Best snails for a pico?

[Six]

HEYYYYYO

 

I just got back into reefing and have built a 2.25g display with 10g sump. I bought two cerith snails but they didn't survive the tank set up. I have 2 random hermits that do pretty well controling briopsis hair alage.

 

I heard nerites are good but I'm concerned they will get out of the open top.

 

Any suggestions?

[Halo_003]

I would do probably 3 ceriths, 10-15 dwarf ceriths, 3 black foot trochus snails, and that should be it. Hermits don't eat bryopsis, so I'd say you probably just have green hair algae.

[Six]

Ok, cool. Thought that seems like a lot. Maybe I'm underestimating the amount of algae that is going to grow!

 

How many hermits, you think?

[Mariaface]

I picked up a 5.5g clean up crew from reef cleaners, and added a banded trochus or two. One blue-legged hermit, two tops, to pinch at whatever the snails' radulae can't reach.

 

I have a 16 gallon, and that seems to suffice as long as I don't let nutrients get out of hand (though I did ask for the super-count of dwarf ceriths from John, and I'm pretty sure I have a tiny black mantis chipping away at the population).

 

My emerald crab actually gets fed (I don't recommend keeping one unless you need to), as do the peppermint shrimp.

[petolo]

I just got some nano conchs in my tank 2 weeks ago (strombus something I think) and they are awesome!

[ml86743]

I would do probably 3 ceriths, 10-15 dwarf ceriths, 3 black foot trochus snails, and that should be it. Hermits don't eat bryopsis, so I'd say you probably just have green hair algae.

That seems a bit much for a 2.25g display. Trochus snails are ravenous eaters, mostly diatoms though. For that tank size i'd say 3-5 ceriths. Period.

[Halo_003]

That seems a bit much for a 2.25g display. Trochus snails are ravenous eaters, mostly diatoms though. For that tank size i'd say 3-5 ceriths. Period.

Whoops misread it, I thought it was a 5.5G display. Good call. Yes 3-5 ceriths should be just fine for it, I agree.

[SunWyrm]

I can't ever keep ceriths below the water... surprisingly nerites are the opposite for me. Since you're limited, get 1 or 2 cool looking things that will really stand out in your pico.

Banded Trochus can get MASSIVE. I had two in my 360 that were half dollar size at least. They do an amazing job though.

I have 2 hermits, a small astrea, a small chestnut, and 3 nerites in my 8g and that's plenty.

 

a 2.25g display with 10g sump.

 

waaat

That's neat though, build thread?

[Imaexpat2]

For what its worth Banded Trochus is all I use anymore these days. I used to use Astrea's but had to constantly replace them. The Banded Trochus can usually right themselves if they fall unlike Astrea's. That means my Hermits spend less time snacking on them. I started out with 4 in my 20 and now have a gang of them in the 20, 10 and 2.5 due to the original 4 reproducing multiple times not counting the couple of hundred I'm sure I have given away. The original 4 were about dime sized last year when I got them, they are about nickel sized now. Its been the best Buck Ninty Nine I have spent in years!

 

If you have a fairly fine to fine sand bed and not running BB, I would likely add some Nassarious (sp?) to stir the sand bed a bit as well as they do their thing.

[ml86743]

For what its worth Banded Trochus is all I use anymore these days. I used to use Astrea's but had to constantly replace them. The Banded Trochus can usually right themselves if they fall unlike Astrea's. That means my Hermits spend less time snacking on them. I started out with 4 in my 20 and now have a gang of them in the 20, 10 and 2.5 due to the original 4 reproducing multiple times not counting the couple of hundred I'm sure I have given away. The original 4 were about dime sized last year when I got them, they are about nickel sized now. Its been the best Buck Ninty Nine I have spent in years!

 

If you have a fairly fine to fine sand bed and not running BB, I would likely add some Nassarious (sp?) to stir the sand bed a bit as well as they do their thing.

Same here, trochus snails are the best AND they're a tropical species. Some snails that are sod are temperate and do no belong in a reef.

[Roshan8768]

I have a BB 2.5 gallon pico and I have 1 banded trochus and 1 blue leg hermit crab

[SunWyrm]

Any good sources for banded trochus? Every time I order (LFS or online), I get astreas

[Newstead]

I second petolo's ... mo'smyname sold them in livestock trading in packs of five - mine are awesome. Constantly cleaning the glass, rocks and even the macro algae. Hoping they will reproduce in my 29 - they would be fabulous in a pico.

[Roshan8768]

Petco FTW. Only thing I buy there is my CUC lol

[ml86743]

Any good sources for banded trochus? Every time I order (LFS or online), I get astreas

Mine spawn like crazy...when I get home id be willing to ship you some no charge. I have toooo many

[SunWyrm]

Petco FTW. Only thing I buy there is my CUC lol

Only thing I buy there are rescues and rare stuff they don't know they have.

Mine spawn like crazy...when I get home id be willing to ship you some

Yes please!!

[SunWyrm]

How do you get them to breed so much? Mine spawned but never amounted to anything. I only get stomatellas in biblical proportions.

[Imaexpat2]

Any good sources for banded trochus? Every time I order (LFS or online), I get astreas

 

Yeah that sounds about right. I just happened into Rift 2 Reef one day and Dane had a few and I bought a few. But yeah I feel your pain. Part of the problem is the Distributor not your LFS owner and the way they operate if your LFS guy aint a huge buyer every week. When your only buying 4-5 3ft x 3ft boxes of live stock a week, you have a tendency as a LFS to be last in line and get the left overs after they cater to their bigger customers and have filled their orders first.

[FlowerMama]

Stomatellas, those are the best! Love those guys. Clean out your tunnels in the rock really well. And whenever you see one it's always from the back it seems, for me it was like that, diligently cleaning away.

[SunWyrm]

Stomatellas, those are the best! Love those guys. Clean out your tunnels in the rock really well. And whenever you see one it's always from the back it seems, for me it was like that, diligently cleaning away.

​Until you're picking babies out of filter floss for half an hour!

 

I do love my little reef bunnies though

[Roshan8768]

 

 

Only thing I buy there are rescues and rare stuff they don't know they have.

Yes please!!

 

 

Can't beat 99 cents a piece and knowing what you're getting Also, I'm opposed to buying online as the shipping gets ridiculous

[SunWyrm]

knowing what you're getting

Only if you're quarantining like a maniac. My local petcos have some crazy nastiness going on, but then that doesn't keep me from looking on delivery day...

 

Just gotta offset the shipping, and buy enough to where it's not as bad. Either get enough to hit the free shipping or enough items where you're only adding a few bucks per item. Not really feasible with CUC, unless you can find free ship packs/add-ons, but can be a good way to think about it with fish. If that makes any sense...

[Imaexpat2]

How do you get them to breed so much? Mine spawned but never amounted to anything. I only get stomatellas in biblical proportions.

 

If everyone here knew what my set up was and that I had SPS corals they would be calling for my head by sun down!

 

I don't run a UV unit or a skimmer and have minimal filtration, no ATO, no calcium reactor. Im old school and drip Kalk from a modified 3 liter soda bottle to keep Calcium levels where I want them. Its about as bare bones of a system as you can get!!! In fact I bet most folks QT tank is higher tech than the 20 I am running right now. I don't have any fish, just SPS Corals and a couple of LPS Corals only. The tank is about 13 months old has coralline and pods all over the place and the oldest coral is a Duncan that started as three polyps and it now has 18 and several of the SPS's are getting to the point I am thinking about a frag tank. I ran the tank about 6 months before adding anything other than a CUC. I threw in 4 Trochus and about a month later I had tiny snails all over the place and get the same results about every couple of months.

[Roshan8768]

Only if you're quarantining like a maniac. My local petcos have some crazy nastiness going on, but then that doesn't keep me from looking on delivery day...

 

Just gotta offset the shipping, and buy enough to where it's not as bad. Either get enough to hit the free shipping or enough items where you're only adding a few bucks per item. Not really feasible with CUC, unless you can find free ship packs/add-ons, but can be a good way to think about it with fish. If that makes any sense...

 

I don't buy fish or coral from petco. Any snail I buy from them stays in my fishless pico for atleast 8 weeks before I move it to my 40 breeder main reef. So I guess I check both those points. As I said, too many great business locally that I would rather support. Now because the best deal for these snails is at Petco (for now) they will have my business . GL with your tank. Banded trochus have always bred for me, maybe it's just about having enough of them?

[Six]

I have a tank thread but have been terrible at updating it. I should!

 

I bought 2 ceriths this weekend as well as 3 blue leg hermits. I have 2 red-leg-ish ones too which may be going in the sump. A bit aggressive to the blues. I also bought 2 nerites which have been AMAZING! They do a great job on the glass!

 

I also tested my water and eek... PO4 is waaay to high (0.03). I think this CUC will work until that is under control but I'd love to get stomatella, those mini nassarius y'all are talking about, and what are those itty bitty white snails? I got them on my rock once a long time ago.

 

The system is probably going to be invert only as I am loving to see what grows without a predator. So far m lighting is so high I've bleached my birdsnest (but it is coming back!) and fried an encrusting monti (but also coming back!). I'm thinking about acros.... :3