nassarius snails spawning?

[Smithrz]

Hey folks,

A few days ago, I thought one of my Nassarius snails had died (I have 4, added to the tank 2 weeks ago), It had crawled up the corner of the overflow, and looked as if it was hanging off slightly, and there was a white line of slime about 5-6cm long. I went to take it out and discovered it was alive and well.

2-3 days later, I now have thousands of tiny white organisms all over my glass, I can see many of them moving around. I got a photo, but not sure if will help much as they’re so small.

My instinct is that it’s some kind of snail larvae? Some important info is thay my tank is currently running fallow, as I had to remove my fish to treat them for a couple if different diseases 10 days ago. And I did lose a Royal Gramma in that process, to what I believe was Velvet, he probably dealt with lots of little pests before then. Remaining fish are recovering well after 10 days of treatment.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[WheatToast]

Many Nassarius snails have pelagic larvae that typically do not survive in captivity. Are you able to get any close-up photos?

 

[Smithrz]

Many Nassarius snails have pelagic larvae that typically do not survive in captivity. Are you able to get any close-up photos?

I tried, but the camera has trouble focusing through the glass. The larger white specs you see in the photo aren’t moving, but I can see even smaller things moving around (too small to pick up on the camera). Could the larger white specs be eggs or something?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Quite likely pods that are able to grow in population since they have no predator. The timing is probably coincidental.

 

[Smithrz]

Alright, yeah maybe. Any takers on the line of white slime and weird snail behaviour?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Alright, yeah maybe. Any takers on the line of white slime and weird snail behaviour?

Well, the nassarius snails species we want in our tanks don't generally climb to the top of the tank...if they go on the glass at all. So you might have been sent something other than vibex or distortus, in which case it would be difficult to evaluate behavior.

 

[WheatToast]

Well, the nassarius snails species we want in our tanks don't generally climb to the top of the tank...if they go on the glass at all. So you might have been sent something other than vibex or distortus, in which case it would be difficult to evaluate behavior.

I have had several Nassarius snails (N.arcularia, N. margaritifer) climb glass, even to the top of the tank, when searching for food and when ready to mate/lay eggs.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have had several Nassarius snails (N.arcularia, N. margaritifer) climb glass, even to the top of the tank, when searching for food and when ready to mate/lay eggs.

Had to look those two up
Good information!

 

[Tired]

Are the little dots ovals with itty-bitty tails, moving around in sort of a twitching fashion, maybe with antennae and/or two smaller dots visible on the larger ones? Those would be copepods, which are the most likely culprit for tiny, moving white dots on the glass.

 

[Smithrz]

Are the little dots ovals with itty-bitty tails, moving around in sort of a twitching fashion, maybe with antennae and/or two smaller dots visible on the larger ones? Those would be copepods, which are the most likely culprit for tiny, moving white dots on the glass.

I honestly can’t tell, my eye sight isn’t that good to see that level of detail, haha. It’s probably copepods, but I’ll keep monitoring it. Thanks folks.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I honestly can’t tell, my eye sight isn’t that good to see that level of detail, haha. It’s probably copepods, but I’ll keep monitoring it. Thanks folks.

IMO, you can't reef without a good magnifying glass

 

[Tired]

A magnifying glass might be helpful to get, yeah. Failing that, do you have someone else with better eyesight who could take a look? Though, really, if they're white dots that move around in a jerky manner on your glass, they're pretty much guaranteed to be copepods.

 

[jonjon1975]

Hi.

The last couple of months I've been finding these all over my tank. They range in size from 1mm to 10mm. I've read nassarius don't breed in captivity but I haven't introduced anything into my aquarium for 6 months. I have bought nassarius snails but they were all beige, white, and brown. Some of these are black and white almost like a zebra pattern, some are the same markings as my original nassarius. They look identical when moving around except they spend lots of time on the glass or the rocks. They are not Whelk snails as they have no shell on the tail and they are a different shape.
Can someone help me confirm if I have been lucky enough to successfully breed the unbreedable?
I can take more pictures on request if that helps.
Thanks in advance.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

They are not Whelk snails as they have no shell on the tail

There are many types of whelks (including the few nassarius species that are safe in our tanks). And ALL of them have an operculum on their "tail", whether you can see it or not (that part is incorrect in the article from Melev's Reef...)

Quite regularly, online vendors will sell whatever snails they happen to be able to collect, calling them nassarius vibex (the smaller species that are beneficial in our tanks). There's not much you can do besides fully investigate before buying, and even then you are just as likely to get something you don't want as you are to get what you actually ordered.

There are certainly some whelks that breed in our tanks... Most are predators, and the rest are not the helpful detritivores n. vibex or n. distortus (aka Tongan)

 

[Tired]

Hi.

The last couple of months I've been finding these all over my tank. They range in size from 1mm to 10mm. I've read nassarius don't breed in captivity but I haven't introduced anything into my aquarium for 6 months. I have bought nassarius snails but they were all beige, white, and brown. Some of these are black and white almost like a zebra pattern, some are the same markings as my original nassarius. They look identical when moving around except they spend lots of time on the glass or the rocks. They are not Whelk snails as they have no shell on the tail and they are a different shape.
Can someone help me confirm if I have been lucky enough to successfully breed the unbreedable?
I can take more pictures on request if that helps.
Thanks in advance.

These look like dove snails. Not nassarius, and known for breeding in aquaria. Useful little cleaners.