If snails keep dying, that should tell you something?

[mpderksen]

Why should I put my CUC on a refresh schedule? When I look at the various recommendations for CUC, if most die in 3-6 months, doesn't that mean they starved or something? Do snails spawn? Do I have a snail predator? (No hermits in either of my tanks).
Simply put, what is the appropriate CUC size for a tank? I feel like a victim of marketing, get more snails! They die, they decay, I get an algae outbreak, I buy MORE snails to handle the outbreak.

 

[Reef_Chief]

I would say there isnt a rule of thumb when it comes to clean up crew. It's circumstantial. It all comes down to the tanks needs and if you consider them astheticaly pleasing then your own needs.

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[ca1ore]

I'm not a big fan of snails for exactly the reasons you note. I tend to go for emeralds, bristles, hermits and a few tiger cukes.

 

[mpderksen]

SIMON!!! Thanks for chiming in brother!
I'm seriously think of going the invert route of hermits etc on the upgrade

 

[WatDatThing]

I feel the same way. Snail ain't cheap either. The only snails left in my tank are the 3 huge turbo from the initial intro.

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[karimwassef]

small snails and crabs have short life cycles and reproduction requires a critical mass and an environment conducive to surviving the planktonic stage. Larger snails and crabs can live for years, but those aren't the prime candidates in the CUC space.

 

[CallSign]

I currently have 4 medium turbo snails in my 125 along with 1 shrimp. I'm adding 2 more shrimp to the tank and moving 1 turbo to my refugium.

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[CrayolaViolence]

One of the biggest reasons snails die so quickly, is we put species that are used to a slightly cooler climate into 80 degree water. This speeds up their metabolism and shortens their life span. We also underestimate how much food snails really need. We stick a half dozen in a tank with a bit of algae and they eat it and starve. If you truly have enough food in a tank to support algae eating snails, you're tank is going to be covered in algae. ALL THE TIME. If you want to keep them around when you have no algae, then you need to feed them.

 

[Pmj]

I have florida ceriths that are constantly putting eggs all over the tank, so I assume they are happy and were added a year ago. The majority of snail deaths are from my pistol shrimp or hermits. I've had success with florida cerith, astrea & nassarius.

 

[CarrieB]

My nassarius are reproducing in my tank. I've rehomed some.


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[ClownNut]

first, what snail did you buy? not all snails will do well in home tank.most LFS carry astrea snails, because they died all the time. so you have to buy more.
i, personally will not use anything but black foot trochus, not every LFS carry that. they flip themselves up, they can walk on sand, most important, they breed in most system. so you will have endless supply of snails without rebuy all the clean up crews every 6 months. dont buy hermit, they will turn into lazy killing machines after about 2 months. they learned there will be "happy meal" daily what's the point to eats algae, plus you have snails around, that's meal and house on wheel to them.

 

[RCS82]

1 vote for the urchins

 

[WatDatThing]

1 vote for the urchins

Doesn't urchin release poison when it dies?

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[karimwassef]

no. that's sea hares

urchins are just destructive bulldozers who will rip frags that are superglued down and carry them on their heads and then find the only power cord in the tank and eat the coralline on it until they get to the electrical wires underneath and trigger the GFCI and shut down the tank that causes pain and suffering.

other than that, urchins are fine.

 

[ReefPharmer]

no. that's sea hares

urchins are just destructive bulldozers who will rip frags that are superglued down and carry them on their heads and then find the only power cord in the tank and eat the coralline on it until they get to the electrical wires underneath and trigger the GFCI and shut down the tank that causes pain and suffering.

other than that, urchins are fine.

You seem to be a big fan of urchins

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

I am a fan of urchins. They do a great job and are neat to watch too. More interesting than snails at least. They can be bulldozers to newly glued frags though. They have helped keep my rocks nice and clean. I swear my purple urchin even eats vermentid snails. Within a couple of days of putting him in my tank (infested at the time) every vermentid he could reach was gone. There are still some tucked in behind rocks that he can't get too, but no longer an issue.

 

[karimwassef]

Their work is good but their damage is terrible.

The real problem is that in nature there are many more small urchins (dime sized) that do the real fine detail work... those are not available to the hobby. That's a real shame because those little baby urchins are the real masters of fine cleaning the small reefs (like our tanks).

Their bulldozer parents are good for covering massive swaths of landscape (which we do not have)

 

[Elricsfate]

1 vote for the urchins

+1

I like active inverts. I have a couple of emeralds, a couple of urchins, some hermits, a few snails (fewer and fewer), sea cucumber (never see him), and a big ol' serpent star.

 

[Daddyrawg]

One of the biggest reasons snails die so quickly, is we put species that are used to a slightly cooler climate into 80 degree water. This speeds up their metabolism and shortens their life span. We also underestimate how much food snails really need. We stick a half dozen in a tank with a bit of algae and they eat it and starve. If you truly have enough food in a tank to support algae eating snails, you're tank is going to be covered in algae. ALL THE TIME. If you want to keep them around when you have no algae, then you need to feed them.

I think tha's my problem keeping snails.. 80 degree water

 

[ibryson]

1 vote for the urchins

2 votes for urchins! My long spined sea urchin cleaned my tank up in no time! Now I have to physically feed him algae. Granted, I dont have any coral for it to destroy.