Reef nutrition

Best snails for cleaning rock?

doliver

doliver

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My snail population has dwindled since I got my cleaner package 18 months ago. Now I'm starting to notice some green algae growing on the rocks, so whichever group was responsible for that has apparently fallen below critical mass.

But the problem is I don't know which snail does what. I think I started with turbo, margarita, trochus and cerith -- which type should I reload on to get some rock grazers?
 
Ceriths are more sand burrows. the others will spend more time up on rocks.

Margarita snails really prefer cooler temperatures, which is why they tend not to live long in reef tanks.

I have a huge banded trochus that I just love. He's such a big 'ol grouch. :-D

Don't overdo it with stocking snails... if you do they'll starve and die. How many snails do you have right now? What else is in your cleanup crew?
 
Take this as a grain of salt... I'm sure some of the veterans will speak up but cleaning crew aren't required but they do help with the whole mini-environment. You may want to check your parameters jic something is causing the algea or maybe consider cutting back on feeding? That doesn't answer your question but gives you something else to think about. In my 46 I have about a dozen or so blue leg hermit crabs (with plenty of spare shells.. I think I got them from saltwater.com) I also have cerith snails (the cone shaped one, which have reprodiced like mad and mine stay on the glass not the sand) and couple other snails but I don't feel like looking up the names. I stay away from the large ones since I have frags, they tend to knock stuff over.
 
i got some turbos that do a number on the rocks...but they do tend to bulldoze frags if they are not glued down properly...astreas are cool, but once they flip over they are a sitting meal for hermits
 
Slightly OT, but has anyone used mini-hermits to clean up their rocks? I don't remember where I got them, but I had some a long time ago. Their shells were ~1/4" long or so?
 
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