Is this snail munching my zoas

[jonboyb]

For the past few weeks, I've had a large colony of zoas that I've been growing almost a year start looking bad...and getting worse. I've been staying up late looking for pest (my water is in the best shape it's been since I started this tank). I have about 20 other zoa/paly species that are unaffected. In my midnight flashlight runs, I've caught a glimpse of these teeny snails that inhabit my whole tank crawling on the zoas. They are not pyramids and do not appear to be sundials. ANyone familiar with them. THis one is by far the biggest one I've seen and it's smaller than a pencil eraser. Most are 1-2 mm. They do seem oddly attracted to this zoa colony,

 

[jonboyb]

And here's a pic shortly after lights out. Note these snails have very round shells like a turbo, not flat like sundials. From the larger one and some research, they just appear to be harmless "collonista" snails to me. THose reach 1/4" max and reproduce like mad.

 

[jonboyb]

Based on all pics I've found, they do not look like sundials. THese are really "bubbly" shells like a turbo and the sundials are thin disc shaped shells. The sundials appears to have bumpy shells too, these are glass smooth.

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/sundial_snail.html">http://www.melevsreef.com/id/sundial_snail.html</a>

On another note, all my rocks on the sandbed have these snails zoas or not. The zoa colony in question is on the substrate and I've been paying closer attention to it without noticing they are on all bottom rocks.

 

[skriz]

they don't look like sundials, but rather baby snails. I had millions of these guys in my tank. I don't think that's your problem.

Can you take a shot of just the zoas? Is there algae growing on the zoas?

 

[jonboyb]

Now that they've been unhappy for a while, they appear to almost be shedding like a leather. They do have some growth on a few now but not like hair algae. More like the dusty algae that forms on glass.

 

[skriz]

If you can pull the rock they're on, give them a dip in iodine and see what you find.

 

[kwasniew]

yes yes yes eating your zoas

 

[hellfire]

I have the same ones. Haven't noticed any harm..

Tyler

 

[zesty]

Do you think its mad snail Disease!