What sort of snail is this?

Yep, it's a nerite, Nerita tessellata. It's a good algae eater, except that it's prone to spend a lot of time out of the water. It may crawl to the top of your tank and wait for the incoming tide, which will probably never come (unless you punch him off the glass, and send him back to the bottom of the tank).

Nerita (Theliostyla) tessellata

Cheers,



Don

 

yeah I think it is a Nerite as well. They do get up in the top of my tank. I have to peel them off after a day or so and place em back in. They can flip themselves over, on the flip side.

Do they eat red algea(cyan)?

 

I don't think so. They mainly feed on the green algae growing on rocks right at the average tide line and slightly above it in the "splash zone."

Cheers,


Don