Cerith Snails!

[DetectiveTofu]

How many Cerith snails would you folks recommend for a 35 gallon fowlr? I was thinking 8 or so, but I wanted to get some other people $.2.

I am hoping they will mow the patches of diatoms I have in my tank; and after all the diatoms are gone, I'd assume they'd just be scavengers.

 

[MrMikeB]

Do you run a sandbed? Any other snails? Are these big ones or the little ceriths?

I would run at least 20+ if you have a sandbed where they hang out most of the time. If you are looking to have your brown film removed, you would be better off with astreas in my opinion. Those guys will scour the rock whereas your ceriths typically stay in the sand or head up top to hang out along the water line.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

How many astreas do I need to use? Would I need to make a point to feed them? Are they scavengers?

 

[MrMikeB]

Astreas pretty much take care of themselves and if you have diatoms or film algae growing on your rocks/glass/etc. they will find it. The only problem with those guys is that nature played a sick joke and if they fall over, rarely can they get back upright and will die eventually.

I typically put 2-3 snails per gallon of water, again depending on you nutrient level and other stock, you can go up or down on this. If you everstock snails, well natural selection will take its course and the system will suport as many snails as it can and the rest will provide shells for your sandbed.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

how often do they fall over?

 

[MrMikeB]

Not too often, but from time to time I see one looking helpless and flip him back over. On their own they will stick pretty well, its generally when either you our something in your tank messes with them they have a tendency of flipping up on their backs.

Don't worry, you will not find a tank full of helpless snails flipped up on their back the next morn.

 

[650-IS350]

I think in nature they're more in rocky area's that if they fall they could grab on to something and right them selves up, but in a reeftank where there's lots of sand, once they fall, not easy to get up..... " fallen and can't get up syndrome "...

Ceriths are good, but I really don't believe the 2-3 snails per gallon rule as each persons tank is different, algae levels are also different and if you get way too many snails , you'd just end up starving them to death slowly.

IMO' if you have other snails in there such as turbos, astreas, trochus , nerites or ceriths.... I would just go with several or so, then watch the tank over a course of time and see they are making a dent of more are needed.

 

[CitS]

...And if you have small hermit crabs,
they will kill Cerith snails for thier shells...

(If the snails are bigger, of course)

 

[CookieJar]

2-3 per gallon seems like a lot to me. I have a total of less than 20 snails in my 180 and don't have an aglae problem. When I see algae picking up I'll go the LFS and pick up more, which I'll do over time. I found the LFS price is about the same as online prices, and with the LFS I can buy a smaller quantity and not deal with shipping costs and hassles.
That's my $.02!

 

[Vincerama2]

Trochus are the Cadillacs of snails! Eat a lot, self flipping, fairly long lived!

But, hard to find and more expensive than astraeas

V

 

[650-IS350]

I got my bunch for Aquatic central... they had/have a bunch there...

and for hermits killing ceriths... they will, but only if you havent put in EXTRA shells for them to pick and choose from instead of killing a snail for one.