sand sifting snails

[debbie]

Anyone have these that can comment about them??
I googled them and I come up with "Sand sifting reef snails Illynassarius obsoleta" is this right??

 

[b-baby80]

I have a Nassarius Snail.This site has them.I think their cool.Although i never see mine LOL!

 

[ducky]

I have nassarius snails and I love them, they come out at feeding time. I would try to get red leg hermits if you get any as the blue legs will kill them for their shells. Also, my CBB likes to eat their "tubes" so you will want to make sure your livestock will not bother them.

 

[jesshika]

I have two but they will only emerge from the sand if they smell food. When I bought them I didn't even know they buried themselves in the sand so I was surprised when I saw them digging under. You can look for the little antenna that they stick out from the sand, I always thought of it as like a submarine scope lol

 

[earlybird]

They aren't really "sifters" more like "shifters" which is better as they don't deplete the sand of beneficial critters. Nassarius snails are detrivours and burrow, cerith snails are algae eaters and will also burrow. Those are pretty much the snails that are readily available in this hobby. Depending on size you can look into fighting and queen conchs. Then there are hermit crabs which have pros and cons as far as being agressive towards snails.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by Debbie
Anyone have these that can comment about them??
I googled them and I come up with "Sand sifting reef snails Illynassarius obsoleta" is this right??

I personally haven't been able to find much info on that species, so it's possible that it was a rare one and isn't found in the hobby anymore. The best bet is nassarius, cerith, or conch, since all 3 are widely available.

 

[t316]

I have approx. 10. They are really fun to watch and are all over the tank. If buried, they pop up instantly when food is dropped in. They climb the walls as well, but stop at the top of the water, and usually fall back down. The only negative is that they are bottom feeders, and they are part of the clean up crew. They are so fast, that if you have a weak fish/shrimp/etc. and you are not there to rescue, they have him before you even know about it.

 

[petjunkie]

Illynassarius obsoleta aren't nassurius, they are coldwater snails that will die at reef temps and may not be reef safe. They show up on the big sale site to snag people that don't know any better. Make sure to pull up pictures of the right and wrong kind so you don't get them.