Snail question?

[CRJDriver]

It seems as though the snails in my tank have multiplied. I started with two and now i have three on the walls. I thought it was rare for snails to breed in captivity, mabye i was mislead. There are numerous little slug type looking things visible when the lights are off, and are less visible when the lights are on. Are these really sails in the early stages? I'm a little worried that it might be some sort of parasite. Has anyone ever had this happen to there tank?

[greenbean36191]

Lots of snails breed well in captivity, just usually not the ones that are most popular.

The slug-like snails you're seeing are probably Stomatella. They are actually closely related to Turbo and Astraea snails, but breed much better in captivity.

[CRJDriver]

I for the life of me cannot find any of them when the lights are on this morning, yet they are all over the walls when the lights are out. My fish seem to be dying and the snails seem to be multiplying, i have no idea whats going on in my tank. My last water test was good, nothing out of wack. Anyone with advice please speak up!!!

[dragonladylea]

Can you describe the "slugs" better? How are they shaped? do they appear to have a shell, or part of a shell? How big are they approx?

[CRJDriver]

Some are larger than others, they don't appear to have shells, but its difficult to see since they only appear when the lights are out. I would say the average size is about 3-4mm. Vanilla coloring. As i said before one of them has become quite big and definetly has a shell. They do appear to have little tenacles. From everything i've mentioned one might think they are baby snails, but the later in the night i look the more there are and they seem to be everywhere. Maybe i'm getting worried over nothing, but it has caught me completely by suprise. If they are all snails, do i need to remove some of them? Thanks

[johnny gray]

i'm getting them to i have a bunch of eggs next to my over flow box

[CSeaSee]

I have a LARGE reproducing snail population in my tank. We're talking hundreds here, folks. They are very small, spherical, and no bigger than 1 cm across, white with brown stripes. The came on the live rock years ago, and have established themselves as the dominant algae-eaters. I can only keep a couple of Astrea snails in addition, because of the huge population of these guys. They only come out at night, and coat the glass and rock when they are grazing. They have never harmed anything, and are too small to move anything around. If this sounds like yours, don't worry at all.

[BubbaWPB]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think many of the Stomatella species are nocturnal - that could be why you don't see them during the day. The Stomatella snails look like slugs because they have a small flat shell on their back. The can breed prolifically in the tank. They are nice to have.

[CRJDriver]

Thanks for all the input...i guess i'll just let them be then! From my understanding of what everyone has said i need not worry about having too many, is that correct? Again...thanks

[CSeaSee]

Unless you see a rapid and marked decline in coral health, I wouldn't worry whatsoever. I do encourage waking up in the middle of the night and peeking at your tank! Do you have any moonlights?

[CRJDriver]

I do not have moonlight, nor do i have coral, its just a fish-only tank.