new snails

[ccny]

i'm basically a newbie but have started with a 12 gallon nanocube. had some trouble with cycling initially but have made some changes to the original cube and after about a month of cycling, i think the tank is finally ok. i went to LFS for what i thought was the next step--snails. they tested my water and it looked good. so i bought 4 turbo snails to add to a tank of 2 to 3 inch LS, about 16-18 lbs of LR.

LFS guy is nice enough but said I didn't need to feed the snails. "they just eat off the LR." is this true? i don't need to feed these living organisms? just wanted to make sure cause i find this hard to believe.

 

[PeeJ]

no need to feed them. they eat algaes. thats why you bought them...even though you might not know it. hahah

 

[ccny]

thanks for the reply. how do i know if i got algae? i really don't see anything new on the rock.

 

[ChrisRD]

Have you seen any film algae on your glass yet? I would think so by this point...

 

[PeeJ]

i wouldnt worry too much about it. im sure there is something in your tank the snails will feed on.

 

[ccny]

there's a bit of film algae, especially where the water pump is flowing against the glass wall. they have been avoiding that area though. i acclimated them last night and thios AM, 3 of the 4 were at the top water level and one still crawling along the rock. i'm a bit worried about the one in the back cause i have a jbj nano and there's no back ledge to keep them from climbing through to the back sump area.

 

[Anonymous]

i have gone through so many snails that wont touch the algae...(turbos/margaritas.) I recently bought six more for my 20gal...i have a greenish film algae...they seem to have started eating it, but boy are they lazy. grrrr....

 

[ccny]

these snails are definitely a bit strange. my turbos are just hanging at the top water level most of the time. i think there's a bunch of debris floating on the water and they're enjoying that. the stuff on the glass mostly gets ignored or is "eaten" only in streaks as they move around the tank. i was actually hoping that they eat the cyanobacteria in the sand to keep it clean and sorta pale rather than brown. they've mostly ignored the sand though. i don't know if i should be getting nassarius snails and some peppermint shrimp for the sand but my LFS doesn't carry nassarius.

 

[ChrisRD]

IME it seems that not all herbivorous snails are interested in all algaes. Having a variety of (snail) species helps in this regard.

I personally like Trochus, Cerith and Mexican Turbos (although they get large for a snail and can knock over small frags, etc.). I usually have some Astrea and Margarita snails as well, although I haven't found them to eat as much as the others.

BTW, the snails that are hanging out at the top of your tank are probably not feeding on anything up there. Some snails exhibit an intertidal behavior where they come out of the water periodically. There are several popular species in the aquarium trade that do this.

HTH

 

[ccny]

thanks for the info! it's weird with the snails at the top since they stay there probably 95% of the time. getting different snail species seems like a good idea but i have a 12 gal nano and worry about the bioload, especially if i'm going to add a couple of fish and some soft coral down the road.

 

[ChrisRD]

Maybe you can trade your inactive snails in at your LFS for some different species.