Snails, do they climbed and destroy corals?

[Agoyo]

Hi, i have some red algae growing at the rear of my tank. These algae had just grown. I have thought of adding snails to consume them as well as a control measure.

One question tough, is that will snail climb onto corals and destroy them? This has been my primary concern because i have some mushroom corals in the tank.

Another question is that, what type of snails will be suitable to do this job of clearing the algae? Are they reef safe? Do they eat detrius? And, will they be disturbed by fishes and die? What is their foods? Will they eat shrimp as a substitude of algae?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Snails will not hurt your coral, and most fish will not pick on them (but it depends on your fish). I good mix of Cerith, Nassarius, Astrea, and Mexican Turbo has gotten the job done for me, along with a few scarlet reef hermit crabs.

I never feed any of these animals - they are there to clean up the tank, not to require you to feed even more.

 

[skabimini]

IMHO... snails are a contributing and mandatory necessity of a good clean up crew which will assist you to maintain a healthy environment.