cerith snail

[silverdust]

I picked up a cerith snail the other day, got home, acclimated him, dropped him in the tank...It immediately buried itself and I haven't seen it since. Is this common? I've checked the ammonia levels in the tank and it's still at 0ppm. Will he be out soon?

[Alexraptor]

ceriths are generally nocturnal, and burry in the sand during the day for the most part.

[silverdust]

Ah, good to know, thank you.

[c est ma]

Yep, I have 2 ceriths that have been around for a while, but I can go for long periods of time without seeing them. Just when I conclude they've kicked the bucket I see them again...

 

--Diane

[Pinner Reef]

Ditto to what Cest ma said. I've got at least half a dozen. I only see them when I feed and even then only a couple at a time.

-pinner

[jeffblly]

Cerith snails bury? Mine have never buried.

They are constantly roaming. They are the most active critters in my tank.(thats not saying much since I only have 4 different types of snails and nothing else besides corals). My Nassarius though only comeout during feeding time.

[FPM29]

Mine nerver bury, they just roam the LR and clean the tank glass.

I don't know if type of substrate has something to do with it. I have sand in my nano.

[t0mmyb0y]

one of mine burrows and the other roams...best of both worlds

[eklikewhoa]

I got two yesterday and I placed them on top of the LR and they have been cleaning ever since.

[spanko]

Cerith Snail - Cerithium altratum - Sometimes called Florida Cerith

 

Behavior In the wild the Cerith Snail feeds upon diatom, detritus and algae that is growing around rocks. They burrow into the sand especially during periods of rough weather.

 

Description Elongated with spirals and short spikes. Very variable in coloration..

 

Habitat This Cerith lives within sand bottom near rocky reef areas.

 

Size About 1.25 inches. They grow to about 1.75 inches. Most are collected at about 1.25 inches.

 

Aquarium Discussion Cerithium altratum does very well within a Reef Aquarium. It gets along well with other tank mates, is totally herbivorous, and is known for the consumption of red diatom and algae This is the only snail that we know of that will remove the algae that grows below the sand at the front edge of many aquariums.

 

Similar Species....

 

Stocky Cerith - C litteratum: These are more stout, grow to about 1.5 inches and are similar in habit. These are common on the reef in water up to about 90 feet or so. We have tested these for aquarium use and found that they simply do not hold up.

 

Ivory Cerith - C. eburneum: These are the Cerith that end up as Hermit Crab shells. These are somewhat hardy although no where near as hardy as C. atratum. These have an amber colored operculum while most other Cerith's have a darker operculum. We usually have some of these around and 2 of them can be added to your Cerith order at no charge for comparison purposes. Use the comments section at the end of the checkout process to request the 2 Ivory Cerith Snails.

 

Fly-Specked Cerith - These are the Cerith's that are found in grassy areas. They get to be about an inch and are sometimes mistaken for Florida Cerith. These are very common and grow to about an inch however we do not consider them to be relevant for aquarium trade.

[c est ma]

Well, while we're at it:

 

http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/TN_F...ERITHIINAE.html

 

 

--Diane

[spanko]

WOW WHAT A SITE^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Oregon]

HOLY SHIZZLE! That site does rock!

[c est ma]

It is a great site. And it has a ton of gastropod pics (not just ceriths). The only problem is that the live animal can sometimes look a lot different than the cleaned-up shell...

 

--Diane