Saltwater Snails
We would love to talk about each species available but there is so many in each genus. It would take years cover them all. In this post, we will talk about what can be expected from the most common species found in the aquarium trade. You may have a Turbo Snail with different behaviors, this is fine. There is over 60 species of Turbo Snail and as many different behavior. You may use this as a guide line and use the references available with each snail for better identification.
Turbo Snails
Distribution: Gulf of California off the coast of Mexico
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.4-8.4
Active time: Day
Size: 3 in.
Diet: Herbivore
Zone: They will go over every inch of your aquarium
Pros: Excellent against green hair algae.
Cons: Will bulldoze loose rocks in search for food so make sure rocks are well-secured. They cannot right themselves if they fall and land on their back. You will have to right it to prevent its demise. If you have some type of rubble in your sandbed, Turbo snails can manage to right themselves.
Additional information: There is close to 60 species of Turbo snails. The information bellow is based on the most common species in aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Shell Catalogue and Sea Life Base.
Photo: Adam Payseno
Astraea Snails
Distribution: Caribbean
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Day
Size: 1 in.
Diet: Herbivore
Zone: All
Pros: Excellent against cyanobacteria, green and brown film algae (maybe not green hair algae). Should not nock over corals and loose rocks (They do in my tank)
Cons: They cannot right themselves if they fall and land on their back. You will have to right it to prevent its demise. If you have some type of rubble in your sandbed, Astraea snails can manage to right themselves.
Additional information: The information bellow is based on the most common species in aquarium trade; Astraea tecta and Astraea phoebium.
Photo: Adam Payseno
Trochus or Turban Snails
Distribution: Indo-Pacific
Water condition: 72-78ºF; sg 1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Day and Night
Size: 1 inch
Diet: Herbivorous
Zone: All (including glass)
Pros: Excellent against green hair algae, slime algae, green algae, cyanobacteria and diatoms. They leave nothing behind. They are able to right themselves if they fall on their backs. They never bother my corals nor anything else.
Cons:
Additional information: The information bellow is based on the most common species in aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base.
Photo: Adam Payseno
Nerite Snails
Distribution: Caribbean, Pacific Ocean
Water condition: 72-78°F; sg 1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Active time: Night
Size: 1 in.
Diet: Herbivorous
Zone: Rocks and Glass
Pros: Excellent against cyanobacteria, green algae and are just great to remove algae film on glass. They are able to right themselves if they fall on their backs. Do not disturb the landscaping.
Cons: They are intertidal, so most will hang out near the top of the tank and some will even escapes from tanks.
Additional information: There is over 60 species of Nerite Snails. The information bellow is based on the most common species in aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Shell Catalogue and Sea Life Base.
Photo: Nat Tarbox
Stomatella Snails
Distribution: Western Central Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines and Guam
Water condition: 72-78ºF; sg 1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Day and Night (mostly night)
Size: 3/4 inch.
Diet: Herbivorous
Zone: live rock, will clean the glass
Pros: They are herbivores and feed upon micro algae in the reef tank. They are to small to ever knock corals over. Reproduction is easy: more food = more snails
Cons: Sometime considered as a nuisance because of its rapid reproduction. Peppermint shrimp are known to eat this snail.
Additional information: There is close to 10 species of Stomatella Snails. The information bellow is based on the most common species in the aquarium trade; Stomatella varia. For more accruate information about this genus, consult Shell Catalogue and Reefkeeping Magazine.
Photo: COMAS Donor Program
Bumble Bee Snails
Distribution: Marshall Islands
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time:
Size: 1/2 in.
Diet: Carnivore, Detritus.
Zone: Sand and rock but usually like to stay close to the rockwork.
Pros:
Cons: Lack any ability to feed from algae although they are commonly sold as good algae eater. Feed on sand bed fauna and have been reported to prey on other snails.
Photo: Glynis Brown
Margarita Snails
Distribution: Mostly collected in the Baja California
Water condition: 50-68° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.0-8.4
Active time: Night
Size: 1 in
Diet: Herbivore
Zone: rocks, sand
Pros: Good against green hair algae, Cyanobacteria and diatoms
Cons: Do not survive in a typical reef system kept at 80F.
Additional information: We found 22 genus that match the name Tegula. The information bellow is based on the most common in aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base.
Photo: Glynis Brown
Super Tongan Nassarius – Nassarius distortus
Distribution: Tonga
Water condition: 72-78°F; sg 1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Active time: Day
Size: 1 in.
Diet: Omnivore
Zone: Sand
Pros: Excellent to remove detritus from the sandbed. Will keep the sandbed stirred and oxygenated. Will not nock over corals and loose rocks. A must with deep sandbed.
Cons:
Additional information: There is over 100 species of Nassarius snails. The information bellow is for Nassarius distortus only. For more accruate information, consult Shell Catalogue and Sea Life Base.
Photo: DianesDigitals
Nassarius Snails – nassarius vibex
Distribution: Caribbean
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Day
Size: 1/2 in.
Diet: scavenger. Feeds on dead animal material and uneaten food. Not on detritus (poop and rotting plant material)
Zone: Sand
Pros: Excellent to remove detritus from the sandbed. Will keep the sandbed stirred and oxygenated. Will not nock over corals and loose rocks. A must with deep sandbed.
Cons:
Additional information: There is over 100 species of Nassarius snails. The information bellow is for Nassarius vibex only. For more accruate information, consult Shell Catalogue and Sea Life Base.
Photo: Mac Pherson
Keyhole Limpet snails – Diodora is the most common
Distribution: Most are from Baja California
Water condition: 72-78ºF, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Nocturnal
Size: up to 3 in.
Diet: Herbivore
Zone: Most like rocks, but will sometimes congregate at the sand line on the glass and they will clean below the sand line.
Pros: They are great for eating hydroids and will also feed upon all forms of microalgae.
Cons: They have been known to sometimes graze on Acropora, Montipora and other similar species.
Additional information: There are dozens of different keyhole limpets in the hobby and close to 200 species in total. They come from all over the world but Diodora is probably the most common genus. Common keyhole limpets found in the hobby range from a few mm to 3 inches in size. The information bellow is for the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Shell Catalogue and Sea Life Base. The image bellow is actually Megathura crenulata.
Photo: JP McKenna
Cerith Snails – Cerithium sp.
Distribution: Mostly found in Caribbean
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: night
Size: less than 1½ in.
Diet: Omnivore
Zone: Sand
Pros: Very active eaters. Excellent to remove detritus from the sandbed. Will keep the sandbed stirred and oxygenated. Excellent against brown diatoms and slime algae that grow on the sand. One of the only snails that will eat algae that grow below the sand near the front of your aquarium. Do not bother invertebrates.
Cons:
Additional information: This is close to 70 species in the Cerithium genus. The information bellow is based on the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base and Eurasia Shells.
Photo: Keith Thornhill
Red Footed Conch or Thorn Latirus – Opeatostoma pseudodon
Distribution: Pacific coast of Central America and Mexico
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time:
Size: 4 in.
Diet: Primarily carnivorous, specializing in mollusks and sometimes crustaceans. There’s little or no algae in their diets.
Zone: They prefer rocks.
Pros:
Cons: Will feed on mollusks and sometimes crustaceans.
Additional information: True conchs have well developed eyes with irises and pupils that distinguish them from other similar snails. There is many species with the name Conch. The information bellow is based on the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base.
Photo: Perry
Florida Fighting Conch – Strombus Alatus
Distribution:
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Night
Size: 6 in.
Diet: Algae and detritus
Zone: Sand
Pros: Excellent to remove detritus from the sandbed. Will keep the sandbed stirred and oxygenated. Excellent against brown diatoms and slime algae that grow on the sand. Do not bother invertebrates.
Cons:
Additional information: Strombus Alatus NEVER hunt other snails. They don’t have the anatomy for it. These reports about snails hunting are almost always due to misidentification, usually either Melongena corona or other whelks with “conch” in the common name. True conchs have well developed eyes with irises and pupils that distinguish them from other similar snails. There is many species with the name Conch. The information bellow is based on the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base.
Abalone – Haliotis sp
Distribution:
Water condition: sg 1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Night
Size: 3 to 10 inches depending on species. Most of the tropical species are at the lower end.
Diet: Herbivore
Zone: Rocks
Pros: Some say it is the best herbivore for the reef aquarium.
Cons: They may become somewhat of a nuisance, as they can clog pumps and monitor impellers. They prefer a cooler aquarium.
Additional information: Some Abalone are well suited to reef temperatures, some are not. The genus Haliotis sp count 28 species. The information bellow is based on the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base.
Cowrie Snails
Distribution: Indo-Pacific
Water condition: 72-78ºF; sg 1.025; pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Mostly at night.
Size: 4 in.
Diet: Omnivore
Zone: Prefer sand at the base of rocks
Pros:
Cons: Mature specimens has been reported to eat anemones, soft corals and tube worms.
Additional information: The Cories include many species. The information bellow is based on the Tiger Cowrie which is one of the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base and Fish ‘N’ Chip
Photo: Roland
Stomatella varia
Distribution: Indonesia, Philippines and Guam.
Water condition: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.025, pH 8.1-8.4
Active time: Night
Size: 1 1/4 in.
Diet:
Zone:
Pros: Known to eat algae.
Cons:
Additional information: Very commonly found hitch hiker. They reproduce well in aquaria lacking hermit crabs and shrimp predators.
The Cories include many species. The is 9 species of Stomatella. The information bellow is based on the most common species found in the aquarium trade. For more accruate information, consult Sea Life Base.
Article written by www.aquariumslife.com with help from many aquarist from Reef Aquarium Forum
Thank You!
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please once you read this i need you guys to please telll me what all kinds of saltwater snails eat befor my saltwater snails time to eat comes and starve to death please help i dont want mines to die please write this once you read my message
Hi,
You don’t need to feed your snails. Snails will find food in your tank on their own.