Help! My new snails are all stuck together!

t-dizzle · 04/27/2006, 10:21 PM

I'm acclimating 10 trochus snails (plus 1 red-legged hermit hitchhiker

), but all 10 of them are stuck together in one clump. Is it safe to (gently) pull them apart before placing them on my LR, or should I just put them in the tank as one big clump and let them separate on their own?

Thanks!
T./

CrOsSwIrE · 04/27/2006, 10:24 PM

I'm not a snail expert or anything, but I'd put them in there first and if they dont separate on their own then go to plan b.

six.line · 04/27/2006, 10:29 PM

Leave them alone, they'll be fine.

Ti · 04/27/2006, 11:01 PM

wait

t-dizzle · 04/28/2006, 12:47 AM

OK, three wise reefers can't be wrong...and they aren't!

9 of the snails were attached in one clump, so I placed them all on a flat area of live rock. Within a few minutes almost all had separated. I think the smallest of the bunch is DOA, though...it'll probably end up as a new home for the hermit. :-)

Thanks for your advice, folks!

T./

Sk8r · 04/28/2006, 09:04 AM

Your pointy snails sometimes fall over and can't get up---they're not accustomed to open sand. If you see this situation, nudge it upright with a net handle or chopstick until it's near rockwork and then it will save itself.

t-dizzle · 04/28/2006, 09:23 AM

Thanks for the tip, Sk8r! I bought trochus snails, which the LFS said were better at righting themselves than astrea snails. I'll be on the lookout for overturned snails, though.

T./

Travis L. Stevens · 04/28/2006, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by t-dizzle
OK, three wise reefers can't be wrong...and they aren't!

9 of the snails were attached in one clump, so I placed them all on a flat area of live rock. Within a few minutes almost all had separated. I think the smallest of the bunch is DOA, though...it'll probably end up as a new home for the hermit. :-)

Thanks for your advice, folks!

T./

They were probably eating the dead snail. Hence why they were clumped on it. Just a little FYI

t-dizzle · 04/28/2006, 09:28 AM

Snails eat other snails? No kidding?

Actually, the dead one was the only one not part of the clump.

T./

04/27/2006, 10:21 PM	#1
t-dizzle Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 158	Help! My new snails are all stuck together! I'm acclimating 10 trochus snails (plus 1 red-legged hermit hitchhiker ), but all 10 of them are stuck together in one clump. Is it safe to (gently) pull them apart before placing them on my LR, or should I just put them in the tank as one big clump and let them separate on their own? Thanks! T./ __________________ "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan Visit my gallery to see my tank evolve from bare glass into a beautiful reef! Current Tank Info: 26 bowfront w/ 40 lbs. Fiji LR, 40 lbs. sand, Remora, 2 MJ1200 PHs, 65w dual daylight/65w dual actinic/moonlight, various snails, 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 diamond goby, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of softies, mushrooms and zoos slowly moving in!

04/27/2006, 10:29 PM	#3
six.line Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 775	Leave them alone, they'll be fine. __________________ This post approved by Mrs. Sixline. assign <= six.line(#FFFFFF && string("nerdy")) Current Tank Info: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump

04/27/2006, 11:01 PM	#4
Ti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 7,927	wait __________________ Hair algae is my Macro algae.

04/28/2006, 12:47 AM	#5
t-dizzle Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 158	OK, three wise reefers can't be wrong...and they aren't! 9 of the snails were attached in one clump, so I placed them all on a flat area of live rock. Within a few minutes almost all had separated. I think the smallest of the bunch is DOA, though...it'll probably end up as a new home for the hermit. :-) Thanks for your advice, folks! T./ __________________ "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan Visit my gallery to see my tank evolve from bare glass into a beautiful reef! Current Tank Info: 26 bowfront w/ 40 lbs. Fiji LR, 40 lbs. sand, Remora, 2 MJ1200 PHs, 65w dual daylight/65w dual actinic/moonlight, various snails, 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 diamond goby, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of softies, mushrooms and zoos slowly moving in!

04/28/2006, 09:04 AM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Your pointy snails sometimes fall over and can't get up---they're not accustomed to open sand. If you see this situation, nudge it upright with a net handle or chopstick until it's near rockwork and then it will save itself. __________________ Sk8r 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%.

04/27/2006, 10:24 PM	#2
CrOsSwIrE Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: dwight, IL Posts: 223	I'm not a snail expert or anything, but I'd put them in there first and if they dont separate on their own then go to plan b.

04/28/2006, 09:23 AM	#7
t-dizzle Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 158	Thanks for the tip, Sk8r! I bought trochus snails, which the LFS said were better at righting themselves than astrea snails. I'll be on the lookout for overturned snails, though. T./ __________________ "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan Visit my gallery to see my tank evolve from bare glass into a beautiful reef! Current Tank Info: 26 bowfront w/ 40 lbs. Fiji LR, 40 lbs. sand, Remora, 2 MJ1200 PHs, 65w dual daylight/65w dual actinic/moonlight, various snails, 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 diamond goby, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of softies, mushrooms and zoos slowly moving in!

04/28/2006, 09:28 AM	#9
t-dizzle Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 158	Snails eat other snails? No kidding? Actually, the dead one was the only one not part of the clump. T./ __________________ "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan Visit my gallery to see my tank evolve from bare glass into a beautiful reef! Current Tank Info: 26 bowfront w/ 40 lbs. Fiji LR, 40 lbs. sand, Remora, 2 MJ1200 PHs, 65w dual daylight/65w dual actinic/moonlight, various snails, 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 diamond goby, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of softies, mushrooms and zoos slowly moving in!