The inwall 380 starfire reborn

[jnarowe]

no tangs interested in the red turf? rabbit? maybe a small urchin like a tuxedo? it will eat coraline too and since you have a glass tank, that would be a nice benefit.

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10166902#post10166902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Tom,

Mexican Turbos will knock over stuff too, and they poo huge mounds, as well as being not good for captive reefs. Also, when the check out, they are seriously putrid.

Mario,

That's a Vortech MP-40.

The trick is to buy them smaller then a basket ball Seriously though, the smaller the better with Mexican Turbos. They are eating machines that is for sure. My Nicaruagian Turbos are a bit quicker on the pick up then my Mexican Turbos and have a larger appetite for items like red turf algae.

Tom, I'll see if I can get you a few of the N. Turbos if you want any

 

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10167624#post10167624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by obarrera
Oh ok, thanks!

Im gonna start reading on them.

EDIT:Wow, these are awsome, I thought you had to drill your tank, but just found out it's not necessary. where is the cheapest pleace one can find them?

Pricing is the same just about everywhere. I suspect that IceCap/EcoTech enforce the pricing (just like many manufacturers do). We got ours from Marine Depot (gotta love the free shipping ). But I know that alot of other online vendors also sell them

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10167991#post10167991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
no tangs interested in the red turf? rabbit? maybe a small urchin like a tuxedo? it will eat coraline too and since you have a glass tank, that would be a nice benefit.

I have a tuxedo urchin that has been banned to the sump for some time now. It picks up far too many frags/zoos/shells, just about anything it comes in contact with, and strews them across the tank. The tangs and rabbitfish aren't interested enough in the red turf algae to make a detectable dent.

 

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10169314#post10169314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
The trick is to buy them smaller then a basket ball Seriously though, the smaller the better with Mexican Turbos. They are eating machines that is for sure. My Nicaruagian Turbos are a bit quicker on the pick up then my Mexican Turbos and have a larger appetite for items like red turf algae.

Tom, I'll see if I can get you a few of the N. Turbos if you want any

Gresh, Yes, please do try. We are in desparate need of some that fit your description, I will shoot you an Email. Thanks.

 

[cbui2]

mexican turbos poop like crazy? depending how much you will buy.

 

[Sparkss]

Well, right now I could deal with extra poop more so than I can deal with this darned turf algae . Our nitrates are almost undetectable and the skimmer seems to be functioning optimally, that plus we get plenty of water movement within the tank, so I am not too concerned with snail poo piling up in a corner and rotting. If I have to trade poo for turf algae right now... then I choose the poo (aacckkk, did I just say that out loud ?!?!?! *sigh*).
Here is what I posted on another thread, one specifically about battling turf algae :

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10164154#post10164154 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sparkss
.. but I agree that it does seem odd that some people have been able to win out against it and some have not, and others appear to have had the algae crash and disappear on it's own. My theory is phosphates locked in our rocks, undetectable by the test kits. But I have nothing to back that theory up with at the moment.


I have read that this algae seems to survive in tanks with undetectable levels of phosphates and/or nitrates, so it is entirely possible that it is leeching the phosphates, etc, out of the rocks (after all it is pretty invasive into our rocks). I still think that the snails are a good idea.. look at it as an in-tank harvesting of the algae, like trimming the macros in our sumps, but done in tank by the snails. If, given time, the algae starts to die off, as others have reported, perhaps it is a combination of exporting the excess nutrients from the water column (that we can get to, using rowaphos, etc) and letting the algae leech it from the rocks and the snails to harvest/export the algae. Hopefully at some point we will reach 0 where the algae will no longer be able to survive ?

So I want to give the snails a try to see if after a month or so of allowing them to "harvest" and export the turf algae if we start to see a decline in the algae's foothold. The way I look at it about the poo is that it is the sanils way to export the turf algae.. and that works for me

Well, that is my theory and my plan, for what it's worth

 

[jnarowe]

hey don't get me wrong, I am a fan of snails, just not ones that are not captive reef appropriate. Check out Project DIBS for more info. I am one of the founding breeders and have thousands of snails in my system.

 

[raddogz]

Wow, I'm gone for a few days and poof now algae problems?

At least I know I'm not the only ones who has these problems. I feel for you Tom.

Gresham - I was wondering why many of the bubble algae were turning clear. I've been elevating the Mg levels just recently with the intent of killing off bryopsis.

I think I chopped the bejeebers off the red turf stuff and offed it over to another tank where coralline is now growing on it.

 

[Sparkss]

Jonathan

I know that you are one of the DIBs breeders.. which is why I was asking if you had any recommendations for snails specifically to battle this red turf menace ?

Eileen

Yea, this stuff is frustrating, but I think we can get a handle on it. To be truthful, if not for the issue with the many many micro bubbles it is letting out into the tank, I likely wouldn't even stress over it, and just let it run it's course. The corals actually "win" against it and I have not seen where it has caused any coral distress, but would still like to see it gone. This one is going to take a while, but that is OK too.. If we can start making progress then I will know it is just a matter of time before we win out.. but before now, to not know and not have a game plan... now that bugged me

I read about the raised Mg levels to battle Valonia and Bryopsis. Glad to hear that it is working out for you . How crazy has your Alk gone ? Did it shoot up? drop down too low ? How have your corals been faring ?

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10171201#post10171201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
just not ones that are not captive reef appropriate.

Explain.

Are you saying Mexican Turbos aren't suitable for reef tanks? Why?

 

[Sparkss]

I would guess he made that statement because they get so large and add heavily to the bio load, and when they die they can truly foul the water column (but those can all be said about several other commonly used livestock in our systems ).

But I will let Jonathan answer the question himself

 

[jnarowe]

yeah well they are temperate not tropical, so besides their propensity to knock stuff over and poo like rhinos, they also are typically short lived in our tropical aquariums. They don't belong in warm water...And I have seen more damage done to captive reefs by their deaths than some more famous foulers like sea hares.

 

[cbui2]

yep i just removed all of the mexican snail in my display, over 100 and yes they are huge and run over everything more like elephants. i purchased them at LFS and when picking them out some was dead and had a smell that was so horrible. placed them in my other tanks for now but have poops all over the placed. i still have 20 astrea in there and havent seen them mess with anything since they are a lot smaller then mexican. hope this helps

 

[jnarowe]

try to get some nerites and ceriths Bart. While they don't typically breed in captivity, they are much less of a problem to deal with.

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10171601#post10171601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
yeah well they are temperate not tropical, so besides their propensity to knock stuff over and poo like rhinos, they also are typically short lived in our tropical aquariums. They don't belong in warm water...And I have seen more damage done to captive reefs by their deaths than some more famous foulers like sea hares.

I knew you where going to say that. Your mistaken. Having been a importer who had direct ties into the collection station in Baja for a decade, and still do, and can attest to Baja being tropical 75% of the time and some parts not getting below low 70's all year around. Sometimes reaching 90+ in surface temp. The problem with the turbos is the exact opposite. Most are brought over in a van from the upper Sea of Cortez in ulta hot weather with no AC to help buffer them. They are gang bagged like no ones business. They are treated like sand Those tend not to live very long and the over whelming ammonia smell well tell you in seconds Ours are shipped 100 to the bag and are kept cool in transit. Some of mine are over 8 years old so your theory about short lived is not the fact in my case

 

[Sparkss]

well, I ran out to a nearby LFS and picked up half a dozen turbos.. don't ask me which kind, I just went for the smallest ones they had (they don't look like the zebra turbos though, so I can rule those out). After acclimating and rinsing they are in the tank and moving about, appearing to have started eating the turf algae (I tried to strategically place them were they would be needed the most.. probably a wasted effort, but worth the little extra time it took none the less ). Hopefully these will help out until I can get some more from Gresh

 

[GreshamH]

I'll call a few wholesalers and find who is currently bringing in the ones I like

 

[Sparkss]

Thanks Gresh.. so far I am not too excited about the effectiveness of the turbos I just added. What I mean by that is that I see them moving across the rocks and don't see where they have removed any turf algae in their path. The rock behind them looks just like the rock in front of them. I guess I just expected a little more

 

[jnarowe]

Well Gresham, you must be much more experienced with Mexican Turbos than myself, and everyone I have know who has ever had them. I kept mine alive for about 13 months and that is the longest I have ever heard of prior to your above post. Most of mine died off within a couple days of my tank accidentally getting over 82F a couple days in a row.

I guess you could post on the DIBS forum and let them all know what you know, so that we don't go around bashing a perfectly good snail.

 

[GreshamH]

FWIW I am priviledged to be so connected to where my animals come from. I can assure most are properly treated for during the COC. Your absolutly right that a large portion do die, but I think the reasons people think they die for are just ignorant of the rigors the COC can put an animal thru. All the proper husbandry won't help if the darn snail was boiled in ammonia along with a thousand of his buddies for hours on end.