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Nassarius Snail
Snail

Nassarius Snail

Phrontis vibex

Nassarius is the sand bed's dedicated scavenger — normally invisible, buried nose-down in the substrate, until it detects food and erupts to the surface within seconds on a long sensing siphon. It is a carnivore rather than a herbivore: its diet is carrion, fish waste and decaying organic matter rather than algae, and it aerates the sand bed as a side effect of burrowing. The Atlantic species long sold as "Nassarius vibex" has since been reclassified to Phrontis vibex, though the trade still labels it Nassarius.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
0.7"
Min tank
10 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Sand bed
Usually kept in numbers — scale the crew to the tank, not to the shopping list.
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Tankmates

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