snails for diatom bloom

[pkirby]

My new reef tank has cycled, and now I have a diatom bloom I want cleaned up. This is not my first tank, and in the past I just picked up an assortment of snails and hermit crabs as a clean up crew and they took care of it... but I'd like input from other reefers as to which snails they feel do the best job with diatom control.

This is a 75 gallon tank with about 60lbs of rock. also, how many snails do you think I should start with?

Thanks!

 

[commonstranger]

Alot of times the diatom will go away on its on after a while. Not sur eon the snails though I like astrea and margarita snails myself. Also a few turbos but I wouldnt put more than 2 of them in your tank. Wish your tank the best need anything PM me.

 

[duncantse]

It will go away on it's on. Just give it some time.

 

[Korrine]

I like cerith. They will eat more than diatoms too I don't think margarita's are for our warm water tanks. And stay away from bumble bee's. Sometimes turbo's can be a pain knocking around frags and stuff.

 

[halcyonism]

I like cerith. They will eat more than diatoms too I don't think margarita's are for our warm water tanks. And stay away from bumble bee's. Sometimes turbo's can be a pain knocking around frags and stuff.

Ceriths are great, 8 of them in my 120 cleaned in the diatom bloom in a few days.

 

[Korrine]

yep they are! I stick with just a couple nassarius, handfull of trochus, astrea and cerith snails ...although last time I went to my lfs they were out of trochus!

No crabs for me. Talk about decimating your fauna...ie pods and stuff. Not to mention if they can corner a small fish and eat it, they will!

 

[~RuSh~]

yep they are! I stick with just a couple nassarius, handfull of trochus, astrea and cerith snails ...although last time I went to my lfs they were out of trochus!

No crabs for me. Talk about decimating your fauna...ie pods and stuff. Not to mention if they can corner a small fish and eat it, they will!

Not to mention that they walk all over corals! I have one big guy (scarlet) that is constantly knocking over one of my trumpet corals. I wake up to find it heads down in the sand!!!:furious: I'm about to skewer him and eat him myself!

Seriously though, snails do way more 'cleaning' than crabs do IMO.

 

[cgauer5]

FWIW the quickest way I have found to get it cleaned up is with a fighting conch.

 

[greech]

FWIW the quickest way I have found to get it cleaned up is with a fighting conch.

+1! and depending on the size of the tank and how much of an open sand bed you have , get more than 1. I have had 4 conchs in my tank for a little over a year and they do a great job with detritus but they were the only thing that helped with diatoms when I was having a prolonged bloom. Tigertails cucumbers doa number on diatoms too. Never had ceriths but have heard they will help as well.

 

[handzfree]

Stay away from bumble bee's? Why?

I like cerith. They will eat more than diatoms too I don't think margarita's are for our warm water tanks. And stay away from bumble bee's. Sometimes turbo's can be a pain knocking around frags and stuff.

 

[Korrine]

Stay away from bumble bee's? Why?

they are also carnivorous and will eat other snails.

edit..here it even says it live on aquaria...why add it if it could eat your more beneficial snails

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+2857+565&pcatid=565

 

[muffe]

Astrea gobbled mine up. They move slow but leave squeaky clean in their wake.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

I like cerith. They will eat more than diatoms too I don't think margarita's are for our warm water tanks. And stay away from bumble bee's. Sometimes turbo's can be a pain knocking around frags and stuff.

+2 I like ceriths and margaritas. Although I have found that ceriths enjoy being on the substrate more than margaritas so as I see them on the sides of the tank all the time. My astreas like the rocks. guess they have their own preferences. But diatoms will go away on their own.

 

[handzfree]

Thanks for that info, I bought six of them at my lfs and there was not any information offered like that. I appreciate it.. I just recently put three 250 watt metal halides on my tank and within a month I have diatoms all over my sandbed. I have cerith snails, nerite, nasarious, mexican turbos, and astrea snails in my tank. the rock is pretty clean and the glass is very clean but no-one wants to take care of the sand... .. Is it the halides that brought on this bloom> they have been on my 125g tank about two months now and the diatoms have been there about a month since

they are also carnivorous and will eat other snails.

edit..here it even says it live on aquaria...why add it if it could eat your more beneficial snails

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+2857+565&pcatid=565

 

[Korrine]

were the bulbs in your halides new? If it was a used lighting system, old bulbs can cause issues due to the spectrum changing.

 

[handzfree]

The lights are brand new, and 6-7" off the water. I do have fans to keep it cool

were the bulbs in your halides new? If it was a used lighting system, old bulbs can cause issues due to the spectrum changing.

 

[Korrine]

I dunno. They shall go away with time anyhow

 

[BrandonFlorida]

My LFS sold me a strawberry conch and it seems to be eating my newly cycled diatom filled tank very nicely. I only have one and its the only living snail or fish or coral in it and its doing me a solid job..

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Astrea gobbled mine up. They move slow but leave squeaky clean in their wake.

I didn't get much of a diatom bloom, but did have the algae outbreak (again, not too bad) but my Astrea snails took (and continue to take) care of it in a day or two. They're my favorite algae CUC member.

 

[Mcgeezer]

Diatoms fade over time as silicates dissipate. I wouldn't worry....but a lot of snails like Astrea will eat diatoms.

High quality GFO like Rowaphos removes silicates in addition to phosphate, so I suggest using it in a reactor.