Buying Bumblebee Snails

[Snoopdog]

I can get most snails local but bumblebee snails cannot be found. If I were to buy bumblebee snails online where would you get them? I have not had the best luck with Live Aquaria, half of my clean up crew from them died the week I got them, 25% of that order was DOA.

 

[Doctorgori]

last I checked those were not ideal (I can’t recall the source)...following because I’m not sure

 

[Snoopdog]

I know there could be problems if they run out of food, so maybe not ideal.

 

[Tired]

What do you want them for? They eat small sessile inverts, like tubeworms, many of which are harmless or beneficial. I think some people want them for vermatid snails, but I'm not sure if it works.

ReefCleaners is a really good seller, and has them sometimes. Try there.

 

[F i s h y]

They don't make ideal reef snails.... @Tired has the right idea....

 

[Snoopdog]

What do you want them for? They eat small sessile inverts, like tubeworms, many of which are harmless or beneficial. I think some people want them for vermatid snails, but I'm not sure if it works.

ReefCleaners is a really good seller, and has them sometimes. Try there.

For vermetid snails. I think I am just going to kill them the old fashioned way. I will let the vermetid live where they are unless they start snotting up my coral, if they do then well it will get snipped.

 

[Tired]

That's what I would suggest. Some people have problems with them being invasive, but usually vermatids are harmless enough. The most trouble the average reefkeeper will have with them is a bothered coral at some point.

Vermatids are less likely to harm things you like than bumblebee snails are, so I would not get the snails. It's too bad, they're pretty.

There's actually a very similar-looking freshwater snail, called an assassin snail, that's great to have because they eat pest snails. They reproduce in aquaria, but at a slow rate- you buy three, and in a couple months you'll have maybe four. This isn't relevant, but I like assassin snails and they look similar, so now I'm thinking about them.