Snails to clean algae off of glass

L

LMA1965

New Member
Does anyone have a suggestion on what type of snails are best for cleaning algae in the tank. I have Nassarius snails that sometimes go up the glass but don't seem to get the job done. I have gotten turbo snails which do work well....but for some reason they don't last long in my tank, and while I know some loss is the name of the game in this hobby and that they are "just" snails and inexpensive....I really don't want to keep putting them in there to have them pass on. All other invertebrates are doing fabulous.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
+1 ^
and their "Quick Crews" ship free

here one example...
http://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/quick-crew-30-breeder

they have Quick Crews for all tank sizes - the owner of the company is John & they have great customer service ! Long time RS sponsor and one with many many great reviews !

In this example for $32 you get

Shipped for free

32 Dwarf Ceriths - small cleaners that get to the nooks and crannies. Feed on diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. Nocturnal cleaners that leave the sandbed at night to search for food.

11 Nassarius - scavengers that will eat leftover food and some fish waste. They will stir sand, but can also be kept in bare bottom tanks.

20 Florida Ceriths - small cleaners that get to the nooks and crannies. Feed on fine hair algae, diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. Nocturnal cleaners that leave the sandbed at night to search for food.

10 Nerites - We are currently offering the longer lived and quite hardy Antillean Nerite. (Nerita fulgurans). It grows to a nice size,and consumes a good deal of diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. It will also consume some fine hair algae. A nocturnal herbivore that will feed more often at night, they tend to need some time to adjust to the limitations of the aquarium during their first week.
 
L

LMA1965

New Member
nanoreefing4fun said:
+1 ^
and their "Quick Crews" ship free

here one example...
http://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/quick-crew-30-breeder

they have Quick Crews for all tank sizes - the owner of the company is John & they have great customer service ! Long time RS sponsor and one with many many great reviews !

In this example for $32 you get

Shipped for free

32 Dwarf Ceriths - small cleaners that get to the nooks and crannies. Feed on diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. Nocturnal cleaners that leave the sandbed at night to search for food.

11 Nassarius - scavengers that will eat leftover food and some fish waste. They will stir sand, but can also be kept in bare bottom tanks.

20 Florida Ceriths - small cleaners that get to the nooks and crannies. Feed on fine hair algae, diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. Nocturnal cleaners that leave the sandbed at night to search for food.

10 Nerites - We are currently offering the longer lived and quite hardy Antillean Nerite. (Nerita fulgurans). It grows to a nice size,and consumes a good deal of diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. It will also consume some fine hair algae. A nocturnal herbivore that will feed more often at night, they tend to need some time to adjust to the limitations of the aquarium during their first week.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! Would this package be good in my 36 gallon? I probably have about 15 hermits (Blue & Scarlett) and about the same number of nassarius already. Should I pick a smaller package? Diatoms are blasting again after water change and having to rip my tank apart to get Nemo out and return the terrorist to the LFS!
 
frisbee

frisbee

Well-Known Member
Just get yourself a Mag-Float or something similar for the glass and be done with it. As far as the algae on the rocks goes, Trochus snails are very efficient grazers.
Reefcleaners is great and all, but the amount of critters in their CUC packages can be astronomical sometimes. I think you would be better off just stepping up your maitenance routine and let the CUC members take a back seat so to say. Less is more when it really boils down to it. If there's not a lot of algae in the tank then there's no need for a lot of snails in the tank. Plain & simple. You can solve almost all of the problems you might encounter. GL.

I can't put it as eloquently as somebody else did on another site, but it seems like everybody wants a pet these days but nobody wants to clean up after them. (hence the CUC)
 
L

LMA1965

New Member
frisbee said:
Just get yourself a Mag-Float or something similar for the glass and be done with it. As far as the algae on the rocks goes, Trochus snails are very efficient grazers.
Reefcleaners is great and all, but the amount of critters in their CUC packages can be astronomical sometimes. I think you would be better off just stepping up your maitenance routine and let the CUC members take a back seat so to say. Less is more when it really boils down to it. If there's not a lot of algae in the tank then there's no need for a lot of snails in the tank. Plain & simple. You can solve almost all of the problems you might encounter. GL.

I can't put it as eloquently as somebody else did on another site, but it seems like everybody wants a pet these days but nobody wants to clean up after them. (hence the CUC)
Click to expand...

I actually do have a Mag Float, and don't mind doing maintenance.....I actually ordered a much smaller order than they recommended for my size tank....I just feel that a small CUC helps with the balance of the tank.

I appreciate your input though, thank you
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
My three Astraea Turbo Snail (Astraea tecta) are great grazers. When there is algae on the glass, they are the first on it clearing paths. Right now I can tell I need to change out some bulbs, as the film algae on the glass forms after a couple of days, so these Astraea snails have been mighty happy lately.

The down side of having them is that if they are bumped off or fall, they have trouble righting themselves in the sand. So, always be on the lookout for this.
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
I also have one Banded Trochus Snail (Trochus sp.) and I am really liking it. Unlike the Astraea, the trochus seems to be able to right itself easier when it falls. It also feeds on algae, including cyanobacteria and diatoms and the film algae on the aquarium glass.

Not all snails will go for the film algae on your glass. As you have noticed, the nassarius is not the type of snail that will eat the film algae on the glass. Instead the nassarius will be more interested on the fauna and detritus in the sand substrait.
 
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