Nassarius snail
- Thread starter baruchbl
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Brock Fluharty
New member
That's not even close to enough. You are supposed to have around 5 per gallon.
Brock Fluharty
New member
Mine eat cyano, and hair algae. I have about 100 in a 75 gallon, and they can't eat it quick enough.
Mighty Quinn
New member
I suspect that your snails are not nassarius. Nassarius snails are carion eaters...they eat dead meat. A few of these snails are great in a fish-only tank that is fed lots of meaty foods, but they usually starve in a reef tank.
Q
Mighty Quinn
New member
Re: Nassarius snail
I think that for a 110g reef, 5 nassarius snails are probably ok. Quite frankly, I don't see much use for them in tanks with well developed sand beds, but I suppose the biodiversity that they provide is worth something. They are carrion eaters (dead meat), and therefore will compete for food with your sand bed critters.
Often, a new aquarist will follow bad advice and purchase way too many nassarius snails. The snails will typically hang out on the sand bed and on the glass. When they begin to starve, they will bury themselves in the sand and die. Nutrient levels will shoot up, and cyano and hair algae will grow uncontrollably, fueled by all the dying snails. Sometimes, the unexperienced aquarist will actually add MORE nassarius snails to the tank to tackle the algae outbreaks, thus feeding the cycle of death and algae growth.
The same scenario plays out with other snails as well. The typical recommendations for the number of snails and hermits for a reef tank are way too high and people generally add them much too soon after the live rock has cycled. People would do much better adding fewer snails and hermits (around 1 per 10 gallons) and waiting a couple months after the live rock has cycled before doing so.
Q
I think that for a 110g reef, 5 nassarius snails are probably ok. Quite frankly, I don't see much use for them in tanks with well developed sand beds, but I suppose the biodiversity that they provide is worth something. They are carrion eaters (dead meat), and therefore will compete for food with your sand bed critters.
Often, a new aquarist will follow bad advice and purchase way too many nassarius snails. The snails will typically hang out on the sand bed and on the glass. When they begin to starve, they will bury themselves in the sand and die. Nutrient levels will shoot up, and cyano and hair algae will grow uncontrollably, fueled by all the dying snails. Sometimes, the unexperienced aquarist will actually add MORE nassarius snails to the tank to tackle the algae outbreaks, thus feeding the cycle of death and algae growth.
The same scenario plays out with other snails as well. The typical recommendations for the number of snails and hermits for a reef tank are way too high and people generally add them much too soon after the live rock has cycled. People would do much better adding fewer snails and hermits (around 1 per 10 gallons) and waiting a couple months after the live rock has cycled before doing so.
Q
Brock Fluharty
New member
Mine are nassarius snails. I could try to get a pic if you want. I agree, they do eat dead carion. I had a starfish die, and they ate him before I knew he was dead. Only thing that caused me to know it was him was legs all over the place...yuck. They have slighty tapering shells, and a tube coming from the front of their shell. Half of them burrow into the sand most of the day, while the other half stays on the glass. They are breeding like crazy also. I feed them mysis shrimp, which they love.
Mighty Quinn
New member
Again, I caution against adding too many of these animals to an aquarium. They do not consume cyano and hair algae for nutrition. You may actually watch them "eat" cyano and/or hair algae, but this is a desperate attempt to acquire some nutrition in the absence of their preferred food (meat). It is similar to you eating wood chips because you are starving and have nothing else to eat. Trust me Brock, your tank has FAR too many nassarius snails, and their deaths WILL contribute to MASSIVE cyano and hair algae outbreaks. Based on your former posts, I suspect that you are already experiencing this.
Bottom line: nassarius snails are NOT herbivorous. Any more than one nassarius per 10 gallons is risky...1 nassarius per 1 gallon is irresponsible and 5 nassarius per 1 gallon is just ignorant.
Q
Brock Fluharty
New member
It isn't ignorant if that is what I was told...if you would have thoroughly read my "former posts", you would have seen that I check all of my parameters, which were fine. None of them have died FYI.
"Bottom line:" I feed them frozen mysis twice a day.
"Bottom line:" I feed them frozen mysis twice a day.
Brock Fluharty
New member
I don't think they would be BREEDING if they were starving would they? I know that if I was starving out in the wilderness, sex would be the last thing on my mind
Brock Fluharty
New member
What would they be then? I described them above. I bought them as nass snails from a fellow reefer, and she said she had 2 kinds. One kind ate only carion, and one kind ate algae. She had them mixed togehter, and said I would get some of both.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
'
You have read to many "sales pitches" my friend. Do you really think a 75 gallon tank can support 400 snails, 500 hermit crabs, and whatever other silly stuff is recomended by the online resellers?
A dozen or so is usally enough for most modest setups. Of course if you like them, more are OK, but surely not 5 per gallon
Brock Fluharty
New member
I didn't mean you needed 5 of any type of clean up crew per gallon.
Well, since I am a "mere" reefer, how DO you tell them apart? I would appreciate it, Javeo, if you would STOP insulting my intelligence!
Well, since I am a "mere" reefer, how DO you tell them apart? I would appreciate it, Javeo, if you would STOP insulting my intelligence!
I have 8 astrea, 6 nassarius, 8 turbo, and 10 small hermit crabs in my 55 gallon. The nassarius stay in the sand all day and come out at night and turn over the sand. They do not eat my algae but they do turn the sand over. I think this is a perfect set up for my tank. I only have 4 fish and feed once per day 4 days per week( flake) and twice a day 3 days per week( mysis and cyclopeeze).
RicksReefs
New member
you probably have Illyanassa obsoleta
Brock Fluharty
New member
I find probably 100 new egg sacs per day. The sacs themselves are clear, and then the eggs are tiny tiny tiny white dots.
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