- Latin Name:- Pictocolumbella ocellata
- Final Size:- Up to 1.5cm
- Purchase Size:- Approx 0.75cm 1cm
- Diet: - Algae, detrirus, uneaten foods
- Aquarium Size:- 25 litres+
- Water Parameters:- SG 1.023 - 1.026, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Will not tolerate Copper
- Compatibility:- Coral Safe
- Top Tips:- Great for small aquariums
- Lightning Dove Snails are an interesting species collected from the Indo Pacific. They get their name from the yellow jagged lines resembling lightning bolts covering their shells. The base colour of their shells can vary from black to brown and the patterning can vary greatly from snail to snail. They are a small species of snail reaching a maximum final size of around 1.5cm but their small size doesnt stop them from being fantastic additions. They spend most time on the rockwork and glass rather than the sand bed so are normally pretty easy to spot. Lightning Dove Snails are prolific breeders and are a great species to trade with other hobbyists when numbers get too high in your aquarium.
Diet
- Lightning Dove Snails will eat a wide range of algae species including diatoms as well as eating detritus and left over food. They arent a species used for cleaning plagues of one species or another but as a good allrounder for all sized aquariums although they will be more noticeable in smaller sized tanks. One huge benefit of Lightning Doves is that they are a species that do not cause destruction! Owing to their small size and small shells they can move in and out of rockwork without dislodging corals. This means less picking up corals for you!
Compatibility
- Lightning Dove Snails do not eat corals or other sessile invertebrates meaning they are classified as reef safe. They are extremely peaceful and the only risk of adding them is that one of their tank mates may eat them. To avoid this offer plenty of spare shells to hermit crabs or avoid keeping them together and do not add with known snail eating fish / shrimp species.
