you gotta be kidding me.....

[the-bubonic-one]

I haven't added anything to the tank for months now. Look at it everyday(its in the living room). Well I had been noticing missing zoas/plays here and there but chalked it up to " you win some you lose some". The amount were few, a single darth maul, a ppe, etc. So today I get home chilling on the couch walk by the tank and something catches my eye. I knew exactly what it was the moment I laid eyes on it. There it was just straight munching on a colony of magicians.
<fieldset class="gc-fieldset">
<legend> Attached files </legend>

>

class="gc-images" title="IMG_5827.jpg[/IMG] style="max-width:300px" /></a> </fieldset>

 

[the-bubonic-one]

Funny thing is I've been lookjng for a culprit for awhile. Hard to believe I miss this guy for so long.

 

[sewer urchin]

So where's the garlic sauce and butter

 

[the-bubonic-one]

Trust me i waterboarded in the form of rx and freshwater as much as the law allows.

 

[rdnelson]

OK, I will play the dumb newbie. (but I guess you guys already knew that). What kind of snail is that so I know what to look for.

 

[reefkeeper]

Here you go...


Species Name: Heliacus areola
Authority: Gmelin, 1791
Common Name: Box/Sundial Snail
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean
Natural Environment: Found in-between polyps of zoanthid colonies
Aquarium Suitability: Has a temperature range of 72 to 83°F (22 - 28°C). It has a flattened spiral-shaped shell that is checkerboard in color, e.g., somewhat black and white. Usually found among and feeding on polyps. Often seen feeding upon zoanthid colonies, however, also feeds on soft and stony corals.



_

 

[j_b_]

I glad you asked, Rich...I hate being the newbie, left wondering. :up:

Appreciate you posting this, T-B-O...if I would have found that snail in my system, I'd have thought it was kinda cool looking and probably left it in there.

 

[rdnelson]

^+1 Me too. LOL

 

[greggreenberg]

Me too lol. I saw what looks the same at my Lfs and they said they didn't know what it was either. And just put it back

 

[the-bubonic-one]

Sorry guys should of included the name in the post. I was kind of heated yesterday.

 

[saltbubbles]

Reefkeeper;801895 wrote: Here you go...


Species Name: Heliacus areola
Authority: Gmelin, 1791
Common Name: Box/Sundial Snail
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean
Natural Environment: Found in-between polyps of zoanthid colonies
Aquarium Suitability: Has a temperature range of 72 to 83°F (22 - 28°C). It has a flattened spiral-shaped shell that is checkerboard in color, e.g., somewhat black and white. Usually found among and feeding on polyps. Often seen feeding upon zoanthid colonies, however, also feeds on soft and stony corals.

_

Woo hoo:yay: noobie extra points for me. I knew that it was a Sundial and that it is BAD. I didn't know all the stuff above.

 

[fidofence]

From that pic I wouldn't even of guessed it was in a fish tank

 

[swfk44]

:rocketwhore: choot em

 

[jennm]

There's usually more where one came from - they breed like rabbits.

One thing you can't see in the picture, but makes them easy to distinguish: Their flapper (the bit that closes up when the snail retracts into its shell) is POINTY. It's cone shaped, and rather sticky if you touch it. So if you aren't sure, that's the dead giveaway that it's a sundial.

Yep they eat zoas and only zoas, and they can make short work of a colony.