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Cerith Snail
Snail

Cerith Snail

Cerithium litteratum

Cerith snails are small, elongated spire-shelled scavengers that spend daylight hours burrowed in the sand and emerge at night to work the substrate — the trade name covers several Cerithium species from both the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. Unlike the purely algae-focused snails on this list, ceriths are true omnivorous detritivores that process uneaten food, fish waste and decomposing organics, and hobby guides specifically credit them with unusually strong cyanobacteria control. They breed readily in captivity, laying large numbers of eggs in the substrate.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
1"
Min tank
10 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Omnivore
Zone
Sand bed, Rockwork
Usually kept in numbers — scale the crew to the tank, not to the shopping list.
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Tankmates

How Cerith Snail gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Sixline WrasseSixline Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Leopard WrasseLeopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Melanurus WrasseMelanurus Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Yellow Coris WrasseYellow Coris Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Coral HawkfishCoral Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Christmas WrasseChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Raccoon ButterflyfishRaccoon Butterflyfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Pearlscale ButterflyfishPearlscale Butterflyfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Ornate Leopard WrasseOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Divided Leopard WrasseDivided Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Valentini PufferValentini Puffer hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Fuzzy Dwarf LionfishFuzzy Dwarf Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.