tiny snails are eating my zoa's

BnG · #1 03/11/2005, 11:34 PM

what can I do?

the tank is teeming with them

Andrew · #2 03/12/2005, 12:36 AM

Take the snails out if they are eating them.

ramtheory · #3 03/12/2005, 01:07 AM

RO/DI dip w/ Lugol, do they look like this?

Sundial Snail

ramtheory · #4 03/12/2005, 01:14 AM

Quarantine your zoas if you can till you get them under control "snails".

BnG · #5 03/12/2005, 09:59 AM

They are tiny.

Smaller than a pin head, but they do have a dark spot at intervals around their shell similiar to the picture above.

The damage started with one frag that was healthy and fine for a while(a week or two), then started declining. I dipped them when they started looking bad. They melted away completely. Next was some others on the same large rock and nearby and now everywhere except zoo frags down on the sand away from the rock work.

BnG · #6 03/12/2005, 10:01 AM

Looking back the decline of that first piece may have started not long after I got rid of my six-line wrasse. Maybe he was controlling them?

ramtheory · #7 03/12/2005, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BnG
Looking back the decline of that first piece may have started not long after I got rid of my six-line wrasse. Maybe he was controlling them?

It is possible six-lines are nasty little boogers. What was your dip recipe, tank parameters? Something caused your zoas to stress and melt. The above pic is a sundial which are used to control zoa populations if you know what I mean.

BnG · #8 03/12/2005, 03:17 PM

damage

Suspects

Paul79936 · #9 03/12/2005, 03:31 PM

Sounds like a question for Dr. Ron.

mfinn · #10 03/13/2005, 01:31 PM

Those do not look like sundial snails. The easiest way to identify sundial snails is the cone shaped door and checker board pattern on the shell.

poknsnok · #11 03/15/2005, 01:08 PM

ive got those in my tank too and my zo's are suffering. however i heard if they are scattered throughout the tank they are NOT harmful to the zo's. if they are concentrated on the zo's thats no good

john76 · #12 03/15/2005, 03:33 PM

Those look like tiny nerites

Sugar Magnolia · #13 03/15/2005, 03:39 PM

Those are called colonista snails and they are perfectly harmless film algae grazers. They are nocturnal in nature and tend to hide in the crevices of LR and under corals during the day. They are definitely NOT the reason you're having trouble with your zoos, since they aren't coral eaters.

Sounds to me like your zoos developed that nasty fungus and are just dying off because of that.

GreshamH · #14 03/15/2005, 10:38 PM

Yup, perfectly safe. I've had em for years w/o any coral damage. I've had problems with them verse power heads and becket injectors though

Darn those little becket injector clogging snails!!!

marc6 · #15 03/28/2005, 10:38 PM

so to clarify, the snails in bng's picture are harmless to zoos? I have many of them and just want to make sure. thanks
marc

GreshamH · #16 03/29/2005, 06:09 AM

Yes, harmless.