Turbo Snail and mystery worm

[ThePika]

This post may just expose what a Noob I am to this hobby, but here is goes:

Let my 6g tank cycle and "marinate" so to speak for a month and a half with LR before adding a cerith, turbo snail and a tiny blue-legged hermit. There was plenty of algae for the turbo to consume and consume it did! Its a pretty large snail (I did tell the LFS I had a 6g tank, so I assumed the size was okay). My LR has been picked clean; not that big of a problem as I bought some algae wafers for it, however, I am amazed by the amount of waste this critter produces. Literally piles of excrement. Is this going to be a huge problem? I'm doing a water change today (2 gallons, once a week).

Also, I have an extra critter: 2 inch long worm with a spiky head and what looks like a single row of spots running the length of the worm. That guy popped up for the first time a couple of days ago. Haven't seen him since.

 

[Anonymous]

The Turbo Snail is actually too big for your tank and you'll have to supplement its diet with sheets of Nori or algae sheets from your LFS otherwise it will starve to death.
The worm is a species of Polychaete or bristle worm, these are detrivores and will help clean up your snail poop though scraps of food should be provided for it too.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[ThePika]

Thanks David,

I do have supplemental algae now for the snail, so it should be okay for food. However, this afternoon after work I found it attached to the intake for my AquaClear pump...I turned it off, the snail removed itself, but it doesn't seem to be doing well at all. I feel terrible

 

[Anonymous]

What's the temperature in your tank? Most of these come from the Gulf of Mexico and can't tolerate higher temperatures. If it's near 80F that's a problem.
How often are you doing water changes because nitrates can be a problem?
btw they also have a short life span of about 2 years, we really don't know how old your's is.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[ThePika]

My tank temp is 78-79 degrees. I change out two gallons every week; its a six gallon tank. I'm concerned now with the intake for my AquaClear...is there some sort of baffle or grate I can put over the intake to prevent another snail-sucking incident? Snail looked injured after I shut off the pump. I noticed a bright green ring portion of his body I never noticed before so I was scared he managed to suck himself out of the shell. Today he has moved around a bit, but I haven't turned the pump back on for fear of catching him again. Luckily I don't have any corals yet in the tank, so a couple of days without the pump wouldn't hurt the LR too much!

 

[Anonymous]

Turn the pump on, your tank needs it more than your snail needs protecting! You can simply take a piece of filter pad and rubber band it around the intake. This has a benefit of acting like a "prefilter" to catch guck which you can then remove from the tank before it rots. A warning about this, you must change the little pad once a week or it will get clogged and a) decrease flow and b) increase overall pollution in the tank. You can also use a type of flexible plastic grating (the name escapes me...dang it I can see the stuff in my mind) that your LFS should carry and use plastic twist ties to secure it.

 

[ThePika]

Thanks Lawdawg,

I came to the same conclusion about the pump, so its been back on...I think it was off for a day, max. I'll look for those covers at the LFS and rig up some filter material per your suggestion if I can't find anything else.

The snail did not survive the trauma...after the last spurt of movement, it crawled up tight and the next morning I found an empty shell. My blue-legged crab is tiny, but I'm assuming he/she had a smorgasbord during the night and ate my deceased friend as I can't find any sign of the body in the tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear that, but make sure the remains aren't somewhere in the tank as they will cack up the water very quickly!

8O oh, and I still can't remember the name of that plastic grid stuff. Dang, now that's going to bother me until I remember :lol: