Snails, unfortunately, can't get underneath the shroud. But more importantly, you must clean the magnet housing inside the pump because calcium will invariably build up inside over time. Roger Vitko of Tunze explains it thusly:
"Why do pumps become jammed with Calcium? The answer is simple and it may surprise you to learn the same thing happens in your pumps as happens at the coral polyp when skeleton is laid down for growth. Inside a pump we have both heat and vacuum, by Boyles law we decrease the solubility of CO2 and the pH increase in a local zone this precipitates CaCO3. Pumps vary in this effect, most pump have an internal temp of 4C over ambient, a Stream is about 1C. Vacuum is hard to quantify. At the coral polyp the zooxanthellae removes CO2 from the water by photosynthetic activity, this does the same thing, the pH increase and CaCO3 precipitates and is added to the skeleton."
As a result, a few minutes of maintenance every few months can prolong both the life and efficiency of your pump.
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