Keeping a saltwater aquarium can seems daunting for some people. However, with proper care and following some basic instructions, you can realize that it isn’t as difficult as initially thought. Moreover, it might be a subjective observation, but the type of creatures you can put in saltwater aquarium, makes it more beautiful and colorful comparing to freshwater aquarium.
Common Types of Saltwater Pet Snails
Diving into the saltwater category of snails to keep as pet will open your world to stunning creatures. The amount of options might seem unlimited but not all of them will be easy to come by.
Here are some of the most common and desired:
Nerite Snail is one of the best aquarium cleaners you can ask for. It is relatively small, less than 1 inch long but very efficient. They can live in freshwater or saltwater. However, if you want them to reproduce, they must be in saltwater. They have many different colors but most of them have some kind of markings like stripes.
If you got yourself a Turbo snail because you wanted to see how fast it is, you will be disappointed. Their name has other origins. While they are not fast, they are always busy and on the move. They will constantly keep looking for food and keep your aquarium clean in the process. There are many species that are part of this turban family.
Margarita snails are part of the turban snails family. They got their name because their shell has a circular shape with a spiral pattern that resembles a margarita glass. As snails, they are hardy creatures that can tolerate a wide range of water conditions and are non-aggressive. They are also effective in removing algae from rocks, sand and glass.
Nassarius snail are also known in parts of the world is dog whelks. Like many other water gastropods, they will eat uneaten food, dead organisms, and other organic matter. This will help you keep your (and their) aquarium, clean. Unlike many other water snails, they will burrow into the sand and substrate so you will get a thorough cleaning.
Cerith Snail has a distinctive, spiraled shell that is very hard to miss. The color of the shell ranges from light to dark brown. While many water snails considered beneficial for aquariums, this one is one of the most popular and common ones. Very easy to find in many pet stores.
Stomatella snails are relatively small snails. Adults can typically reach the size of about 0.5 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) in length. They look kind of a fingernail and sometimes hitchhike into aquarium on rocks. They move slowly and are active mainly at night.
The Flamingo Tongue snails are probably to most visually stunning snail in any category. They have bright yellow, off-white color with black shaped patterns. They are not as popular as pets but that is probably just a matter of time. They are quite small with less than one inch in size. They usually feed on soft corals.
