pyramid snails

birdsnest · Feb 25, 2010

so i pulled off six pyramid snails off of my b/w maxima the other night. other than the nature eradication of these through wrasses or any other fish. what kind of options do i have to get these bugger gone?

fyi- i have always has a six line wrasse and never seen him eat one of these

Azurel · Feb 25, 2010

One of the best things to do is QT in a bowl or something that can be used in the DT tank as in most cases they will not venture far from the host clam. I would check it at night or right before lights come on and see if you see any. I would also take it out and scrub it with a tooth brush all over and around the byssal gland. They will hide under the clam during the day in most cases......Just keep looking it over every other day or more till you don't see any. I would also look around the area that it was placed to see if there are any on the rocks or in the sand....They are a pita but can be over come....

Also keep an eye out for egg masses laid around the byssal opening or the mantle...

birdsnest · Feb 26, 2010

thanks for the input. i will try your suggestion about the QT in the DT and try to clean the shell and bysal opening with a toothbrush.

will i be able to see egg masses that they have laid or are they to small to be seen with the naked eye?

Azurel · Feb 26, 2010

They are jelly like masses with white balls in them, you can see them with the naked eye butyou will have to look close.

birdsnest · Apr 18, 2010

I thought I had these little buggers eradicated but man was I wrong. My clam was acting irritated and upon closer inspection I found tons of them right along the bysal opening. I was able to get the clam off of its perch with minimal damage to its threads and found maybe 30 attached to the opening and what I believe to be eggs. I picked off all snails and brushed the entire shell with a toothbrush and placed it back on its perch in the tank. I know I didnt get all of these things and they are still in my tank but the clam is clean for the time being. My question is can I find a chemical weapon that will cleanse these guys from my tank? Manual removal and the six line seem not to be effective.

skinz78 · Apr 18, 2010

Manual removal is the only option other than wrasses.

I would place the clam in a shallow tupperware dish with a little bit of sand in it. Every day dump the sand out because there will be snails in it too.

If you wish you can check out this article for a complete write up on removing them:

How to deal with Pyramidellidea snails - Reef-Geeks

birdsnest · Apr 18, 2010

Thx for that link it is helpful info. My list of tools used was the same down to the kabob skewers. Looks like I wont be out of the woods for a while but they can be beat.