acclimating snails shipped dry?

K

KillerReef

Member
i got 50+ nassarius snails and 50+ perwinkle snails delivered today. As promised, they were delivered in no water. acclimation procedures are pretty vague but go like this: rinse snails in colander with either tank H2O or room temp tap water. I used tank water. Then acclimate to your tank's water.

I am drip acclimating them as we speak and it has been about 40 minutes since I started, they are showing signs of life and are currently totally immersed in tank water. How long should I keep doing this? And what is the difference between keeping them in the acclimation buckets in tank water and putting them in the DT? thanks, dave
 
K

KillerReef

Member
pics of what? the snails: here's a link to the place i got them on ebay:ebay a couuple people on a nother forum had got them and were pleased. They came in breather bags. not sure what else i can tell you. i counted 54alive nassarius and i'm sure there are just as many periwinkle, but haven't counted yet...

thanks for any help you can give me..
 
blue_eyes53813

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
Since they were totally dry the only reason to keep them out of the tank that I can think of is to make sure they come out of the shock of shipment. If they seem to be moving good you could probabaly add them to the tank.

If they were drowsy and u added them to the tank their defense skills may be low and they other livestock might pick on them and stress them out. snails need to be flipped over. They cant turn themself over very good..
 
A

acemow

Member
My experience with snails in the mail is from reefcleaners.org, they ship them with only a wet paper towel in the plastic bag, and air of course. The instructions are to open the bag, don't add water at all, then float the bag in the tank to temp. acclimate. Then I put them in the tank. For nassarius and periwinkle, dwarf cerith, I just dump them in. Reefcleaners.org sends so many extra if I lose a few, it's very hard to tell. The bigger snails I tuck away in LR because sometimes they take a long time to start moving and the crabs will eat them immediately if they can get to them. I've had fine success with this method.
 
framerguy

framerguy

Well-Known Member
Generally snails delivered that way are intertidal species. Acclimate to temp and place them in the tank. Supposedly it is no different than them being dry then washed over by the incoming tide. I have had no trouble with snails delivered that way from Reefcleaners.org
 
bluespotjawfish

bluespotjawfish

Well-Known Member
Same here. It's kinda nice not to have to mess with the acclimation. I didn't believe it the first time, but it worked. So, when I moved, guess how I shipped them! Sweet! Easy!
 
mps9506

mps9506

Well-Known Member
framerguy said:
Generally snails delivered that way are intertidal species. Acclimate to temp and place them in the tank. Supposedly it is no different than them being dry then washed over by the incoming tide. I have had no trouble with snails delivered that way from Reefcleaners.org
Click to expand...

+1
Snails, zoas even sps can by shipped this way. It makes acclimating easy, and supposedly a higher survival rate.
I had never heard of rinsing with fresh water though...
 
K

KillerReef

Member
thanks everyone for the the replies... Kind of weird that this is the first email notification got of replies but there are so many. The Vendor, Saltwater Solutions, got back to me and said pretty much the same thing. The moving ones under water are good to go.

All in all, I ordered 50 nass. and 50 peri., I got 57 nass. and 54 peri., with only 2 dead periwinkles. Pretty good if you ask me. And all for $15. I personally would not arder again, though because the nassarius mostly stay on the glass and the periwinkles have barely moved at all. I know the periwinkles are still live because they are on the rocks and still sticking, just not moving fast.

Thanks again for the help..
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I don't know about the Periwinkles but the Nassarius will soon enough disappear into the sand. It's pretty cool to watch them all come out of the sand when food hits the tank.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
There are (I do believe) two types of Nassarius snails. The "mud" dwellers don't normally bury down into the sand. I can't remember the "specifics" but I do know there is a big difference.
 
J

johnmaloney

Well-Known Member
just be careful when handling them, and placing your hands in the water from now on. Ilynassa obsoleta carry parasites that can cause rashes, and the majority of them carry the parasites. (I think they are called flukes, but I think of fish when I think of flukes so I call them parasites) You can find out more about that here:
Do You Know Who You’re Dealing With? Get to Know the Real Ilyanassa obsoleta by Mike Greenemeier - Reefkeeping.com

Cortisone cream is a pretty decent cure for swimmers itch.
 
sneaks03

sneaks03

Member
Yup will be careful not to get those things in my tank. Don't want a rash everytime I perform maintenance or do a WC.
 
J

johnmaloney

Well-Known Member
It isn't that common to get one, it is just something to be mindful of. I know the snails are a coldwater species, not sure if the parasite is as well...If so it probably won't last that long.
 
K

KillerReef

Member
wow, thanks for the link, John...

I wish I had read it before I got these stupid things. They are pretty much worthless and they are the ones you mentioned above. I guess i should start pulling them out tomorrow, huh? They are definitely not doing what I bought them to do...
 
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