Bumble bee snails safe??

[shimmy]

I need help!!!
I ordered some Bumble bee snails as part of my cleanup crew with not doing lots of research on them thinking that they were no different then most other snails and my concern comes when I find out they have inherited the “killer snail” name. Im wondering will my tank life will be safe with them on the loose? Or will they “kill” everything?

[i have crabs]

i had a couple for years, i never noticed any issue but i heard they will eat zoo's if there isnt enough other food

[fishytime]

They can be predatory to other snails too. Not reef safe.

[Ellie_A]

I have 3 in my 75 gallon, no issues at all and I see them quite frequently.

[karazy]

you may have also accidentally looked at some pages that described a freshwater snail that looks a lot like the bumble bee's called assassin snails

[BlueAbyss]

Bumblebee snails (the stripe shelled burrowing ones sold in LFS as 'cleanup crew' members) are opportunistic carnivores. Meaning they'll eat leftover meaty foods, other snails, corals, dead fishes, etc.

[shimmy]

so it sounds like overall i should be ok..

[ElGuappo]

had 2 in a 10 and they ate my 2 turbos.

[TheMikey]

I've got two in my 15 and there's no issues yet.

[phyto4life]

Are you refering to the small nassarius snail's that are black and yellow that borrow in the sand at times?

because I have hundreds they seem to be good so far they are my only snails besides Stomatella varia snails/slugs

[shimmy]

Yes those are the ones I am referring to, I was looking on line and seen there are fresh water ones that do eat everything and just wanted to see if other feel they are safe or not.

[naesco]

so it sounds like overall i should be ok..

Dr. Shimek, who is kind of the expert on these things says they are not OK.
They are predators. They search the sand and rock and eat all the small critters that are necessary for the sand bed including the larvae of pods which are essential food for some of the fish like mandarins who need they to survive.
I don't know why some LFS continue to stock them.

Thanks for asking before you buy.

[phyto4life]

Dr. Shimek, who is kind of the expert on these things says they are not OK.
They are predators. They search the sand and rock and eat all the small critters that are necessary for the sand bed including the larvae of pods which are essential food for some of the fish like mandarins who need they to survive.
I don't know why some LFS continue to stock them.

Thanks for asking before you buy.

thanks for the info I'll look into it so I can start picking them out of my tank I just noticed them in my tank in the last 30 days they really spread fast

[naesco]

[QUOTE=phyto4life;460017]thanks for the info I'll look into it so I can start picking them out of my tank I just noticed them in my tank in the last 30 days they really spread fast


This is a bubble bee snail.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+565&pcatid=565

[shimmy]

Dr. Shimek, who is kind of the expert on these things says they are not OK.
They are predators. They search the sand and rock and eat all the small critters that are necessary for the sand bed including the larvae of pods which are essential food for some of the fish like mandarins who need they to survive.
I don't know why some LFS continue to stock them.

Thanks for asking before you buy.

NAESCO could you send the link on where you found this information I would like to read more about it. Are bristle worms also a bad thing to have in ones tank for I found one the other day in my tank and all the comments I have found on them argue both sides… so….??

[naesco]

NAESCO could you send the link on where you found this information I would like to read more about it. Are bristle worms also a bad thing to have in ones tank for I found one the other day in my tank and all the comments I have found on them argue both sides… so….??

The best site to get non biased information is www.wetwebmedia.com
The live aquaria site is an online fish/coral seller. The information always underestimates, the size requirements, difficulty to keep etcetera as they are in the business of selling reef stuff.

Bristle worms are a good for a reef tank as they eat all the detritus and dead stuff.

[mike31154]

I've seen something similar to a bumblebee snail in my tank on occasion, although most of the time it's out of sight in the rockwork or sand. I believe mine has a yellowish shell with only a single black stripe, not multiple. It does have the 'proboscis' like appendage at the front though. It's been a while since I researched anything on similar specimens but I recall my findings were that it is a nassarius, stays relatively small and is considered generally beneficial. I also found that they can be mistaken for something called a 'whelk' which can grow relatively large and is much more of a hazard in our systems. I think if yours are nassarius, you shouldn't be overly concerned unless they are overwhelming in numbers, which as mentioned, could decimate other beneficial life in your sandbed, LR, etc.

[mechano]

never had an issue with these guys (knock on wood) I have had them over 5 months or so...

[phyto4life]

This is a bubble bee snail.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+565&pcatid=565

yes those are the one's I have I read the same thing recently and I am getting rid of all the ones I have by just picking them out when I see them but I think I'll have to keep turning rock's around to to get them all out because they are every where

I have noticed a huge decline in slugs and copepods over the last few month's since I really noticed that they spread