Should i get rid of all my nassarius?

I dont have a lot of sand in the tank, over half is bare, a small area about 6x8" is 2" sand. The rest maybe 1/4 ". I feed quite a bit, but still there's not a lot of place for food to get stuck, I also have a good population of hermits.

TY


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Unread 07/24/2020, 05:19 AM   #2
Uncle99
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I have kept nasarrius snails for decades, the best snail ever for sand.
I have never seen them on rocks or corals, always sand, cause they dig themselves into the sand with just the sensor showing, some like the glass at night.

Are you sure it’s Nassarius, there are similar looking ones, maybe a pic?

Sometimes inhabitants behave strangely when food is scarce.

You need at least a 1” sand bed for these to be at home.


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Unread 07/24/2020, 04:16 PM   #3
xtremeyolks
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I've never seen my nassarius snails leave the sandbed...


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Unread 07/24/2020, 09:36 PM   #4
cody6766
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I've seen mine climb the glass when food hits the water...don't think I've ever seen one climb a rock at any point. I've had nassarius snails since my first tank in 2007. Is your acro missing any tissue after the snail moved on? If not, it was probably an odd coincidence or a drunk snail.


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Unread 07/24/2020, 10:53 PM   #5
sfdan
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My nassarius snails crawl on the sand, the glass, get stuck in my powerheads, crawl on rocks, crawl on corals. They are looking for detritus. I wouldn't worry about it.


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Unread 07/25/2020, 05:01 AM   #6
gprdypoo04
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Yeah mine too


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Unread 08/09/2020, 11:10 AM   #7
CTaylor
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The area was white, but didnt seem totally dead where I took the snail off. It just didnt look good. I saw the snail on the same coral again, this time snail is gone. It clearly likes this coral. Same result as far as how the area looks, just a larger area now, which totally became skeleton a few days later.

**I attached a pic. The snail is pretty big, about 3/4 inch.


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Unread 08/09/2020, 05:25 PM   #8
Sk8r
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True nassarius tend to stay subsand except when food is freshly provided. Nassarius look like their cousins the whelks, which are carnivores, and which are sometimes bought by mistake. I'm very suspicious of nassarius that don't stay sub-sand and are out crawling on corals.


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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Unread 08/09/2020, 06:03 PM   #9
CTaylor
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sk8r View Post
True nassarius tend to stay subsand except when food is freshly provided. Nassarius look like their cousins the whelks, which are carnivores, and which are sometimes bought by mistake. I'm very suspicious of nassarius that don't stay sub-sand and are out crawling on corals.
Hi
It was the best pic I could get of it as when it was in that container it didnt have it's periscope thingy . It might not be a nassarius, you're right, it just happens to be the same shape. I attached the only other 'best' pic i could take. All you can see is the shape of the shell and the spiral ridge lines.


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Unread 08/09/2020, 07:19 PM   #10
Sk8r
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Google 'Whelk versus Nassarius.'


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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