Starting home culture of shore snails.

[knifegill]

I'm having a heck of a time finding a species index for puget sound snail species. I'd like to do a home culture of one species of shore snail for kicks, but I'd prefer to use an invasive species since they tend to be hardier and aren't protected. Any ideas?
I'd like to do those tiny green ones with zig-zag and checker patterns that are always crawling between the barnacles. Anybody know what they are?

 

[knifegill]

Pictures Here: http://vmp.bioe.orst.edu/Documents/mism_ID_Cards5print.pdf
Japanese Oyster Drill - Ceratostoma inornatum
Description
Native to Asia - present in Puget Sound. Associated with shellfish
aquaculture - feeds on young oysters. Shell solid-looking. Whorls about five
or six - each with about eight low transverse ribs and faint spiral lines, some
more like raised threads. Aperture oval - canal rather short and open in the
early stages of growth, usually closed later.
Size: Narrow and elongate - up to 3 cm
Color: ranges from white to yellow and brown;
inside of aperture brown or yellow - operculum light brown - no
periostracum.
Habitat
Estuarine and marine habitats - associated with shellfish beds – gravel, mud,
sand beaches
Tidal Height
n/a
Salinity
n/a
Temperature
n/a
Similar Native Species
Similar to leafy hornmouth Ceratostoma foliatum of rocky shores, but smaller
and less conspicuously ornamented


Anybody know if shell-borers can be coaxed onto other foods?

This source http://depts.washington.edu/jlrlab/oysterdrills.php suggests they can also eat barnacles and other shellfish. Those darn invasive varnish clams might be good fodder.

 

[Kevin8888]

I hate to sound like a D*** but I would say using an invasive spiecies is an unbelieveably dumb idea, especially if you intend to culture them, they are called "Invasive" for a reason.
Snale larve can dwell in the water colume for part of their lifespan, so any waterchanges risks larve getting into the natural system, which can devistate native species. Currently an asian carp is/has destroyed the mississippi, and threatens the great lakes, all because some people thought it would be ok to have it in their ponds. There are plenty of hardy snales that look similar that are less risk of being invasive, such as a tropical snale in a temperate zone or a temperate snale for a tropical zone (as tropics are to hot for most temperat critters and vice versa). Though at the same time if you dont live near any bodys of water it probably wouldnt be a problem (like the middle of Nevada or something haha).

 

[knifegill]

Your post has a condescending tone. I think it started with the first seven words.

No, these do not have a planktonic stage. They also have failed to spread much due to their breeding style of egg clusters. Upon hatching, they are already miniature snails and simply grow. Why comment if you don't know anything about the species? At least refer to something you've read somewhere or make a more general comment.

Why would I collect a native species? That's just stupid. The snails that are supposed to be there need to stay there.

They are called 'invasive' for a reason. They aren't supposed to be here, so removing them is beneficial to the environment in most cases.

Carp have nothing to do with beach snails. I hate to break it to you, but you did end up sounding like a D***, but only because you didn't think before you typed.

Please stop spelling the word 'snails' so blatantly incorrectly. It hurts my head.

If you don't know their reproductive cycle, is it safe to assume you also don't know anything else about their care?

 

[Kevin8888]

I guess it was a bit ill thought through, and it was rather condisending, so I'm sorry about that. I just have read to many things about to many speicies that are destroying the ecosystems they where accidentaly introduced to, and I'd hate to see someone else cause more damage. But clearly your aware, so I'm sorry.

I wasn't reffering directly to this spiecies, as no I know nothing about it, so I was working off knowledge of others which happen to have planctonic stages (which also makes them rather hard to culture I mite add haha).

As for the carp, it was only a refference to explain my point about how bad alien spiecies can be when introduced to other ecosystems. So yes irrellivent to snails, but that wasn't the point.

As for collecting a few native snails wouldn't be a big deal on the ecosystem haha you could even release a few back into the wild once you had cultured some to replace what you took.

And if you are removing them form their introduced area then heck more power to ya haha, if I had time I would come and help, more people need to do more to rid natural waters of invasive spiecies.

Sorry about the spelling I'm a bit dislexic, so I've never been very good at it.

I do have some knowledge about culturing snales (not this spiecies), mostly various algea feeding kind, but I have read a number of things on carniverous ones as well, so if you can forgive me for my semi-ignorant first post I would be willing to supply you with any info I can.

 

[knifegill]

It's all good, bud. We all jump the gun once in awhile.

To be honest, after my research I've decided to go with smaller species, so I've got to do more reading.

And I admit I was a little too overly picky in my rebuttle. I do get the point of the carp. Boy, do I.

Happy fishkeeping to you!

 

[szymon328]

haha i just read this thread and im happy u guys worked it out

heres a suggestion tho, admit when your wrong sometimes b/c breeding invasive snails in an area where theyre not spossed to be could be potential dangerous to the environment, not trying to piss you off but its a good thing to learn from mistakes

i fully understand if i get an angry response lol

 

[knifegill]

Oh, I'm not arguing that it would be a dumb idea to allow random people to do it. The general population is prone to doing irresponsible things like releasing pets and introducing invasive diseases to the local environment. I'd also advise anyone against culturing invasive species. The difference here is that I get it. I would never put these guys back where they came from or mingle them into any outside system. If I decided to stop keeping them, they'd either become food or be humanely euthanized, or at worst boiled or dipped in freshwater and disposed of in dry trash or crushed to pieces and sterilized. I read the laws about what people are and aren't allowed to do with a given species and base my every move on these laws. If I occasionally bend them, it is never to anyone's detriment and I control every risk factor %100. There is no way I'd ever do anything to undermine the efforts of fish and game or other animal control organizations. I LOVE nature and hate seeing Florida ruined by lazy retards. I don't even live there and it makes my heart hurt to think about it. So you see, I'd never want to remove native species that might be protected or at risk (even if not listed as such! Paperwork does not define a species' condition, it follows it much later, sadly) when I can easily make use of (and reduce the numbers, which I did on site) a pest that isn't supposed to be here in the first place.

So I guess I'm not saying I'm wrong, but I am saying I operate out of logic and reason which differs from that of many. Not saying I'm special or different, just that I try to see the complete picture and this lends to deeper understanding between disciplines and sets of guidelines. It's a game of logic, you know? One list says one thing while a different list says something else, so ask why and uncover the unspoken truths. Then check them out to see if they hold fast.

 

[szymon328]

wow that was alot to read lol yea i wrote that when i was sorta tiered and what not but im happy that there are still people that love the wilderness