Care
Cerith Snails (Cerithium spp.) are known from a variety of shallow habitats, including bays, coastal lagoons, coves, intertidal coral reefs, mangrove swamps, offshore reefs, rocky shores, and sub-tidal flats. Here, these marine gastropods often gather in large aggregations to feed on algae and detritus on and amongst the sandy substrate. The genus Cerithium currently encompasses over 80 living species - all of which are small-medium sized sea snails with elongate, conical shells. This genus dates from the Triassic to the present day, with fossil records identifying a further 100 extinct species. Cerith Snails have proved to be excellent scavengers in the home aquarium, actively ploughing through the substrate in their search for leftover food items, detritus, and algae (including Cyanobacteria and hair algae), consequently keeping the sand bed turned over. They will also remove stubborn algae from the glass just above and below the substrate. Cerith Snails are largely nocturnal and prefer an established aquarium with live rock and a fairly deep sand bed. They will spend a lot of time buried in the sand with just their long, flexible siphon protruding as they move along. The moment any fish food is added to the aquarium, they will promptly emerge and begin their eager search for the source of the food smell. These snails are completely reef safe and do not pose a threat to any kind of beneficial organism. Avoid keeping with hermit crabs and large, aggressive fish, and be sure to acclimatise very carefully.
Feeding
In addition to feeding on algae, detritus, and leftover food such as vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp, krill etc., these omnivorous scavengers will enjoy Nori (wrapped around a rock) and sinking pellet foods.
Breeding
Cerith Snails regularly lay eggs in the home aquarium, but very few make it to adulthood. In the wild, the embryos develop into planktonic trocophore larvae and later into veligers which drift on the ocean currents for several weeks, before eventually settling on the substrate.
