Cerith Snail Eggs
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37746
Printed Date: March 03 2025 at 2:11am
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Topic: Cerith Snail Eggs
Posted By: Sitaga
Subject: Cerith Snail Eggs
Date Posted: January 08 2010 at 6:23pm
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I just had a Cerith snail lay eggs on the front glass (just finished watching it set the eggs). Is there anything I can do help ensure they survive? Fortunately the eggs are in my frag tank, so the fish are minimal (6-line and a blenny). I read a few post wiht mixed reviews, but one said to put them in an unfiltered, no sand tank. Any insight from club members would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Bill ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Replies:
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 09 2010 at 10:36am
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After reading more online I've decided to place the eggs in a glass jar with some light and a little macro algea (same stuff I feed rotifers). There are mixed opinions, but I believe they will hatch in about 4 days. I'll start documenting with photographs from here on out. ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 12 2010 at 5:01pm
Well. Snails have layed several other patches of eggs and I've been harvesting them and putting them in a brooder (not sure what else to call it). Tonight is day 4 which from what I hear is when the eggs should hatch. They are looking a lot different today, so let's hope!
 Snail Eggs
Large Image: http://www.sitaga.com/Aquarium/saltwater/frag/images/Image002.JPG - http://www.sitaga.com/Aquarium/saltwater/frag/images/Image002.JPG
 The Brooder (better known as a plastic container)
Large Image: http://www.sitaga.com/Aquarium/saltwater/frag/images/Image001.JPG - http://www.sitaga.com/Aquarium/saltwater/frag/images/Image001.JPG
If anyone has any advise on hatching/raising Cerith snails I'm all ears (or eyes).
Bill ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 18 2010 at 11:38am
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None have hatched. Wonder what went wrong.. Not much info on the subject on the internet, but I still have eggs being laid every day, so it would be fun to get one of them to hatch. I'll keep searching! ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: January 18 2010 at 1:27pm
| They have been laying eggs in my tank as well like crazy! I've been trying to find the same info but not having much luck as well. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: January 18 2010 at 1:34pm
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Well, I wan't going to say anything, but....since you are still trying... I'll offer some help.
I guarantee you they are hatching in your tank and soon you may see baby Ceriths crawling around. Look for tiny white shells in the sand and on the glass, especially at night. They are sometimes mistaken for Pyramid Snails but easily distinguished because baby Cerith shells are not so white and do not have such a sharp point at the end. They actually don't look very conical when they are that small. Here is a thread with a pic, unfortunately the pic is not focused.
http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3147 - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3147
Sitting the eggs in a small container of water with no circulation is not going to do it. Scraping them off the glass also destroys their protective encasement. It's also possible that their first stage is planktonic, though I doubt it is a lengthy stage and they soon end up in the sand.
If it were me, I would first look at how this might be done naturally. Unfortunately, they are in a tank with a fish that loves to eat new baby snails, the Sixline Wrasse.
What kind of Blenny?
How many Hermits are in that tank? Hermits will eat them too.
Any bugs in the sand that may prey on baby snails?
What is the chance that you could remove these predators?
I've had a few Ceriths grow up in my tanks over the years, but even if there were dozens or hundreds, it still is questionable as to whether it was financially feasible to mess with, compared to not having any control of flatworms or coral predators by the Sixline.
 I had Margarita snails reproduce like crazy and have given away hundreds of small Margaritas. It was the strangest thing when I first noticed the spawning. I thought something had died because the entire tank was cloudy one evening. As I stopped to investigate I saw Margarita snails sitting piggyback 2-4 high. Some were squirting eggs and some were squirting sperm. The eggs were like tiny particles of Oolitic sand spewing into the water column and the sperm was just milky. A few months later I started to notice the young snails. It was cool.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 18 2010 at 1:50pm
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I'm not interested in it financially (although it would be nice to sell offspring). I just thought it would be interesting to see them grow up. We set up an incubator for chicken eggs and my children loved taking care of the eggs and watching them hatch. I just thought it would be an interesting thing for them to watch. I am going to set up a 10g tank with only ceriths and see if we can issolate the eggs from predators. As always - Thanks for the info Mark.------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 18 2010 at 1:53pm
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Mark - Do you know if Peppermint shrimp would mess with the cerith snail eggs? I have one tank that only has a few peppermints in it that I could put ceriths in right away. Some of the eggs have been laid in the overflow of the tank, so I've left those and hope they will hatch. I've read that the fray (not sure if that's what you call a hatched snail) cirrculate in the tank for the first few days, so I'm not sure if they will all get sucked into my sump and then back into the tank to be eaten by the 6-line. ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 21 2010 at 7:50pm
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I got a couple egg patches in the tank with Peppermints today. Hopefully I get some hatching in 4 days. ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: January 29 2010 at 11:55am
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Good news! They hatched. I have billion little tiny cerith snails cruisin around a 15 gallon tank now. They are so small my little point and shoot camera cannot get a picture of them. I've asked my buddy to lend me his camera for a day. When he brings it over I'll take a couple snap shots and post them. ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: January 29 2010 at 12:36pm
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You can do it. These pics were taken by focusing through a jewelers loop and then cropping and re-sizing to post here. A magnifying glass would also work. I keep the magnifiers for viewing tiny critters.
Tiny aiptasia (~1/4 inch)
 Copepods and hydroid
 Shrimp larvae (~1/2 inch)
 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: January 29 2010 at 3:22pm
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What do the eggs look like after they hatch? I have a bunch of egg clusters on my glass and I know a few of them have been there longer than 4 days, but they look the same to me.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: February 02 2010 at 11:27am
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They look like tiny brown ovals. They don't appear to have a shell right away. I'm not sure how long that step will take, but I've been dosing with small amounts of calcium to see if that will help them. I'm also dosing with Invert Vits. The algea is pretty thick in the tank, so I'm hoping I have everything they need to grow up. I still haven't been able to get a camera, but I might try the magnifying glass thing and see what I can produce. ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: iriedodge
Date Posted: February 02 2010 at 1:36pm
| I just noticed that I have hydroids, exactly like the pictured... maybe 15 or so in a corner of my tank, on the glass. Should I execute them? |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: February 02 2010 at 8:16pm
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Hydroids are common in tanks of 3-6 months and then disappear and rarely return. Don't worry about them. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: paleohead
Date Posted: February 02 2010 at 11:10pm
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Very good thread! I used to keep peppermint shrimp and sometimes they can be hellions in a tank. Feeding them specifically will help keep them away from some of the baby critters, or it worked for me. ------------- Collecting for the public to see! |
Posted By: Spbeyond
Date Posted: February 06 2010 at 7:53pm
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My cerith has laid some eggs... Do you think my bi-color blenny will eat them? IF they even hatch that is. ------------- 90 Gallon Reef w/4 bulb 54W t5 I buy, sell and restore pinball machines. Got one in the basement? ;) |
Posted By: Sitaga
Date Posted: February 11 2010 at 11:24am
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I'm not sure the critters I saw were Ceriths or not. They are not present any more, but i don't see baby ceriths cruising around either. :( ------------- Tons of livestock including fish, coral, and inverts currently in stock. We also have Reeflo pumps, SeaChem additives, Brine Shrimp Direct foods, and ATI lighting in stock. |
Posted By: Flashlin
Date Posted: April 04 2010 at 1:10pm
I got some this morning   |