Snail List !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ve7046ev · 06/30/2006, 11:08 PM

Hey everyone please provide information about snail species:

what they eat

where they like to be mostly

agression towards corals or other tank mates.

how big they get

what you think about them.

please help all of us newbies out with some snail profile information.!!!!

please help...

MegaPods · 06/30/2006, 11:26 PM

Turbos are the best for algea grasing

Sk8r · 06/30/2006, 11:33 PM

Snails come in all shapes and sizes including a few [stomatella] with a half-dome for a shell. The pointy ones [astraea] will die if they fall over---they evolved for rock, not sand, and can't get a good grip on the sand. So get a stick and prop them up next a wall or rock and you can save your snail.
The ram's-horn curly ones [Mexican turbos] are pretty industrious, but they tend to knock things over, too. They're huge, about 2"
Strombus grazers, about 1/3 inch, actually spin a thread of silk to let themselves from one rock level to another. [they look like little conchs and are actually in that family]
Fighting conch, actually quite peaceful, is one of the best sand algae removers you can get.
Margaritas: good at glass-cleaning.
No snail tends to be a problem except by getting onto rocks and unbalancing them. Just do your rockwork with good interlocking and this should be a minimal problem. They don't aggress; they may reproduce in your tank; you should have about a snail a gallon of tank size.
There is one notably bad snail: the pyramid snail, a very, very tiny one, can harm clams. With good luck you will never see one. They are hard to spot even if you're looking for them.
Getting a variety of snails means they do a variety of cleaning jobs.
They're all algae eaters---except the nassarius snails, which live under the sand, are mostly white, and eat dead things and crud in the sandbed. Having a couple of those is good. They'll also eat fishfood.
Besides snails, hermits are good cleaners. Do not buy a hermit that is hairy, banded with color, or larger than your little fingernail. Get extra shells with them. They like to play dressup.
Bristleworms are very useful. Don't handle them. But if something dies in your tank, this is how you'll get rid of it without having to take your rockwork apart. They look horrid, but they're quite harmless to fish and corals.

And acclimate all your inverts as if they were fish---they actually are more sensitive to changes than you would believe. Some can take damage and die mysteriously a couple of days on if not acclimated well enough: this means to pour a little tank water into their bag repeatedly until you've evened out any difference in salinity, etc.

affan · 06/30/2006, 11:36 PM

I think they like food, and like to be in saltwater if at all possible. I am not sure about aggression towards corals and other tankmates, but I will say that if any of my 4 room mates ever threatened me or came into my room without knocking, I'd be pretty upset. I have seen some snails get as big as a baseball. OK, maybe not a baseball, but a golf ball but still!!! Far as what I think about them, I really couldn't care less.

UrbanSage · 06/30/2006, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
Snails come in all shapes and sizes.........

Very nice!

nathan_unsane · 07/01/2006, 02:10 AM

bumble snails stay on the rocks... eating what ever... but they never really leave the rocks...

narssuius *spelling* whatever snails,

stir sand

Cerith snails and Mexican hermit crabs.... eat red slime algae.. (which i have problems with)

fighting conch the best sand stirring critter (in my opinion)

crabs... kill things, so i try to keep them outta the tank. but emerald crabs, and a couple others are ok

Cucumbers... (tiger tail cuke) and a solid black cucumber are great at a number of things....

i had a tang, that more then controlled my green hair algea growth for a liitle while...

if i think of anything else i'll post what i know...

good luck

*but snails really can't protect themselves from others... and often find them inside my powerheads...*

I KNOW I'M OFF THE TOPIC... I'M SLEEP DRUNK AND SORRY!!!

CoMMaNdeR · 07/01/2006, 05:00 AM

Guys are there any snails that eat Hair Algae ?

SeaMac2 · 07/01/2006, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by affan
I think they like food, and like to be in saltwater if at all possible. I am not sure about aggression towards corals and other tankmates, but I will say that if any of my 4 room mates ever threatened me or came into my room without knocking, I'd be pretty upset. I have seen some snails get as big as a baseball. OK, maybe not a baseball, but a golf ball but still!!! Far as what I think about them, I really couldn't care less.

Do you have any useful information?

Sk8r · 07/01/2006, 08:44 AM

Many snails eat hair algae: snails that go about the rockwork tend to do that.
There is one other rarely mentioned algae cleaner: near-microscopic copepods. They eat algae. And, somewhat counter-intuitively, if you feed phytoplankton, this will increase the number of your pods. Granted, when they're eating phyto, they're not eating your algae, but this is once a day, and gives them, in my own theory somewhat borne out in practice, a reproductive boost, possibly because it is fine enough to support young copepods. They're over all healthy for your tank. Don't suppose that copepod growth will suddenly clean-blitz a tank well gone in hair algae---but it will keep it down in a tank several months mature. Copepods are no-see-ums that look like dandruff on your tank wall. And when they're up there, they're eating microalgae.

Another point: very little can eat the really long streamers of hair algae. If you have that going on, get a brand-new [never use anything in your tank that starts out other than sterile, is a good practice]---toothbrush. Yes, a toothbrush. Nothing better, once you get the stroke down pat. Wind and yank. Wind and yank. Don't scrub with it: just use it as the best algae-yanker ever invented. That gets it short enough for your other critters to find it edible, down to the soft, new stuff that they prefer, and that doesn't have a hard, tough, indigestible coating on it.

ve7046ev · 07/01/2006, 10:43 AM

o.k lets get back to describing and profiling different snails

reverendmaynard · 07/01/2006, 11:39 AM

Why should anyone here type up what's already been done by those far more qualified?

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rs/index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/rs/index.php

The search feature does work in the Reef Keeping Magazine section here, even for those without a premium account.

06/30/2006, 11:08 PM	#1
ve7046ev Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 121	Snail List !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey everyone please provide information about snail species: what they eat where they like to be mostly agression towards corals or other tank mates. how big they get what you think about them. please help all of us newbies out with some snail profile information.!!!! please help...

06/30/2006, 11:33 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Snails come in all shapes and sizes including a few [stomatella] with a half-dome for a shell. The pointy ones [astraea] will die if they fall over---they evolved for rock, not sand, and can't get a good grip on the sand. So get a stick and prop them up next a wall or rock and you can save your snail. The ram's-horn curly ones [Mexican turbos] are pretty industrious, but they tend to knock things over, too. They're huge, about 2" Strombus grazers, about 1/3 inch, actually spin a thread of silk to let themselves from one rock level to another. [they look like little conchs and are actually in that family] Fighting conch, actually quite peaceful, is one of the best sand algae removers you can get. Margaritas: good at glass-cleaning. No snail tends to be a problem except by getting onto rocks and unbalancing them. Just do your rockwork with good interlocking and this should be a minimal problem. They don't aggress; they may reproduce in your tank; you should have about a snail a gallon of tank size. There is one notably bad snail: the pyramid snail, a very, very tiny one, can harm clams. With good luck you will never see one. They are hard to spot even if you're looking for them. Getting a variety of snails means they do a variety of cleaning jobs. They're all algae eaters---except the nassarius snails, which live under the sand, are mostly white, and eat dead things and crud in the sandbed. Having a couple of those is good. They'll also eat fishfood. Besides snails, hermits are good cleaners. Do not buy a hermit that is hairy, banded with color, or larger than your little fingernail. Get extra shells with them. They like to play dressup. Bristleworms are very useful. Don't handle them. But if something dies in your tank, this is how you'll get rid of it without having to take your rockwork apart. They look horrid, but they're quite harmless to fish and corals. And acclimate all your inverts as if they were fish---they actually are more sensitive to changes than you would believe. Some can take damage and die mysteriously a couple of days on if not acclimated well enough: this means to pour a little tank water into their bag repeatedly until you've evened out any difference in salinity, etc. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/01/2006, 08:44 AM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Many snails eat hair algae: snails that go about the rockwork tend to do that. There is one other rarely mentioned algae cleaner: near-microscopic copepods. They eat algae. And, somewhat counter-intuitively, if you feed phytoplankton, this will increase the number of your pods. Granted, when they're eating phyto, they're not eating your algae, but this is once a day, and gives them, in my own theory somewhat borne out in practice, a reproductive boost, possibly because it is fine enough to support young copepods. They're over all healthy for your tank. Don't suppose that copepod growth will suddenly clean-blitz a tank well gone in hair algae---but it will keep it down in a tank several months mature. Copepods are no-see-ums that look like dandruff on your tank wall. And when they're up there, they're eating microalgae. Another point: very little can eat the really long streamers of hair algae. If you have that going on, get a brand-new [never use anything in your tank that starts out other than sterile, is a good practice]---toothbrush. Yes, a toothbrush. Nothing better, once you get the stroke down pat. Wind and yank. Wind and yank. Don't scrub with it: just use it as the best algae-yanker ever invented. That gets it short enough for your other critters to find it edible, down to the soft, new stuff that they prefer, and that doesn't have a hard, tough, indigestible coating on it. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/01/2006, 10:43 AM	#10
ve7046ev Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 121	o.k lets get back to describing and profiling different snails __________________ I currently have a Red Sea MAX 34. Current Tank Info: 3 gallon pico, RSM 34 gallon

07/01/2006, 11:39 AM	#11
reverendmaynard Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: RI Posts: 1,490	Why should anyone here type up what's already been done by those far more qualified? http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rs/index.php http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/rs/index.php The search feature does work in the Reef Keeping Magazine section here, even for those without a premium account. __________________ Think for yourself. Question authority. Current Tank Info: 125 gal AGA, setup on 1/1/06; 29 gal seahorse tank, setup 10/21/06

06/30/2006, 11:26 PM	#2
MegaPods Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nitro WV Posts: 51	Turbos are the best for algea grasing

06/30/2006, 11:36 PM	#4
affan Moved On Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: From NYC, currently serving time in Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 1,125	I think they like food, and like to be in saltwater if at all possible. I am not sure about aggression towards corals and other tankmates, but I will say that if any of my 4 room mates ever threatened me or came into my room without knocking, I'd be pretty upset. I have seen some snails get as big as a baseball. OK, maybe not a baseball, but a golf ball but still!!! Far as what I think about them, I really couldn't care less.

07/01/2006, 02:10 AM	#6
nathan_unsane Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: central florida Posts: 461	bumble snails stay on the rocks... eating what ever... but they never really leave the rocks... narssuius spelling whatever snails, stir sand Cerith snails and Mexican hermit crabs.... eat red slime algae.. (which i have problems with) fighting conch the best sand stirring critter (in my opinion) crabs... kill things, so i try to keep them outta the tank. but emerald crabs, and a couple others are ok Cucumbers... (tiger tail cuke) and a solid black cucumber are great at a number of things.... i had a tang, that more then controlled my green hair algea growth for a liitle while... if i think of anything else i'll post what i know... good luck but snails really can't protect themselves from others... and often find them inside my powerheads... I KNOW I'M OFF THE TOPIC... I'M SLEEP DRUNK AND SORRY!!!

07/01/2006, 05:00 AM	#7
CoMMaNdeR Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Europe Posts: 703	Guys are there any snails that eat Hair Algae ?