whats the deal with Astrea snails falling over?

6speedchevelle

6speedchevelle

AC Members
Sep 12, 2007
48
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Aloha, Oregon
so I bought a bunch of astea snails for my clean up crew. the LFS said if they happen to fall and end up upside down, I would need to turn them over.

well they fall over LOTS! pain in the a$*!....

what do you pro's do about this?
 
Turn them over so they don't get eaten.
 
i pick em up? lol there really isnt nething u can do about em..sometimes i wonder if they are mentally retarded...i catch my turbos fallen over all the time...they love to stick to the intake of a powerhead...so for giggles i unplug it and watch em fall lol:duh::rofl:...mean but they shouldnt be there..but there really isnt nething u can do
 
ummm cerith normally dig into the sand and keep ur sand clean...me personally i like to get a variety i have some astreas which while are small do a fantastic job overall but dont touch the sand...cerith will get pretty much sand only but hit the glass sometimes and turbos do everything and much faster rate ...so get a mix if u can and pick up what u can...snails die, fish eat em, so do the best u can and plan on replacingdown the road...u can only do so much
 
If they fall where I can't reach I let the crabs take care of business and just replace them down the road..
 
I can tell you from personal observations that the typical cone shaped Astrea snails have no business being in our rocky tank enviroments. I only ever see these types of snails in the sea grass beds where they live upon the very large and tall bladed Enhalus acoroides sea grass, if they happen to fall off of their perch, no big deal since there is plenty of grass litter on the sandbed to grab onto and regain themselves.

astrea.jpg


But in a rocky environment, their shell shape almost guarantees that they will become stuck and unable to right themselves. Also, such rocky areas are home to mantis shrimp and other predators that make these snails very easy prey.

seagrass1.jpg


For a larger photo of their habitat, please see This Link.

I feel that the Astralium species (star snails) are much better suited for our usualy rocky aquariums as that is the only environment that I find them within. Their shape allows them to move much easier through the rocks and if they fall, they are much less likely to become pinned in crevices and such.

starsnail.jpg


Chuck
 
While all of that might be true Charles you also have to live with the reality of what is available for purchase vs what is not. Almost every LPS I know of carries Astreas and I have yet to see a star snail in a LPS.

Good information none the less.
 
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