Turbo snails or Starfish?

brushman · 03/22/2007, 11:41 AM

I have a 20 gal nano reef.

I have alge building on the glass inside. Would turbo snails help keep my tank cleaner than starfish? If so how many are recommended?

Would really like to add a starfish.....but I am not sure if it would eat my coral.

Any ideas?

papagimp · 03/22/2007, 11:47 AM

starfish is not going to help much. In fact, you'd be lucky to keep any starfish alive for a reasonable amount of time in a tank that size. It just won't produce enough of the right foods for it. And the algae building on the glass usually is not eaten by most starfish you see. fwiw, most starfish are not reef safe and do eat corals, and the few that are, are not always the easiest citters to keep alive. And please, do not go buy a sandsifting starfish for that tank. If you go to a LFS and ask about starfish, they are most likely going to try and sell ya one. Not a good addition for most reeftanks, especially one that size. it'll be dead within a year.

Turbo snails are kinda big, and in a 20g nano (i have one too, so I know what I'm talking about with this one) they will be knocking crap over all the time. I would highly recommend you get some smaller snails, and a variety of them at that. Don't stick with just one type of snail. Different snails eat on different foods. Detirtus, algae, diatoms, ect. ect. ect. Also, different snails tend to hit up different area's of a tank. Some like the glass, others the sandbed, others the rock, ect ect.

FWIW, you're tank is a month old?, that's fairly new and will have algae for awhile. It takes time for a tank to mature past that point. You can fight it all you like, but in all likelyhood until it's a bit more mature, you'll have algae showing up. Give the tank 3-4 months before you try to "battle" the algae heavily. A typical clean up crew should be able to handle the tank just fine.

brushman · 03/22/2007, 11:51 AM

This tank is just about 2 and a half months old now.

Thanks for the advice on the starfish and the snails.

Should a dozen variety snails do for now?

papagimp · 03/22/2007, 11:57 AM

In my 20g, I have about 10 nassarius snails, about 2 or 3 astrea's, and several cerith snails. and one or two hermits that have avoided me for far too long. I also have a Diadema Setosum (black long spined urchin) that eats most the stuff from the rocks, algae included. If he was not in the tank, I would probably have more cerrith and astrea's. Also, if you have any stometella snails in your sytem, or know somebody who does, get some of them and throw em in their. Small, slug looking snails, but very reef friendly and harmless as they come. They crawl everywhere munchin on types of algae and whatnot. I probably have at least 20 adult stometella's in my 20g, and thats not counting the numerous babies they always have. The reporduce like mad, but are so good for a system, I don't mind.
check my photo album here on reefcentral for a pictuer of a stometella (the blue snail looking thing, fwiw though, I've only seen a couple blue ones in my system, for the most part, there either black or beige but do come in all sorts of colors and patterns.

Teknagen · 03/22/2007, 11:58 AM

Get a variety of snails. I regreted getting a starfish it was knocking stuff over all the time so I tossed it in the sump.

03/22/2007, 11:41 AM	#1
brushman Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Maine Posts: 33	Turbo snails or Starfish? I have a 20 gal nano reef. I have alge building on the glass inside. Would turbo snails help keep my tank cleaner than starfish? If so how many are recommended? Would really like to add a starfish.....but I am not sure if it would eat my coral. Any ideas?

03/22/2007, 11:47 AM	#2
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	starfish is not going to help much. In fact, you'd be lucky to keep any starfish alive for a reasonable amount of time in a tank that size. It just won't produce enough of the right foods for it. And the algae building on the glass usually is not eaten by most starfish you see. fwiw, most starfish are not reef safe and do eat corals, and the few that are, are not always the easiest citters to keep alive. And please, do not go buy a sandsifting starfish for that tank. If you go to a LFS and ask about starfish, they are most likely going to try and sell ya one. Not a good addition for most reeftanks, especially one that size. it'll be dead within a year. Turbo snails are kinda big, and in a 20g nano (i have one too, so I know what I'm talking about with this one) they will be knocking crap over all the time. I would highly recommend you get some smaller snails, and a variety of them at that. Don't stick with just one type of snail. Different snails eat on different foods. Detirtus, algae, diatoms, ect. ect. ect. Also, different snails tend to hit up different area's of a tank. Some like the glass, others the sandbed, others the rock, ect ect. FWIW, you're tank is a month old?, that's fairly new and will have algae for awhile. It takes time for a tank to mature past that point. You can fight it all you like, but in all likelyhood until it's a bit more mature, you'll have algae showing up. Give the tank 3-4 months before you try to "battle" the algae heavily. A typical clean up crew should be able to handle the tank just fine. __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

03/22/2007, 11:57 AM	#4
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	In my 20g, I have about 10 nassarius snails, about 2 or 3 astrea's, and several cerith snails. and one or two hermits that have avoided me for far too long. I also have a Diadema Setosum (black long spined urchin) that eats most the stuff from the rocks, algae included. If he was not in the tank, I would probably have more cerrith and astrea's. Also, if you have any stometella snails in your sytem, or know somebody who does, get some of them and throw em in their. Small, slug looking snails, but very reef friendly and harmless as they come. They crawl everywhere munchin on types of algae and whatnot. I probably have at least 20 adult stometella's in my 20g, and thats not counting the numerous babies they always have. The reporduce like mad, but are so good for a system, I don't mind. check my photo album here on reefcentral for a pictuer of a stometella (the blue snail looking thing, fwiw though, I've only seen a couple blue ones in my system, for the most part, there either black or beige but do come in all sorts of colors and patterns. __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

03/22/2007, 11:51 AM	#3
brushman Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Maine Posts: 33	This tank is just about 2 and a half months old now. Thanks for the advice on the starfish and the snails. Should a dozen variety snails do for now?

03/22/2007, 11:58 AM	#5
Teknagen Unregistered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lake Forest Posts: 234	Get a variety of snails. I regreted getting a starfish it was knocking stuff over all the time so I tossed it in the sump.