Clams and little snails...

[Lostmind]

I know they are bad (pyramellid or rice snails?) and I know I have them.

What I dont know is how I got them, as my latest clams were added over 2 months ago. And I spent a good majority of each day staring at my tank and only noticed these buggers today!

But anyways, I have a smallish maxima that has been in my tank for 6 months and is infested. I took it out of the tank and brushed it off with a toothbrush... my croceas dont seem to have any on them tho...

If there any other way to get rid of these buggers? I read a wrasse perhaps, but I dont want more bioload.... I also read they dig in the sandbed - now that SUCKS.

Has anyone succesfully beat these buggers into submission?

Thanks

[Geoff]

they definately have a long hatch time. i have them on my squammie only. i found them the day i got the clam. i checked it every day for several weeks until i could not find any after several says. well about a month later i looked at the clam and lo and behold i had them again. it looked like they just hatched also. they were very tiny with just a very few big ones. so back to checking everyday again. i have not seen them on the other clams yet. with the big size of my squammie (6-7") i am pretty confident that they will not hurt it in the time it takes me to get them cleaned off. it is my 3-4" max and croc that i am more worried about.

i have been able to keep them in check with regular almost daily cleanings. i do not have a SB though, so that may help.

G~

[Lostmind]

my next tank wont have a sandbed... but the current one does! it sucks. Gonna try and QT them somehow. Gotta find a spare MH bulb somewhere. No clams in the tank, the little snails should die out, right?

[Casey]

The little suckers are a pain to get rid of,thats one reason I yanked my SB,Move the clams up onto the rocks will help keep the snails away I also bought a six line wrasse and he helps eat the suckers I also check everyday for snails on my clams and glass
and kill them if found I only have a few snails now after months of battle I am slowly winning But they are hard to see if you have sand and they can reproduce fast Im not sure if they would die out in an empty clamless tank good idea though I have never tried it I would say try a wrasse to they are small and dont do much SB distrurbing.

[Lostmind]

I want a wrasse anyways.

but I dont want to add any livestock right now, as I am using my QT tank to cure some extra LR for the new tank (which is being setup now).

I have already moved my maxima up onto the rock. he is the smallest and of course, had the most snails on it. the croceas are too big for my rockwork... I have too many frags (thus the tank upgrade!).

Toothbrush and a small rubbermaid container with tank water for scrubbing my clams... it just seems sooo wrong to brush my clams...

[Casey]

Toothbrush works great on your teeth and CLAMS!

[Lostmind]

well, I just brushed off over 20 of the little buggers. I can not find a single one left on my clams. Relocated the maxima up in the rockwork. clams all still look healthy.

Dripping some isochrysis just to help the clams stay healthy as well.

Hope it helps!

[Andrew3]

Removing the clams won't necessarily cause pyramidellid snails to die off. . . they can and will prey upon algae eating snails given the opportunity, and this is often how they enter many systems. I check each one of my new snails over with a magnifying glass before adding them to my tank.

Andrew

[Goofy]

What do they look like , these bad snails?

[Casey]

Like these

[Goofy]

Cool TY. What do they actually do to the clams may I ask? Eat the mantle oe shell? I had some real small snails show up recently, black and white striped I think would best describe them.

[Casey]

They eat it till all gone

[Barry N.]

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here but I wanted to show why you should check and possible quarantine your clams prior to placing in your display thank.

http://clamsdirect.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=827

[Goofy]

Nice thread. Thank you for the info.

Alan

[ruhspolostar]

talk about infestation