Cerith snails

yardboy · 08-08-2003, 03:11 PM

I was checking out a website that sold cerith snails and wondered how good they'd be for my tank.
Also, if they are good, how could you go about quarantining them if you collect them from the wild. There are about one trillion of them off the coast here and can't really see paying even a $1 for them since they're probably collected and sold by the companies anyway. Anyone have suggestions on what a sick snail would look like, and how long I should keep them in quarantine?

MontanaRocknReefer · 08-08-2003, 03:22 PM

Cerith snails do a very wonderful thing. Not only do they eat algae!...and detris...but they also eat cyanobacteria!

Don't know about wild snails and telling a healthy one unless you have to wiggle it back and forth to get it off the rock then I would say healthy! I acclimated my snails for about an hour maybe more from an on-line store.

Jimmer · 08-08-2003, 03:26 PM

Talk to Jay, he has a time tested routine for acclimating snails...

Reefer Addict · 08-08-2003, 06:19 PM

The cool thing about ceriths is they also burrow into the top layer of the sand so they keep it stirred... mine also like eating the diatoms that grow just beneath the top layer of the sandbed on the glass.
They're also one of the more expensive snails, aside from conch's... I'd say that if they're healthy in the wild you shouldn't have any problem with them in your tank... I've not heard of any diseases that were transferred from snails to other marine creatures... though they may infect other snails you have in your tank.