Collonista snails are a MENACE!!!!

bimmer88 · 04/16/2013, 01:54 AM

aaaaarrrrgghhhhh!!!!!! so about 2-3 months ago i started noticing a few of these tiny snails in my tank and i thought they were baby astrea snails or something... then they started multiplying really quick and getting all over the place... i went online and did my research on them... all sites say they are beneficial because they are good grazers... so i continued to let them grow... now they are ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!! I've probably got thousands of these things in my tank... I don't really mind that....

The problem is that they keep getting stuck in my equipment... I noticed my skimmer was performing kind of crappy... I cleaned my skimmer's pump the other day and there were a bunch of them stuck in the pinwheel... once i cleaned them out my skimmer was performing like a champ again... then a few days later performance sucked again!!! Cleaned the pump and sure enough there were a bunch of them stuck in there... They also get stuck in my powerheads that are running my media reactors... I'm worried they might get stuck in the sensor for my ATO and cause my sump to overflow...

I don't see them much during the day but at night when the lights are off, they are all over... So for the last few nights i've been waiting till it gets dark and trying to manually remove as many as I can... I've probably been throwing away 50 of these things each night and there's still a ton!!!

If you guys start noticing these guys in your tank pick them out and throw them away before they spread!!!!

Caronte · 04/16/2013, 02:09 AM

How old is your tank? I remember haves tons of them during my first year, then as the tank mature and the algae scarce their population stabilize. They're part of the ending of the cycling I think

bimmer88 · 04/16/2013, 02:14 AM

Definitely not a new tank... My tank's been running for 4.5 years...

bmullikin1 · 04/16/2013, 03:10 AM

could you run a filter sock in sump, so they will get caught in that, instead of equipment.

bimmer88 · 04/16/2013, 01:28 PM

too late for that... i've already got an infestation of the suckers in my fuge...

Caronte · 04/16/2013, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmullikin1

could you run a filter sock in sump, so they will get caught in that, instead of equipment.

I do, probably that's the reason they never clog my equipment. I still having them but they're always in the Rocks, and very rarely a few climb on the glass. Maybe because I clean the glass every day, there is no algae that attracts them to climb the glass? So far, they don't bother me at all.

bimmer88 · 04/17/2013, 02:08 AM

Just to give you guys an idea of how of these things i'm been throwing away each night on my nightly sweeps....

JPMagyar · 04/17/2013, 04:32 AM

Have you researched to see if they have any natural predators? A wrasse of some kind maybe? Just wondering.

Caronte · 04/17/2013, 01:00 PM

And how much algae you have in your tank?, How are your phosphates? As far as I know, this fellows are herbivores only

bimmer88 · 04/17/2013, 01:59 PM

Looking into maybe a six line wrasse... not sure if it would work though because these guys are nocturnal and fish go to sleep when the lights are off... I don't have much algae... very mild Cyano outbreak but nothing bad... phosphates are at about .03

Caronte · 04/18/2013, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimmer88

Looking into maybe a six line wrasse... not sure if it would work though because these guys are nocturnal and fish go to sleep when the lights are off... I don't have much algae... very mild Cyano outbreak but nothing bad... phosphates are at about .03

Try a very large turkey buster and start suction them. It works for me in the past, catching most of those nocturnal pest armed with a flashlight too.
I don't think the wrasse will work. They can give you more problems.

bimmer88 · 04/30/2013, 05:56 PM

I've given up on trying to catch these things... there are way too many... when I check the tank at night, they are everywhere and cover everything... What i did do though was clean out my sump, took out all sand from my fuge and tried to make sure I threw away every one of these suckers I have in there. I wasn't using filter socks before but I'm doing it now just so that I can try to keep these suckers out of my sump and skimmer.

aandfsoccr04 · 04/30/2013, 07:16 PM

I wonder if I have those in my tank too. I've been noticing a growing number of very tiny snails. Pretty brightly colored shells and don't seem to bother much.

bimmer88 · 04/30/2013, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aandfsoccr04

I wonder if I have those in my tank too. I've been noticing a growing number of very tiny snails. Pretty brightly colored shells and don't seem to bother much.

Yeah those may be collonista snails... They're not much of a pest until their numbers grow uncontrollable....

MARINECRITTERS · 04/30/2013, 07:51 PM

I have an infestation as well, I like them though, just adds on to the diversity in my tank, I have never had any issues of them clogging filtration, but I must admit I see thousands at night.

ohioreef · 04/30/2013, 08:00 PM

Feel like bagging up a bunch and shipping to me?

Salmo salar · 08/16/2014, 06:21 PM

I like them. oops ancient thread sorry.

DENIZSEAMAR · 04/04/2015, 12:58 PM

Ancient thread but infestations still exist

I have thousand/s maybe. Esp at night. I hvae GHA problem and dont have any corals so I amnt complaining. But interestingly some of them climb out of water and stay there untill they are dead or I suppose they are dead. Once I caught my cleaner shrimp on my Tunze pump at night just behind them. Probably late night snack of his

04/16/2013, 01:54 AM	#1
bimmer88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Elk Grove, ca Posts: 821	Collonista snails are a MENACE!!!! aaaaarrrrgghhhhh!!!!!! so about 2-3 months ago i started noticing a few of these tiny snails in my tank and i thought they were baby astrea snails or something... then they started multiplying really quick and getting all over the place... i went online and did my research on them... all sites say they are beneficial because they are good grazers... so i continued to let them grow... now they are ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!! I've probably got thousands of these things in my tank... I don't really mind that.... The problem is that they keep getting stuck in my equipment... I noticed my skimmer was performing kind of crappy... I cleaned my skimmer's pump the other day and there were a bunch of them stuck in the pinwheel... once i cleaned them out my skimmer was performing like a champ again... then a few days later performance sucked again!!! Cleaned the pump and sure enough there were a bunch of them stuck in there... They also get stuck in my powerheads that are running my media reactors... I'm worried they might get stuck in the sensor for my ATO and cause my sump to overflow... I don't see them much during the day but at night when the lights are off, they are all over... So for the last few nights i've been waiting till it gets dark and trying to manually remove as many as I can... I've probably been throwing away 50 of these things each night and there's still a ton!!! If you guys start noticing these guys in your tank pick them out and throw them away before they spread!!!!

04/17/2013, 04:32 AM	#8
JPMagyar Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NY,NY Posts: 2,072	Have you researched to see if they have any natural predators? A wrasse of some kind maybe? Just wondering. __________________ Joe Peck TOTM Apr. 2013 Advanced Aquarist Featured Tank March 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine journalist, and all around SPS nut! Current Tank Info: 240 with 750 gal total system, ATI LED Powermodule, MTC-HSA 1000. MTC Pro-Cal..

04/30/2013, 07:16 PM	#13
aandfsoccr04 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 3,561	I wonder if I have those in my tank too. I've been noticing a growing number of very tiny snails. Pretty brightly colored shells and don't seem to bother much. __________________ 120 gallon mixed reef

04/30/2013, 07:51 PM	#15
MARINECRITTERS Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 1,525	I have an infestation as well, I like them though, just adds on to the diversity in my tank, I have never had any issues of them clogging filtration, but I must admit I see thousands at night. __________________ MarineCritters, life in the sea is superb Current Tank Info: 91 Gallon Reef

04/30/2013, 08:00 PM	#16
ohioreef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Western Ohio Posts: 3,106	Feel like bagging up a bunch and shipping to me? __________________ Gary

04/16/2013, 02:09 AM	#2
Caronte Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Northen California Posts: 136	How old is your tank? I remember haves tons of them during my first year, then as the tank mature and the algae scarce their population stabilize. They're part of the ending of the cycling I think

04/16/2013, 02:14 AM	#3
bimmer88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Elk Grove, ca Posts: 821	Definitely not a new tank... My tank's been running for 4.5 years...

04/16/2013, 03:10 AM	#4
bmullikin1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: seminole florida Posts: 1,797	could you run a filter sock in sump, so they will get caught in that, instead of equipment.

04/16/2013, 01:28 PM	#5
bimmer88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Elk Grove, ca Posts: 821	too late for that... i've already got an infestation of the suckers in my fuge...

04/17/2013, 01:00 PM	#9
Caronte Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Northen California Posts: 136	And how much algae you have in your tank?, How are your phosphates? As far as I know, this fellows are herbivores only

04/17/2013, 01:59 PM	#10
bimmer88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Elk Grove, ca Posts: 821	Looking into maybe a six line wrasse... not sure if it would work though because these guys are nocturnal and fish go to sleep when the lights are off... I don't have much algae... very mild Cyano outbreak but nothing bad... phosphates are at about .03

04/30/2013, 05:56 PM	#12
bimmer88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Elk Grove, ca Posts: 821	I've given up on trying to catch these things... there are way too many... when I check the tank at night, they are everywhere and cover everything... What i did do though was clean out my sump, took out all sand from my fuge and tried to make sure I threw away every one of these suckers I have in there. I wasn't using filter socks before but I'm doing it now just so that I can try to keep these suckers out of my sump and skimmer.

08/16/2014, 06:21 PM	#17
Salmo salar Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Maine Posts: 37	I like them. oops ancient thread sorry.

04/04/2015, 12:58 PM	#18
DENIZSEAMAR Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 97	Ancient thread but infestations still exist I have thousand/s maybe. Esp at night. I hvae GHA problem and dont have any corals so I amnt complaining. But interestingly some of them climb out of water and stay there untill they are dead or I suppose they are dead. Once I caught my cleaner shrimp on my Tunze pump at night just behind them. Probably late night snack of his