Olive Snail ??

[ifusayso]

I ordered some different types of live rock online. After talking to the guy, he was giving me some free stuff to try out in my tank(rock etc). He said he is sending an olive snail as they are veracious algae and waste eaters. I can't find a whole lot of info on them, but some of what I'm finding is making me wonder if I really want that thing in my tank. I have read that perhaps they are meant for ponds or brackish, but are offered to marine hobbyists as well. In my tank I have: yellow tang, 3 damsels(3 stripe, blue), RBT, pagoda cup, yellow polyps, peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp, brittle star,astria snails, and turbo snails. How likely will this olive snail eat any of this? Should I place it in the pond instead? Thanks.

 

[speg]

Olive snails will not touch algae or waste. They are meat eaters and its said that they will eat the benificial stuff out of your sand.
If something wanders close enough to them on the ground (like a shrimp) it may be able to capture it. Dead/dying fish very quickly fall prey to them as well.
I have a book here that happens to have some info on olive snails.
**Marine Invertebrates by Ronald L. Shimek
Foods and Feeding: Predatory. Feed on sediment infauna, such as worms and other animals.
Aquarium Suitability/Reef Aquarium Compatibility: Not suitable for reef aquariums.
Captive care: These snails have highly polished olive-shaped shells. They live within and burrow through sediments and are seldom seen on the sediment surface. They occasionally enter marine aquariums in live sand and will live for a while in captivity, rapidly exhausting their food sources in the sand; after this they typically starve. Colors vary within and between species, from white to black, with many species tending toward earth tones or brown and tan mottling. Have a long slitlike aperture with flared front end found along most of the shell length. When moving, their large foot extends out of the aperature and completely covers the shell.
-=-=-=-=-
I used to have some in my tank, they were quickly removed... the LFS lied about what they eat.
One of my brothers had a few in his tank as well.. sold to him by a LFS guy who said they were good sand sifters... they do a mildly decent job at it.. but still cause more harm than good. He says he cant find his now... most likely starving because they have already exhausted their food supply in his sand.
I went to the beach a few months back and was finding them like crazy along the shore. They are everywhere down here. My brother took them to the LFS and sold them
Hope some of that info was useful.

 

[ifusayso]

Thanks Speg!

Wonderful, his $6 butt will not be playing in my tank. I'm not sure what I will do with it. Maybe stick him in the pond. I don't think my lfs would take it. BTW you said you had some in your tank...what did you observe them do?
The picture on the website doesn't look so olive shaped though. It has tan and white markings, but a very elongated shell that is kinda oval shaped though. It looks to be about 1-2 inches long.
That guy I talked to was one of the divers, I think he said(its a no middle man site). But anyway he was describing their behavior and basically said they are mostly nocturnal, they sift the sand very well, and eat up the waste and will be the first to come out when I feed. Also said they are very fast for snails, and I could probably use about 10 or so in my 55 and with these don't even need the other snails, or big clean up crew. Could that be becausee the sucker will eat them all.

Nonetheless, I don't want to chance this by no means.
Again thank you for all that information, I was glad to get some details on this.

 

[speg]

They really dont do much that I was able to >see<. Like that diver said they are noctournal like a lot of snails are. Mostly they'll dig themselves down under just below the surface of the sand and keep their 'watching tube' poking out of the sand. If something happens to float by them they jump out of the sand and devour it. I had 3 peppermint shrimp for the longest time and they loved playing on the sand at night... I had put 3 of these snails in without knowing anything about them (lfs guys give you SOOOOOOOO much info.. yeah right). I cannot prove that the snails ate the peppermints.. but since I have taken the snails out and put in 3 new peppermints... nothing has gone missing.
Also when I heard they eat the benificial stuff out of your sand... I knew it was time for them to go. If you're after a good sand sifter then go for a sand sifting goby like a convict or just get a pistol shrimp along with some nassarius snails.
Nassarius snails will do the same job olive snails do (they are a bit smaller, tongan nass's are good sized) as far as 'sifting the sand'. They also eat up left over meaty foods, but they arent big enough to take on a fish or a shrimp They also dont eat up the stuff in your sand.

 

[ifusayso]

Originally Posted by Speg
They really dont do much that I was able to >see<. Like that diver said they are noctournal like a lot of snails are. Mostly they'll dig themselves down under just below the surface of the sand and keep their 'watching tube' poking out of the sand. If something happens to float by them they jump out of the sand and devour it. I had 3 peppermint shrimp for the longest time and they loved playing on the sand at night... I had put 3 of these snails in without knowing anything about them (lfs guys give you SOOOOOOOO much info.. yeah right). I cannot prove that the snails ate the peppermints.. but since I have taken the snails out and put in 3 new peppermints... nothing has gone missing.
Also when I heard they eat the benificial stuff out of your sand... I knew it was time for them to go. If you're after a good sand sifter then go for a sand sifting goby like a convict or just get a pistol shrimp along with some nassarius snails.
Nassarius snails will do the same job olive snails do (they are a bit smaller, tongan nass's are good sized) as far as 'sifting the sand'. They also eat up left over meaty foods, but they arent big enough to take on a fish or a shrimp They also dont eat up the stuff in your sand.
Thanks again. I might try a goby or pistol shrimp instead. I did kinda want something to work up the sand some.

 

[wax32]

Like Speg I prefer Nassarius snails to keep my sand worked. They do a great job. But mine all died in Katrina and I am having trouble finding some locally, so I don't have any in my tank ATM. They are top of my list to get some, soon as I find some!

 

[speg]

A lfs close to me has started selling both normal and tongan since I told them I wanted them. You should call them up and ask them to send you some!