Favorite kind of snail?

[Icebox]

Thinking about going crabless on the new 75 I am setting up. What snails would you put in it, and how many would you use?

[ReefLady]

If you don't have a DSB:

I'd do the following:

10 Trochus
10 Nerite
10 Margarita
10 Turbo/Astrea (combined or either)

If you do have a DSB:

Add to the above:

20 Nassarius
10 Cerith
1 Fighting conch

HTH!

[Woodstock]

Don't get astreas. Although they are GREAT algae eaters, they can not 'right' themselves once on their backs

I like nassarius, ceriths and trochus .

[Icebox]

Thanks for the recommendations...

FYI, I put 100 pounds of sand in it, so the sand bed is 2-4 inches deep.

[BoomerD]

Nassarius snails are great. They clean & stir the top of your sand bed. Like many people, I advocate a mix of snails. Different critters for different issues. Some, like the Nass. will work your sand, some prefer the rocks, others, like the turbos & astreas will do a great job on the glass. Turbos tend to be "bulldozers" though. As they get bigger, they knock over frags and anything else in their way. Great algae eaters though. I have read that they are from cooler water than what we tend to keep out tanks at however, and they do seem to be fairly short lived in an aquarium. I have to replace mine every 6 to 8 months. Nassarius spawn in the tank, and I seem to have a never ending supply! In my tank, I have Nassarius, ceriths, astreas, turbo bulldozers, and a few others that came with live rock that so far I've not bothered to identify. Also to be considered are the conchs. Many of them make good cleaners too.

[ReefLady]

FWIW, if I had to pick a "best" snail (not for the DSB), it would be the Trochus. they can be a bit pricey, but IME, they are much harder working than an Astrea or Turbo.

I have read that they are from cooler water than what we tend to keep out tanks at however, and they do seem to be fairly short lived in an aquarium. I have to replace mine every 6 to 8 months.

That's an interesting observation. I have a few turbos which seem to be the longest-lived snail in my tank - going on 5 years. I imagine there are different Turbos which come from different waters (temperatures).

I've always found Cerith to be the shortest lived (IME).

[BoomerD]

RL, maybe since you're e east coast, you get different turbo's. In California, we get "mexican turbo's" and I've read & been told by a bunch of people that they're from water that is usually in the upper 60's to low 70's. The higher temps might raise their metabolism and accelerate their life span. Just a thought.

[mwrager]

How may I still have, I could not say, I do know I still have 4 olive snails, a few mexican Turbos, a few Nassarius snails.

[ReefLady]

RL, maybe since you're e east coast, you get different turbo's. In California, we get "mexican turbo's" and I've read & been told by a bunch of people that they're from water that is usually in the upper 60's to low 70's.

Yep, agreed 100%. I've also always heard that the "Mexican Turbos" (along with the Norrisia -- red-footed snail) are from cooler waters.

[Icebox]

Thanks all for your replies...

A thread on sails would not be complete without saying where your favorite place is to buy them.

[EdgeKrusher]

Nassarius, and Astrea snails are what I have. I thought the Nassarius weren't known to reproduce in the aquarium. I've had mine for over 8 months and haven't seen any eggs or signs of reproduction. Not saying that it's impossible, cuz we all know how this hobby goes.

Peace

EK

[Woodstock]

Make sure you inspect every new snail for the pyramid parasitic snails!!! Once they're in your tank you'll never get rid of them! They attack clams too I wish I would have know that before I added my cleaner crew!

[mwrager]

There is no way of getting rid of them Woodstock?

[mwrager]

I just did some research on pyramid parasitic snails and found that you can get rid of them once you have them, but it is hard. One way is to remove all of your snails and clams. They also will hide in empty snail shells. They will die off soon with out food.

Also you could get a 6 line wrasse's or a 8-line, they will remove those nasty little buggers eventually, that is what this article said.

[ScottT1980]

I like the Nassarius best because I have a DSB/plenum and not much of an algae problem (thanks to my fuge) and they do one heck of a job at keeping my sand stirred. I also like them because I can collect them by the thousands in the spring and summer, so they are free to me. Of course, you know all of this Icebox...

Take er easy
Scott T.