Help me ID this tiny snail.

tbryan

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Just realized that I have hundreds of these guys,just hoping they're not sundials.I'm gonna try to get a microscopic shot sometime this morning at work.
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Edit: These guys are smaller than a bb for a size comparison.
 
Kinda looks like a Sundial Snail and they eat zoas but then again I don't know anything. Perhaps someone with more experience will correct me (:
 
I ran across collonista snails in a web search and they look promising.No go on the micro shot this morning I got a better view of it but just couldnt get a good pic of my viewing screen, but i can say that i did not notice the cone shaped tail typical of a sundial,although if these are really young sundials maybe they just havent formed yet.
 
No personal experience with them, but from a quick google search, I'd say they DO look like Sundial snails. Did you find it on some zoos, or was it somewhere else?
 
i did first notice them on the zoos but they are everywhere, all over the rockwork.
 
I don't think they are sundials I have seen some like this in my tank at night.
If you look at the opening and were the snail comes out sundials have a cone shape there that actually sticks out check that out and it will tell you pretty quick if they are sundials.
If you search sundial snail pics you can see what I am talking about. I may not have explained it very well.
 
To me this looks like a COLLONISTA SNAILS
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These small algae grazers are nocturnal. You'll notice little white spots on your glass, which upon closer inspection, are tiny checkerboard snails. They will reproduce well and are beneficial. They stay small. The largest one I've seen is about 1/4" across.
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The picture isn't the greatest that you took also it's not a tail that is pointed it's the "trap door" part.
SUNDIAL SNAILS
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The "trap door" covering their opening is the giveaway sign that you are dealing with a sundial. These critters are zoanthid eaters. The only way to eradicate them safely is manual removal.
 
Yep, the flapper is the key - if it's pointy (and sticky) it's a sundial. Zoa eaters.

I've seen other, harmless tiny snails lots of times - not sure exactly what specie they are but they don't bother anything.

If you're seeing them on your zoas, that's worriesome - so the flapper is the key there.

Jenn
 
I looked at them under microscope at work this morning definately no pointy trap door. I was leaning toward the collonista myself, so hopefully im ok here.

Edit: Not sure what i could do about it if they were bad i have a mass invasion of these things.
 
Now that im not as worried about them its kinda cool to have a swarm of snails multiplying in the tank.
 
tbryan;849562 wrote: Now that im not as worried about them its kinda cool to have a swarm of snails multiplying in the tank.

I first noticed these in my sons tank one night they were all over the glass I thought the same thing you did (sundials ) but it turned out to be just alot of small snails .
 
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