Pictured above on the dime is a couple of pyram snails or pyramid snails. These cute little fellas can cause a whole heck of a problem in your reef tank if you keep clams, starfish and larger snails such as astrea snails. There are different types of pyramid snails the ones shown on the dime are the ones that feed on tridacna clams.
The pyramid snail or pyramidellids feed at night by piercing there hosts flesh with there proboscis. when feeding on clams the snails will Peirce the clam’s mantle and suck out its zooxanthellae and fluids. When spotted on a starfish the snails will be feeding near the bottom of the starfish near its feet and around its mouth.
The best way to keep your tank clean of these unwanted marine reef snails is to quarenteen your new arrivals and make sure to check out each specimen top and bottom. Remove each snail with a brush or tweezers.
I personally lost a blue linkia starfish and a couple of astrea snails to pyram snails. I knew the snails where one the starfish but i never thought anything of it at the time until my starfish started to die. So verse yourself well with certain parasites and keep your reef inhabitants as healthy as possible.
My next blog will be about sundial snails the silent zoa killer!
