Can't Keep Snails Off My Clams!!!!!!

[Great Reefer Man]

I have several snails in my tank. Some are big turbos and some are margarita and cerith snails. I CANT KEEP THEM OFF MY CLAMS!!!!!!!!!! I notice that when the clam has snails on it, it only opens so far. When there are no snails on it (which is rare) it is way way way open. With snails on them, they will not extend their mantles past their shells.

Is there any way to stop this? They are 3-5 inch derasa clams and they are located on the sand. Or, is this ok and it won't have any negative impact on the clam?

TIA
Dennis

[srgtkoons]

Are you talking about big snails or are they small around 2 cm and white? If you got the small ones then you got a serious problem because they prey on clams and will eventually kill them. I am not sure how to deal with them if they are the bad kind. And if they are the larger algae grazers then i have no clue man..

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I have the mind of a 5 year old and own a fire extinquisher you cant imagine the things i do.

[djheywood]

They will not eat the clam, but they could annoy the clam to the point that it will not open fully which will cause death. Every once in a while I get a snail on the side of my crocea, but it's not all the time. I would watch and remove the problem snails and see how things go. Is there excess algae on the clam shell? Is there no algae anywhere else in your tank. Maybe the snails are starving?

The one thing I have learned on clams is that they do not like being annoyed, and don't do well when they are.
Good luck.

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http://www.ssaland.com/reefpages/reefhome.htm

[Great Reefer Man]

These are regular snails. Not the ones that eat clams. There is very little algae in the tank. It might be time to get rid of some snails [img]/ubb/frown.gif[/img]. Is there any food which I could add to feed the snails? Thanks.

Dennis

[36]

My clams have snails on them all the time also. I guess there must be some good algae growth on them. I don't have any turbos, only assorted smaller snails. My clams have gotten used to it and doesn't bother them much any more. How long has this been going on?

[Mobious]

I really dont think this is a problem.. The snails are doing their job. I do not believe the clams are in any danger.