Heliacus sp. snail

[Tadashi]

I just came across a picture of this snail on pg 291 in TRA vol 2 and it says that this snail should be immediately removed. Unfortunately, it does not say why.

I have had one that looks exactly like the picture on my green button polyps for the last year. It does not leave the rock and has not seemed to kill any of the polyps. What is so bad about this snail?

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"Honey, put the bleach down and step away from the reef tank. I promise we will spend more quality time together."
My Itty-Bitty Reef site (http://www.geocities.com/ktchinn)

[rshimek]

Tadashi,

These snails are specialized to eat zoanthids. I would suggest if you remove it you will find your polyp colony to have a major growth spurt.

They typically eat a polyp every day or two.



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Cheers, Ron

"Under the most rigorously controlled conditions of pressure, temperature, humidity, and other variables, the organism will do as it damn well pleases." Anon.

[Steve Richardson]

Yeah... get rid of it.

These little 'vampires' drill into and suck the life out of your zoos. Nasty & effective.

Checkerbox pattern is I think a distinguishing feature, but I tend to look for the little 'dunce cap' plug in the opening of the shell.

Would this be right Ron?

-S

[rshimek]

You got it, Steve.

[Tadashi]

Cool, thanks for the info. Now that I think of it my buddy has a poly rock the same size we got at the same time (from same place) and his is bigger now. I though it may have been because of his 100-gal versus my 12-gal.

------------------
"Honey, put the bleach down and step away from the reef tank. I promise we will spend more quality time together."
My Itty-Bitty Reef site (http://www.geocities.com/ktchinn)