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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/14/2008 10:15:44 AM
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Dr. Ron,
I found a chitin and a rather prolific snail in an “experiment” tank the other day and would like to know a little more about them before they go into the display, if at all.
The snail is from the Caribbean, about 200 yards off the eastern side of the Grand Bahamian Island. They will bury themselves in the sand and love hanging out in a ball of hair algae. I can’t tell if they are eating the algae ball, but they have kept the glass clear of algae. I have had the tank set up for 1 year and there are around 25 or more in a 10 gallon tank. Did I mention that they were prolific I did not see any for about 6 months, and then one day...... I also came across an egg mass that looks like that of a snail, and though I did not see the snail put them there, my guess would be that these are from the snail pictured here. I guess I will see in due time
Please forgive my ignorance I'm having troubles attaching, so
the snail
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70862.jpg
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70865.jpg
and the egg mass (I took this with a green filter the mass was white)
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70853.jpg
The other ID I would like is for this chitin (for size ref it is on a seachem alertSeachem
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70947.jpg
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70953.jpg
Thanks for all you do
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/14/2008 10:15:44 AM
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| Sorry, I just realized I put this in the wrong spot. Mods, Please move this to the correct one
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/28/2008 7:57:52 PM
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pictures arent working
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________- David -
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/14/2008 10:15:44 AM
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Thanks David, let's see here
found the preview button
The snail
the eggs
and the chitin
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/28/2008 7:57:52 PM
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| The snail pictured appears to be a cerith snail, and the eggs pictured appear pretty typical of those that a cerith would lay. I dont believe that there are any harmful types of cerith snails, to the best of my knowledge they are all grazers, and do prefer to hang out in the sand. The fact that they may be successfully breeding is very interesting. As far as the Chiton goes I'm not sure if you are looking for any specific info. I can tell you that generally they are grazers and eat possibly microalgae films and/or coraline algae. How large is the one pictured, was it collected from the same area described?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ - David -
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/14/2008 10:15:44 AM
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Thanks David,
when I started this tank it was started with live sand and a 1 inch rock, nothing more. Six months later I saw one of them, only to vanish for a few months. More recently there has been a whole bunch of them , and a lot more "snail trails". Interesting thing is, I never saw one smaller the around 1/4 inch, guessing there buried most of the time.
If there is anyone interested in the snail, Please let me know, I would be be willing to provide one to someone that wishes to research it further.
As for the Chiton, I am not looking for specifics, just wondering if this will be safe for a reef tank. Is there anything I can do to better provide for it?
he is on a seachem alert badge, and almost 1/2 inch long, a lot larger then I have seen to date.
Origin is unknown, he came in as a hitchhiker with a some mushrooms from the LFS
Let me know if there is any more info/ better pics needed
Thanks, Patrick
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Group: Forum Members
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| Ive had these snails in my tank they dont see do cause any harm any time i catch one on the glass i remove it so they dont reach plauge levles and it was nearly a year ago i seen the first one and i dont ever see that many i refering to the last picture
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Group: Forum Members
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Thanks Proangle2, Since my last post I put the chiton in the display tank, I have only seen it one time since then (not from a lack of looking  ). The cerith snails have also been put in. I put 3 in the display and see one every few days. I also put 5 in the fuge in the hopes that they will continue to propagate. I have some kind of "clicking" shrimp in the display and did not want to put the entire population of snails in just to give this elusive shrimp an easy meal. Not sure that it is a shrimp at all really, I have not been able to find him. Whatever it is it makes one heck of a racket, I can hear it over the stereo turned half way up  .
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