Clean up crew (how much is too much) (1 Viewer)

[jimR]

I have a new 125G tank (72x18x22) with refugium and skimmer, running for 2-1/2 weeks. corallife 3x 150 MH + Blue acintics (sp?) and moon lights.
New tank algae bloom hit the 130 lbs of L.R. and crushed coral substraight pretty heavy.
Just ordered Reef special #2 from Reeftopia:
75 Turbo Snails
36 Cerith Snails
12 Stocky Cerith
18 Nassarius Snails
4 Emerald Crabs
75 Small Blueleg Hermits
12 Nerite Snails
Delivery is tomorrow.
There is enough food source for all, but how many do you need after the tank gets over the intial algae outbreak? :?

New guy here, been lurking in the shadows picking up pointers!

 

[wazzel]

IMO that is way to much. I got 5 turbo , 5 asteria snails and 3 hermit crabs in a 150 and no algae. Have not had any snail die either.

 

[Melodyepta]

IMO if you can count your snails you don't have enough!

Most folks use a "rule of thumb" of 1-2 snails per gallon and 1 hermit for every 2-3 gallons.

Like every rule of thumb there are exceptions. Dependent on what other livestock you're eventually going to add you should be able to sustain that number of snails and crabs once the algae is under control.

Remember, you'll have some snails that don't make it through shipping, and some that made it through shipping but won't make it through acclimation etc. Of the 153 +/- snails you've ordered you'll end up with 100-125.

Over time you'll lose more, hermits will kill some for their shells, some will just die off.

All-in-all, you should be fine with what you have.

 

[Guest]

if you think it's too much, sell some of them to me .

 

[dbrock12]

No way that is to many snails. As stated above, if you can count them you do not have enough. I know that I have over 100 Nassarius Vibex, 50 Asterias, 50 Ceriths, as well as assorted Turbos and others. I personally do not use any hermit crabs. Sounds like you have a good starter package.

Don

 

[jimR]

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.
The cleaning crew has its work cut out for it for now.

Thanks again

 

[AquaNerd]

hey jimR...i was checking out your thread and noticed that you have 9 damsels and live rock. i don't know what your fish preferences are, but i'd suggest ditching the damsels asap...before you get the rocks the way you want them and before you get corals and other immobile inverts situated. i learned the hard way and can't get the last damsel out of my tank. a better alternative would be chromis or some other cheap yet peaceful fish. the damsels are buttholes and will be very territorial. i've even heard that you should only have one damsel per 125 gallons (because of their territoriality). the damsels my start out peaceful, especially if they are young and in a new tank. but as they get older they will kill other fish. it's happened to me a few times and now that i have my rock and corals in place, can't get that final pesky little bugger out. just a thought...but if i were you i'd get them out asap.

 

[wazzel]

IMO if you can count your snails you don't have enough!

Most folks use a "rule of thumb" of 1-2 snails per gallon and 1 hermit for every 2-3 gallons.

Like every rule of thumb there are exceptions. Dependent on what other livestock you're eventually going to add you should be able to sustain that number of snails and crabs once the algae is under control.

Remember, you'll have some snails that don't make it through shipping, and some that made it through shipping but won't make it through acclimation etc. Of the 153 +/- snails you've ordered you'll end up with 100-125.

Over time you'll lose more, hermits will kill some for their shells, some will just die off.

All-in-all, you should be fine with what you have.

I'm not saying my way is better, it works for me. But why would you add animals to your tank knowing you are going to loose approx 1/3 of them? If a tank is properly maintained then the levels of amonia, nitrate and nitrite should be low and nuisiance algae should be not be a significant issue. Again IMO, if you have to maintain an army of snails to keep you algae in check you should check your tank maintence and deal with the root of the problem and not the results of the problem. In the 9 years I have been keeping reef tanks I have never had more than a hand full of snails in any tank I have had.

Not bashing just a point of discussion.

Your milage my vary.

 

[Melodyepta]

Nobody puts animals in their tank knowing/wanting to lose 1/3 of them. In this hobby snail and crabs have the highest rate of attrition. They are often difficult to acclimate and many don't survive after collection/shipping. While acclimation deaths can be attributed to the hobbiest, the collection/shipping problems can't. Snails and crabs also simply don't live as long as the other tank inhabitants. Now having said that I will say that I have 7 Astrea snails that are originals from when I set up my first sw tank nearly 8 years ago. These guys are huge!

If you notice, the majority of the snails JimR has ordered, and I daresay...most of us probably have too... are detritus eaters, not algae eater. They along with the hermits help keep our tanks tidy and clean out the nooks and crannies of mulm.

I agree that if you're having massive algae problems, that an "army of snails" isn't the answer. However, keeping an adequate number of snails to maintain the natural film algaes that form in all aquaria and help ensure that nuisance algaes don't get a foothold is essential.

One thing you can be sure of...in this hobby there are always 20 different opinions on how things should be done!

 

[wazzel]

.

Remember, you'll have some snails that don't make it through shipping, and some that made it through shipping but won't make it through acclimation etc. Of the 153 +/- snails you've ordered you'll end up with 100-125.

Seems like you know you are going to loose about 1/3.

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I know that there are tons of different ways to do things. Just trying to point out that it may be a good idea to reevaluate the 1-2 snails per gallon, esp since that rec is comming from vendors.

A good mix of snails is great. I need to get a greater mix in my tank.

 

[dbrock12]

If you notice, the majority of the snails JimR has ordered, and I daresay...most of us probably have too... are detritus eaters, not algae eater. They along with the hermits help keep our tanks tidy and clean out the nooks and crannies of mulm.

Couldn't agree more. If you notice in my previous post 100+ of my snails are Nassarius Vibex. These snails live in the sand and pop up (like in night of the living dead) anytime that food is put into the aquarium. They do a great job of eating both detrius and any uneaten food that does find its way to the bottom.

Don

 

[jimR]

This has been some really great responses and good information all around. I want to thank all that responded as every one gives a re-born saltwater hobbiest more to build on. (had saltwater in the early 90's when live rock came from the reef with the corals already) Back then I did not even have the internet so it was LFS and trial and error.

 

[wazzel]

If you notice, the majority of the snails JimR has ordered, and I daresay...most of us probably have too... are detritus eaters, not algae eater. They along with the hermits help keep our tanks tidy and clean out the nooks and crannies of mulm.

Couldn't agree more. If you notice in my previous post 100+ of my snails are Nassarius Vibex. These snails live in the sand and pop up (like in night of the living dead) anytime that food is put into the aquarium. They do a great job of eating both detrius and any uneaten food that does find its way to the bottom.

Don

I agree that you need a good mix of critters to clean up. I just do not see how any of our tanks can sustain 1-2 snails per gallon. Through my experience I have noticed that if you do not replace what dies you will reach a ballance between sustainable population and algae control. From what I have seen that number is substantially lower that the vendor reccomended stocking levels. I have added to that stable population and things started dieing again until that sustainable population was again readched.

 

[BrianPlankis]

Why not purchase captive bred snails that are able to breed readily in a standard display tank (assuming you don't load it with predators of the eggs) and let them reproduce naturally to a level that is sustained by the algae in your tank?

Some will die off, allowing the remaining ones to breed, the babies will replace the aging adults and you never need to purchase snails again?

But maybe I'm biased?

Hermits? I don't trust them at all, but certainly only a few are needed if you really like them.

Brian

 

[jimR]

Well the shipment arrived and the better half acclimated and sent the whole gang to working on the rock. Looks like over >95% made the trip and are now grazing on the green stuff. after 8 hours in the tank it looks like only 7 or 8 shells that are not trying to move.
Hermits are very small (pencil eraser size shells) but have mowed down one rock completly and are spreading out.

 

[Melodyepta]

I'm glad they are working out for you. Keep us informed on their progress. You'll be amazed how quickly they'll take out the algae.

 

[wazzel]

Glad they are working out for you also.