Help small snail's on clam

[mattie]

i had been warned in the past that little white snail's could apear on clams and cause damage well. today while cleaning the tank i noticed one clam was not as open as usual and upon closer inspection it had several little white pointy conehead snails on it i removed as many as i could see with some tweezer's (@15) and checked my other clams and they had a few too? any good idea's i tried checking out clams direct for info it said pyramid snail but i could not find a pic i guess i will just remove the clams and clean then every few days but what a pain in the a$$

 

[addict]

Yep... those are pyramellid's all right.
I finally got all of mine out only a month ago... at one time there were hundreds, though mine miraculously stayed away from my squamosa clam and instead were parasitizing all my Astrea snails.
You'll need to keep an eye on the clams for probably another month or so, so that you can remove any more as they show up... they're prolific breeders and will quickly regain their population if allowed to do so.

 

[Barry N.]

Oh no, yes those are Pyramidelline snail. and very hard to rid.

They will suck the blood from the clams. I would inspect all your clams very closely and continue to do this every week till you see none. Look for jelly like mucus as that will be the sack for laying more eggs. Take all empty hermit and snail shells out as they will also hide in there. They can lay eggs in the substrate as well. A six-line wrasse will help keep them under control but will not elimate them all.

Good luck.

 

[NaH2O]

Barry, is there any kind of dip or anything you can do with your clams as a last resort?

 

[mattie]

OMG well i justrtried to clean the clams a second time and found that in the plates on the squasmo clam there were jelly sacks filled with little eggs and dozens of little snails
I removed the substrate around the clams and replaced it with new

wow a new problem allways come up after I fix one

 

[Barry N.]

Nikki,

Have never tried to see if a FWD would work on this snails but if they are in the substrate or hidding in empty shells that will not work. They can hatch and spread fast. Just keep checking the clams a few times a week. They like to hide around the byssal gland and at night will travel to the mantle.

 

[Barry N.]

wow a new problem allways come up after I fix one

Mattie, don't give up. Do you have a q-tank that you can place your clams in. Don't think they can live without a host.

 

[Maxx]

Good info from the man who would know!
Karma to ya Barry!
Nick

 

[Barry N.]

Just hope that the information will help.

 

[NaH2O]

Thanks Barry! I guess picking them off would be easier then a FWD anyway. I think my fingers were thinking faster than my brain.

Barry - you are the clam master!!! Thanks again for all the info you provide!

 

[mattie]

Barry i do not have a q-tank set-up but it would cost alot less to set one up than loss even a single clam minus the light
so the snail's can not survive without a clam to host is that corret
if i put them i a qt tank for a month the ones in the main tank would starve out and die? or a given amount of time

 

[Barry N.]

Mattie. That is what we understand. What kind of lighting are you going to put over your q-tank? I would not use any substrate, place your calms on PVC rings.

Make sure your clams are well inspected before and also inspect after they have been in the q-tank for a while to assure they do not have any snails on them. Might even clean the shells with old tooth brush and check around the edge of mantles and the byssal.

Keep us posted.

 

[mattie]

i Have a 2x 65w pc hood that is not in use i think i might go purchase a 15 long to use as a Q-tank

 

[ScottT1980]

I have a 10 gallon if you want to use it...It was, at one time, treated with copper (about 2 years ago), but I have used it for makeup water and to cure live rock since with no ill effects. Just let me know and I will clean it up for you...

Take er easy
Scott T.

 

[mattie]

thanks scott that would be great
get er ready

 

[ScottT1980]

I will do it when I get home tonight...will give you a call

 

[mattie]

barry what would be a good amount of time to use the Q-T ?

 

[Barry N.]

mattie,

Now that would be hard to guess as I truly do not know how long it takes for the parasites to die without a host.

The way we did it with one of our holding tanks was to remove everything and take out all the substate and replace it with new. Now we use mostly baskets with #10 sand any every week we take the baskets out and clean them with fresh water and put in the sun for a few days then back in the tanks and restock clams. Seem to work as I haven't seen a snail in many months. We just take our time when acclimating new arrvials and check them closely before placing in our tanks. We have found some from time to time when bring in new clams from the wholesalers.

 

[blue_eyes53813]

Interesting stuff. I had snails kill a clam and I was afraid to add another clam because I didnt know if the snails would still be in the tank.I didnt know they needed a host . I will maybe think about another clam. Thanks Barry

 

[ScottT1980]

Just to note, these snails can also host on astrea snails (and I would presume other snails). I have personally seen them on larger snails (snails acting as a snail parasite...strange I know). So, removing just the clam might not be removing all potential hosts...