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Bumblebee snails are small carnivorous snails with distinctive black-and-yellow bumblebee striping. Excellent cleanup crew members that eat leftover meaty foods, dead fish, and small worms in the substrate. Less common than herbivorous reef snails but useful complement to algae-focused cleanup crew.
Native range: Indo-Pacific. Most US trade specimens come through marine wholesale suppliers in Indonesia, the Philippines, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Wild collection remains the primary sourcing method for the majority of marine inverts - few are captive-bred at commercial scale. Quality of acclimation at the wholesale/retail stage is the biggest single predictor of long-term survival in home aquaria.
Tank size: 10 gallons. Parameters: temperature 74-82°F, salinity 1.024-1.026, plus the standard reef tank requirements - stable calcium 420-440 ppm, alkalinity 8-10 dKH, magnesium 1300-1400 ppm, nitrate under 25 ppm, phosphate under 0.05 ppm. The species requires conditions consistent with a healthy reef tank rather than nutrient-stripped sterile water - well-established systems with diverse microfauna and biofilm typically support these inverts better than newly-cycled tanks.
Lighting: depends on species. Photosynthetic inverts (clams, anemone-symbiotic species) require high-PAR reef LED lighting. Filter-feeders (worms, scallops) prefer moderate lighting and benefit from particulate-rich water. Flow: moderate, indirect flow works for most inverts - direct high-velocity flow stresses or damages soft-bodied species.
Acclimation: drip acclimate over 2-4 hours for hardy species, 4-8 hours for sensitive species (Linckia stars, sea hares, demanding nudibranchs). Never expose inverts to air during transfer - capture in a bowl underwater and transfer wet.
Bumblebee Snail diet: Carnivore - leftover meaty foods, detritus, small worms. Feeding strategy depends on dietary type. Algae eaters require established tanks with biofilm and microalgae growth - new tanks lack the algal base they need. Carnivore inverts (starfish, some snails) need targeted meaty feedings 2-3x weekly. Filter feeders (clams, worms, scallops) need phytoplankton in the water column. Photosynthetic species need adequate lighting plus supplemental amino acid or coral food dosing.
Safe: Reef community with sand substrate.
Avoid: Tanks with valuable bristleworm populations (some Bumblebee snails will hunt them).
Not captive bred.
Misidentification as herbivore (they don't eat algae); shell damage from rough handling.
No - they are carnivores. They eat leftover meaty foods, detritus, and small worms.
They will eat smaller bristleworms. Adult large bristleworms are too big for them.
1 per 10-15 gallons is standard. More if persistent detritus issues.
$2-5 each. Often sold in 5-pack bundles.
Fast Aquatics vendors ship marine inverts overnight to all 50 US states with carrier-tracked Buyer Protection.
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