Snail in zoas ID?

hig789 · Oct 29, 2015

Found this guy up in the middle of my RDE zoa colony. Most of my zoas in that area haven't been opening all that well lately so I didn't know if they s could have been the culprit. So out he came. He's about a 1/4" long shell and all. It has been in the tank for a long time whatever it is because I saw the shell on my sand bed a few months ago but it didn't move for a long time and then one day it was gone. This guy is a quick mover too, for a snail that is.

Anyone have any ideas what it is?

Thanks in advance.

ReefMadScientist · Oct 29, 2015

Looks a bit different from the zoa eater I found but I believe it is a Sundial Snail.

One single snail and a zoa spider decimated my zoa collection.

http://www.melevsreef.com/node/398

And for kicks and giggles, here is what I found on mine as well.

http://www.melevsreef.com/critters/zoanthid-spider

Spit.fire · Oct 29, 2015

that thing is creepy looking

Tahoe61 · Oct 29, 2015

Looks like a harmless Cerith type.

Naiad · Oct 29, 2015

This is a cerith. There is likely algae growing there that is irritating the zoa colony. This guy was actually helping you out.

mfinn · Oct 29, 2015

Not a sundial snail

hig789 · Oct 29, 2015

There's not any algae growing in the zoas that I can see but I'm sure theres some there somewhere. I looked up sundials and yeah that's not what it is just didn't know if there was another kind that ate zoas.

Almost all the cerith snails I have seen are much longer and skinnier.

Either way I'm not going to chance it, I have a ton of stomatella snails, Astraea's and Nassarius snails to take care of algae.