best algae eating snail?

squishifishi · 03/08/2013, 06:05 PM

I'm working on the cuc for my 2.5 gallon pico reef. What snails (or other invert) have you had the most sucess with eating algae and diatoms? it needs to stay small, not knock over rocks,and be reef safe! I'm thinking 3 cerith snails will be good but i wanna hear what has worked best for you!

squishifishi · 03/09/2013, 08:21 AM

hey, i have to go to the LFS TODAY, so please, post what will be a good algae eather to pick up! what have you had the best sucess with?
thanks!

squishifishi · 03/11/2013, 06:58 AM

hellooo...anybody home?
i'd really like some input on this topic and i'm sure there are others who'd appreciate it too!
thanks!

colesreef · 03/11/2013, 08:08 AM

it may be a little late for you.. but i believe trochus or turban snails; collonista or mini turbos; lge turbos and astraea also take care of diatoms but seem to stay on the glass more than the sandbed.

alexander_ktn · 03/11/2013, 10:53 AM

Nerita and the smaller Cypraea species (C. annulus, C. moneta) are other very good algae grazers I had much success with. Personally I love the cowries' look.

squishifishi · 03/11/2013, 03:51 PM

nope, it's not too late. i ended up bringing home a teeny emerald crab, but i still am looking for a good snail. will turbos knock over rocks and coral? i forgot to mention that most of the algae is growing on top of a rock so it needs to be able to climb...not very far, but still.
also, i thought nerite snails were fw, or maybe i'm thinking of the wrong thing.
thanks for the replies!

SushiGirl · 03/11/2013, 04:00 PM

Small & efficient, i'd go with Nerite. Sleep all day, eat all night.

wonderz · 03/11/2013, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squishifishi

nope, it's not too late. i ended up bringing home a teeny emerald crab, but i still am looking for a good snail. will turbos knock over rocks and coral? i forgot to mention that most of the algae is growing on top of a rock so it needs to be able to climb...not very far, but still.
also, i thought nerite snails were fw, or maybe i'm thinking of the wrong thing.
thanks for the replies!

turbo will knock over rocks and corals if not glued down or stable, but they will eat the most out of other snails due to their size.

there are fw nerite and sw nerite, and i think most fw nerite are actually blackish.

SushiGirl · 03/11/2013, 05:38 PM

I used to have black nerites from Hawaii, they were my favorite snails and didn't get huge even after 4 years. I got them from ipsf.com.

squishifishi · 03/13/2013, 09:27 PM

ooo! yeah, it sounds like those nerites eat a lot of stuff! some things i'm wondering about them: can they right themselves when they fall? my tank has a lid, but there are 2 gaps that are about 1/2 inch triangles by the filter. will they escape? how many could i have in this tank with my single fish and crabs?
on margarita snails, how do you tell which are cold vs warm water species? thanks!

Whiterabbitrage · 05/05/2013, 08:22 PM

I hear you Squishifishi! I want tiny snails that do not bulldoze rocks over and can get into tiny cracks and eat a variety of algae not just 1 variety. But it's tough finding just the right ones. I've been ordering a few of everything that sounded good. The mini hermits sure get around and are fun to watch. Cerith have been good so far. Nerites, well... I got 1 to try because I thought it would be too big. It arrived about an inch in size. And the first week I had him, he kept going on walkabout. I found him once half way across my bedroom carpet. He's settled down since, but he really is big. Some mini nerites are my next test cuc experiment. Found some online. If I tell you where will I get into trouble?

03/08/2013, 06:05 PM	#1
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	best algae eating snail? I'm working on the cuc for my 2.5 gallon pico reef. What snails (or other invert) have you had the most sucess with eating algae and diatoms? it needs to stay small, not knock over rocks,and be reef safe! I'm thinking 3 cerith snails will be good but i wanna hear what has worked best for you! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/09/2013, 08:21 AM	#2
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	hey, i have to go to the LFS TODAY, so please, post what will be a good algae eather to pick up! what have you had the best sucess with? thanks! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/11/2013, 06:58 AM	#3
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	hellooo...anybody home? i'd really like some input on this topic and i'm sure there are others who'd appreciate it too! thanks! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/11/2013, 03:51 PM	#6
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	nope, it's not too late. i ended up bringing home a teeny emerald crab, but i still am looking for a good snail. will turbos knock over rocks and coral? i forgot to mention that most of the algae is growing on top of a rock so it needs to be able to climb...not very far, but still. also, i thought nerite snails were fw, or maybe i'm thinking of the wrong thing. thanks for the replies! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/11/2013, 04:00 PM	#7
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Small & efficient, i'd go with Nerite. Sleep all day, eat all night. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

03/11/2013, 08:08 AM	#4
colesreef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: kingston,ma Posts: 56	it may be a little late for you.. but i believe trochus or turban snails; collonista or mini turbos; lge turbos and astraea also take care of diatoms but seem to stay on the glass more than the sandbed.

03/11/2013, 10:53 AM	#5
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	Nerita and the smaller Cypraea species (C. annulus, C. moneta) are other very good algae grazers I had much success with. Personally I love the cowries' look.

03/11/2013, 05:38 PM	#9
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	I used to have black nerites from Hawaii, they were my favorite snails and didn't get huge even after 4 years. I got them from ipsf.com. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

03/13/2013, 09:27 PM	#10
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	ooo! yeah, it sounds like those nerites eat a lot of stuff! some things i'm wondering about them: can they right themselves when they fall? my tank has a lid, but there are 2 gaps that are about 1/2 inch triangles by the filter. will they escape? how many could i have in this tank with my single fish and crabs? on margarita snails, how do you tell which are cold vs warm water species? thanks! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

05/05/2013, 08:22 PM	#11
Whiterabbitrage Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 1,338 Blog Entries: 1	I hear you Squishifishi! I want tiny snails that do not bulldoze rocks over and can get into tiny cracks and eat a variety of algae not just 1 variety. But it's tough finding just the right ones. I've been ordering a few of everything that sounded good. The mini hermits sure get around and are fun to watch. Cerith have been good so far. Nerites, well... I got 1 to try because I thought it would be too big. It arrived about an inch in size. And the first week I had him, he kept going on walkabout. I found him once half way across my bedroom carpet. He's settled down since, but he really is big. Some mini nerites are my next test cuc experiment. Found some online. If I tell you where will I get into trouble?