Augur Snail

Care Summary

The Augur Snail is a sleek, elongated predatory snail with a tall, spiraling shell that burrows through the sandbed hunting small worms and soft-bodied invertebrates, and it's a fascinating addition for hobbyists who want something beyond the usual cleanup crew. It is best kept with fish and hard-shelled invertebrates like crabs and large shrimp, but it poses a real risk to small worms, soft snails, and delicate sandbed invertebrates, hence the caution rating. Because it is a burrowing predator, you may rarely see it during the day: it spends most of its time just below the sand surface and emerges at night to hunt, which means any sandbed residents need to be chosen with this in mind. In tanks with few natural prey items, supplement its diet by burying small pieces of meaty food like shrimp or mussel in the sand where it will find them during its nightly foraging.