How do I get nassarius snail eggs to hatch

LxHowler

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I have just seen that my nassarius snails are laying eggs in my tank and I was wondering what I need to do to get these to hatch.
I know that my fish will eat alot of them but they have laid some in an are my fish can't get too, the gap is too small for the fish to get into, so they should be safe from fish.
Is there anything I can do to improve the odds of hatching/surviving? Even if only 1 survives i would be happy, I like to see stuff breed in my tank and my trochus snails did it and I ended up with hundreds, sold most of them to my lfs.
 

Jonify

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You won't be able to raise them in the display; they will turn into tasty snackie-snacks. But what you can do is put in another piece of glass or acrylic, higher in the tank, and wait for the snails to lay their eggs on that. While you're waiting set up another tank with the same conditions as your display, use a very, very soft filter like a foam/air pump filter on its lowest setting (enough to just break the surface of the water), cycle it with ammonia, light it, and begin dosing phytoplankton to it (your hatchling's food source and nutrient starter). This tank has to be cycled, and you will want some algae or diatom growth in it (these provide chemical clues to the hatchlings to metamorphose).

Once your snails lay eggs on the glass you put into the tank, quickly remove the glass and put it into the separate tank you set up, that has the exact same water conditions as the display (using your actual display's water and some live rock from the display will help immensely). In about a week, the eggs should hatch, and you should make sure you're adding generous amounts of phytoplankton every day. It will take months for nassarius snails to metamorphose and grow into snails you can see, and you will need to constantly check your calcium and alkalinity levels, and dose when appropriate, because baby snails suck up a lot of calcium. They can be moved back to your display once they are over .5 inches.

It's a LOOOOOOT of work, and most people just don't attempt it ... but sharing the above in case you're feeling adventurous.
 

AlanLikesFish

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You won't be able to raise them in the display; they will turn into tasty snackie-snacks. But what you can do is put in another piece of glass or acrylic, higher in the tank, and wait for the snails to lay their eggs on that. While you're waiting set up another tank with the same conditions as your display, use a very, very soft filter like a foam/air pump filter on its lowest setting (enough to just break the surface of the water), cycle it with ammonia, light it, and begin dosing phytoplankton to it (your hatchling's food source and nutrient starter). This tank has to be cycled, and you will want some algae or diatom growth in it (these provide chemical clues to the hatchlings to metamorphose).

Once your snails lay eggs on the glass you put into the tank, quickly remove the glass and put it into the separate tank you set up, that has the exact same water conditions as the display (using your actual display's water and some live rock from the display will help immensely). In about a week, the eggs should hatch, and you should make sure you're adding generous amounts of phytoplankton every day. It will take months for nassarius snails to metamorphose and grow into snails you can see, and you will need to constantly check your calcium and alkalinity levels, and dose when appropriate, because baby snails suck up a lot of calcium. They can be moved back to your display once they are over .5 inches.

It's a LOOOOOOT of work, and most people just don't attempt it ... but sharing the above in case you're feeling adventurous

Thank you for the information. I was thinking about doing just that with an extra piece of glass or acrylic. I've noticed them going to the same 2 or 3 locations in the tank so I just might be able to get them to lay on the glass, probably not but I'll try.

The grow out tank will be interesting though. I have a few empty 10 gallons and a 20 long I use for saltwater quarantine that I'm setting up again for a new batch of livestock.

The snails recently laid, but the eggs only lasted 2 days before they were indeed eaten as snacks. I was wondering if there is a way to remove them without crushing them.

20210112_125947.jpg
 
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TriggerFinger

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I have baby marginella, trochus and a 3rd unidentified type successfully breeding in my tank. You may be surprised in a couple months when they appear.
 

Aquajan

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I just got a load of nassarius eggs on the glass too.
And altough I expect most of them won't survive the journey to adulthood I almost know for shure some of them will survive.
I got hundreds of baby snails all the time including turbos trochus tectus snails and they survive and grow big.
It does ocfource make a difference which fish u got.
I got a tank that has 5 wrasses a braselet, hermids and peppermint shrimps who all snack on snails and still some baby snails manage to survive.
 

Bitcoin Reefer

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I wonder if I could use a new clean razor blade to scrape them carefully off glass and put them in my refugium! I think I’ll try lol. I know they won’t last in my 300gallon DT. Too many predators I think and they’re laid far away from rocks.
 
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