Stomatella Snail is also known as Pearl snail, little Margarite, or Pearly Snail, and they usually look like a crossbreed of a slug and a snail. This is a sea snail that has both small and medium sizes. The snail belongs to the Trochoidea family.
Inside a tank, these creatures look like members of the reef safe 100 percent and CUC(clean up crew) because they will help you control the growth of algae in your tank. They will reproduce inside the tank, and usually, they do not seem to reach nuisance levels. They can live for six months in warmer reefs.
Normally, Stomatella, known scientifically as Stomatella sp, can grow to around 2-2.5 cm in length. They are primarily nocturnal animals, and they move so fast when running away from their predators. A speed that is usually faster for a snail.
At times, but you can still spot them during the day. They break off the rear portion of their foot to distract their predators when escaping.
Appearance
The shell of a Stomatella Snail is relatively flat and resembles a fingernail or oval shape; it covers half the Snail’s body. You will spot this sea creature in brown, green, grey, and black or sometimes in other colors like orange, red, or pink for the exotic types; that is why these species were named “varia.”
Their body is not fully covered with a shell, and predatory animals prey for Stomatella snails. Among the predators found in the tank that feed on them include hermit crabs and predatory shrimps.
Stomatella themselves are herbivores, and they mainly feed on algae and microalgae in the tank area. If there are enough algae in your aquarium, you will not need to add additional supplemental feedings.
Care of Stomatella Snail
These beautiful creatures are completely reefed safe, and they will breed well in an aquarium setting and still not reach undesirable numbers.
You can acquire them in fish stores. They are mainly brought into their new environment with live rocks because they have exceptional abilities.
They can regain their lost legs just like lizards do when they lose their tails.
Acclimatization
Stomatella Snail takes quite some time to acclimate to their new surroundings. Generally, you should drip acclimatized slowly, for roughly twice the amount of time that you would do for a fish, that is for about an hour and a half.
When placing Stomatella Snail in the tank, it would be best to put them on a sturdy rock work instead of the sand because they prefer to be on the rock work.
Generally, snails take long to acclimate particularly well. Ensure that you monitor them closely.
If you notice that your snails are not moving in their new environment, place them where you can observe them properly, and if they do not move in a couple of additional days, consider removing them outside the tank.
Tank Requirements
When setting up your tank, ensure that you keep some algae because they will create a lovely natural experience for your Stomatella Snails; they enjoy eating algae. Create a conducive environment for your snails that they will strive to live in.
When setting your tank, keep ample rocks, corals, rock caves, and live rocks. This will give your snails some hiding places and also help them to search for food.
Required Tank Size
Special consideration of the tank size for rearing Stomatella Snails is another crucial factor.
A standard recommendation of the number of snails to be kept in a 20 gallons (90L) tank is 1-5 snails. Therefore, do not attempt to breed more than five snails inside a 20-gallon snail tank.
Supposing you want to expand the number of snails to rear, adding 5 gallons for each snail is advisable.
Water Quality
Maintain the cleanliness of the water in the tank constantly as Stomatella Snails are usually sensitive to any changes that occur in salinity.
Keep the nitrate level low and keep in mind that the magnesium and calcium levels in the water should be stable for the snails to survive and enjoy their environment stay.
Aside from the calcium and magnesium check, another thing to keep in check is the copper content in the water.
Usually, snails are sensitive to copper, and it can kill them.
As a result, avoid any medication for your Stomatella Snails that contains the copper element to administer in the aquarium.
When you are about to introduce your Stomatella Snails to their new setup aquarium, ensure that the water quality is perfect before you start the acclimating process.
It would be best to follow a slow drip acclimation technique, which in this case may take around 2 hours at a minimum.
Also Read: Astatheros Rostratus for Your Tank: What You Need to Know
Water Hardness
To give your Stomatella Snail a better reef aquarium, ensure that your water does not have any calcium in it.
Always keep this level at 380-450 mg per liter. Typically, the natural seawater is at 420 mg/l keeps the water in the aquarium with a sable calcium level to keep the snails happy.
Additionally, maintain the hardness level to between 8-12 Dkh.
Water Temperature
The standard recommendation to keep your water temperature should be between 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
To get a better experience, installing an aquarium heater inside your tank is advisable to regulate the temperature.
PH Level
Stomatella snails need hard water with a good ratio of calcium to enable their shells to develop.
This is a degree of firmness of seven to nine dGH that suits them well. Ensure that you maintain the saltwater PH level to between 8-8.4.
Lighting
Stomatella snails are nocturnal creatures and do not need high light conditions. You can place low, moderate lights in your aquarium where the snail’s lives.
In the night environment that they thrive in, you can use a flashlight to monitor their movement.
Water Gravity
The required salinity value for your water should be between 1.023 and 1.025, equal to 35 ppt.
Therefore, you need about 35 grams of aquarium salts for every gallon of water added to keep the salinity level favorable for your snails.
How to prepare the water for Stomatella Snails
The most crucial component for rearing Stomatella Snails for any trematode life cycle is the quality of water you will introduce them to that will make them grow and reproduce well.
The best water to use is running tap water that has to be passed through a charcoal filtration process and left to age for many days as they bubble the air inside.
This process is essential because it reduces the chlorine levels in the water that will aid the growth and reproduction of the snails.
The best suitable environment for this snail is clean saltwater. Therefore, you must prepare saltwater for them.
Here is a step by step process of converting your tap water to become salty:
- The primary and most important step is to test the nitrate levels contained in the water tap. This can be done using a water testing kit. Supposing the nitrate levels are so high, it would be best to use purified water.
- Once you have confirmed the nitrate levels are in the right proportion, then proceed to buy an aquarium salt mix which, in this case, you can mix 35 grams of aquarium salt for every liter of water.
- Always ensure that you maintain the salt-to-water ratio at all costs. This can be checked using a salinity measurement kit which the measurement can be done using measurement meters such as refract meters, hydrometers, and electronic salinity meters.
The majority of aquarists prefer parameters and hydrometers because they come with specific gravity units. If you are going to utilize a Hygrometer for your measurement, ensure that the salinity level is between 1.023-1.025.
How to Breed Stomatella Snail
Stomatella Snail breeds asexually. However, they need to be more than one to multiply the numbers.
Usually, their breeding process can be affected by the moon cycle. Once they have crawled up the tank, they will remain there for at least two days, and you can spot their egg trial.
Through this breeding process, you can gather more of their babies and sell them to other aquarists who need them.
But always remember, before you sell them, ensure that you acclimate them first in different separate tanks and handle them with care so that you may not harm them.
This should be done before they become adults.
Is Stomatella Snail Good or Bad for Your Reef Aquarium?
The Stomatella Snail is the best friend to have in your marine aquarium. This small, aquatic critter grazes on overgrown algae and creates more beauty for you.
They come in various colors, such as white or brown, with black markings on their shells that make them stand out against water at night when it’s dark enough. You can also find these snails active during daytime hours, but they’ve mostly seen grazing in the early morning or late evenings.
Stomatella snails are the perfect addition to any reef tank. Not only do they not harm fish, but these sea snail types also feed on algae and plant matter. You can easily provide them with food by using fresh seaweeds (such as nori), dried-up varieties such as Algae Wafers.
If you have a marine aquarium and want to keep predatory fish like wrasses, hogfish, hawkfish, hermit crabs, then Stomatella snails don’t go well in these types of tanks.
Conclusion
Even though Stomatella snails are a snail species and appear like a typical tank pest, which should not bother you, it is worth noting that they will quickly become an essential addition to your aquarium community.
These beautiful creatures usually mind their own business. They are slow and very peaceful by nature.
They are good servants at cleaning up the tank by ensuring minimal algae, which you will not worry about with their presence in your tanks.
One thing to be on the watch out for is overbreeding, they may not tend to overbreed, but as every other hobbyist understands, nothing can be concrete when it comes to owning an aquarium.
Ensure that you keep a closer look at them to not multiply in numbers too rapidly.
