Angela Short
New member
With the reeftopia order comming up I was wanting to know the pros and cons of the different type of snails. Any good articals out there with what the different types are targeted for? I found this artical on Nerites when I was reaserching the difference between the virgin and regular ones I found interesting.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm
Also all my turbos just seemed to hang out on the back glass and never seemed to do much. I never really had a alage problem to deal with but since we mag float our glass do you need very many? Do they really keep the rock clean from ever getting alage problems? Maybe I never had issues because I had plenty of snails and they did there thing when I wasn't looking?
I like the idea of the ones who stir the sand and eat uneated food from the sand, the cerths I think they are, but just am not so sure about the turbos doing much that Tangs, angles and other algae lovers like emerald and sally lightfoots don't do anyways....
BTW I witnessed a big sallylightfoot rip the head off a huge featherdusher in one of my tanks a few years ago. He carried the head around munching away and I have read other reports of them eating polyps such as zoes...FWI. I am getting one for my kids tank as they are neat but beware they can do damage sometimes. The duster grew another crown eventually but man was I mad at the crab.
Also was wondering if anyone ever has kept the horseshoe crabs. They are just kinda neat for kids but I know nothing of them other than they are sifting the sandbed looking for the benificial things needed to run a DSB which I am not planning on doing in the display. Will they prey on my .75 a pop cerths? How is there longevity?
If the porcelan crabs come back instock they are neat little buggers. My freind has had 2 in a 29 for about a year and they are cute filter feeders and neat to watch spread there arm out catching food.
The emerald crabs do a great job just running around keeping things clean and love alage also...Another critter instead of a turbo I am thinking and they also like bubble alage which seems to always find its way in on frags....
My main thing I want addressed with snails is the shallow sandbed I am keeping and the film of junk that always seems to get missed right down next to the sandbed unless you dive deep with the magfloat and risk picking up sand causing scratches. What do you all think is my best options?
Ok, just wanting to ask questions and not get the reeftopia thread off topic!
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/invert.htm
Also all my turbos just seemed to hang out on the back glass and never seemed to do much. I never really had a alage problem to deal with but since we mag float our glass do you need very many? Do they really keep the rock clean from ever getting alage problems? Maybe I never had issues because I had plenty of snails and they did there thing when I wasn't looking?
I like the idea of the ones who stir the sand and eat uneated food from the sand, the cerths I think they are, but just am not so sure about the turbos doing much that Tangs, angles and other algae lovers like emerald and sally lightfoots don't do anyways....
BTW I witnessed a big sallylightfoot rip the head off a huge featherdusher in one of my tanks a few years ago. He carried the head around munching away and I have read other reports of them eating polyps such as zoes...FWI. I am getting one for my kids tank as they are neat but beware they can do damage sometimes. The duster grew another crown eventually but man was I mad at the crab.
Also was wondering if anyone ever has kept the horseshoe crabs. They are just kinda neat for kids but I know nothing of them other than they are sifting the sandbed looking for the benificial things needed to run a DSB which I am not planning on doing in the display. Will they prey on my .75 a pop cerths? How is there longevity?
If the porcelan crabs come back instock they are neat little buggers. My freind has had 2 in a 29 for about a year and they are cute filter feeders and neat to watch spread there arm out catching food.
The emerald crabs do a great job just running around keeping things clean and love alage also...Another critter instead of a turbo I am thinking and they also like bubble alage which seems to always find its way in on frags....
My main thing I want addressed with snails is the shallow sandbed I am keeping and the film of junk that always seems to get missed right down next to the sandbed unless you dive deep with the magfloat and risk picking up sand causing scratches. What do you all think is my best options?
Ok, just wanting to ask questions and not get the reeftopia thread off topic!
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I kinda rushed through it.
Keeping my fingers crossed for that one. I know they can be vicious when they grow big. Same with Emerald crabs. The only reason I lost all my green chromis and smaller fish was because of the coral banded shrimp and the darn Regal Tang that harass them to death, bites off their fins, etc. I have ordered just about all the snails they have on reeftopia. I would say one of my favorite is the Star Snails because they are neat looking, but they don't seem to last very good. But I really like the last order with the Virgin Nerites, they are pretty to look at and moves around a lot. I like the Fighting Conchs, they are the ones that's moving my sandbed around and keeping it clean. If you have any question about any of the snails on reeftopia, feel free to ask me since I've had them all at one point or another...
