what type of snails to put in tank

[duke62]

i have 10 turbo snails any other snails i can put in that will clean a little better than them

 

[duke62]

sorry i posted in wrong thread

 

[fritz]

Different snails eat different things, I find a mix of many types of snails works best.

 

[pecan2phat]

I like to do a mix of astraes, ceriths, nerites and a few mexican turbos for the pia algae.

 

[Henrye]

Nassarius and ceriths for sand duty.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Instead of spending money on Nassarius snails, if you have any access to a salt marsh or bay shore, go at low tide and collect the small black Ilyanassa obsoletus snails....they were formerly classified as Nassarius, and are the local species of that snail. Five minutes time will give you dozens. I collect mine from a creek in Cutchogue, NY where I my family has a summer place (although they always seem to be around regardless of season). They last for years in the tank. They don't eat algae, but they clean up leftover food and may eat a little cyano. They are totally reef safe, and don't even need acclimation- I just toss them in the tank, even though they are coming from a brackish salt marsh into a high salinity- they are intertidal, so they are adjusted to swings in salinity and temperature. A bonus is that if collected when the water is cold, they will immediately start laying eggs in the warm reef water. I don't think many babies make it, so I have to assume that they provide food for the larger tank inhabitants....Take care, Eric

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Can't recommend taking wild snails from local areas....besides the legal ramifications should you be caught, there is the chance of foreign pathogens or parasites entering the tank. It's never worth the risk. Mix of snails is always good though pacific turbos are great they are a warm water species, ceriths are great for harder algae, astreas, tongan nassarius snails for the sand bed they live for a long time and they'll eat anything that's extra food or ...dead. I had a large kole tang die in my 50 gallon when I left for a weekend when I came back the nitrates hadn't spiked and the snails had picked it down to a skeleton.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

well, the Astreas etc. sold in LFS and on the net are snails collected from non-local areas....same risk of pathogens, etc....just non-local. Now, its true, that Ilyanassa (and the Nassarius sold in LFS) are intermediary hosts for the parasitic worm larvae (cercariae) that cause swimmer's itch.. And I have gotten swimmers itch from wading in the water while fishing out on LI (but only on an outgoing tide, after a heavy rain)...but having used these snails in my tanks for years I have never had a problem (and swimmer's itch is a bird parasite that might accidentally affect humans...snails are the intermediate host..nothing in a reef tank would be affected by it, although they could conceivably be a planktonic food...). And, as I said, except for the conchs and abalones,which are cultivated, store/internet bought snails are just as wild as local snails. I also feed Long Island Ulva and Gracillaria to my tank inhabitants during the summer....over many years, never, ever, has there been a negative consequence to this.....lots of positive consequence though! Take care, Eric

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Oh...legal consequence...Ilyanassa snails are not regulated, unlike clams, other shellfish...they occur in such numbers and densities that 5 minutes collecting time could supply over a hundred, collecting from an area smaller than a square meter....they are about 1-2cm in length...Take care, Eric

 

[crox99]

Oh...legal consequence...Ilyanassa snails are not regulated, unlike clams, other shellfish...they occur in such numbers and densities that 5 minutes collecting time could supply over a hundred, collecting from an area smaller than a square meter....they are about 1-2cm in length...Take care, Eric

I never seen those snails in the local waters. Do you know where can I collect them around here?