do turbos and nerites eat macros?

[keydiver]

I need a clean-up crew for my 20 gal fuge, and wanted to know if it was alright to put some turbos and some nerites. I would also eventually add ceriths and nass. Any better alternatives?

[paneubert]

Anything more than one turbo is probably going to cause you trouble. They starve quick. I have friends who have gone through tons of them and they always end up with just one left. That one will last forever since it is able to find enough to eat.

[MedRed]

I'd leave nerites alone. I was a big fan, but they lay eggs on the glass that are TOUGH to remove. By Tough, I mean ridiculous to remove.

[paneubert]

I'd leave nerites alone. I was a big fan, but they lay eggs on the glass that are TOUGH to remove. By Tough, I mean ridiculous to remove.

 

So THAT is what those dang white dots are! I thought it might have been coraline.

[MedRed]

No... and even if they hatch or biodegrade, they leave a circle on the glass that requires a lot of razor work. I was always a fan of nerites until I broke down my tanks and tried to clean off the crud. back breaking work.

[bitts]

as long as you clean the glass often they pop off pretty well. its a little extra work but worth it over all. plus in a fuge its less of an issue. the big thing with the nerites is that their tide based & if they make it above the water line they may sit there forever waiting for the tide to come back in.

[Dani3d]

nope. Mine do not toutch any of my micro algae. I have 3 type of caulerpa, plus a few others micro and they leave it alone. In my aquarium they only eat hair algae and anything that grow on the liverock or glasses that is algae.

 

I need a clean-up crew for my 20 gal fuge, and wanted to know if it was alright to put some turbos and some nerites. I would also eventually add ceriths and nass. Any better alternatives?

 

 

to prevent turbo from starving is easy and fun. Give them a little bit of nori sheet and they will love you. This is the type of dry nori sold in grocery store that wrap around sushi. Cheap and nutritious and a good way to help starving turbo in case some hair algae invasion.

 

I have 3 turbos for almost a year now and they are doing great. I treat them with nori from time to time.

 

Anything more than one turbo is probably going to cause you trouble. They starve quick. I have friends who have gone through tons of them and they always end up with just one left. That one will last forever since it is able to find enough to eat.

[johnmaloney]

depends on what "turbo" that name is thrown around a lot.

 

Turbo fluctuosa - would eat macros -

Astrea tectas - the small "turbos" usually called astreas probably won't but it depends on the macro species. It lacks the cutting power to get through caulerpa spp. (except for the finer species like c. verticillata or a similarly spelled species..lol...)

Astrea tuber - very large astrea species, also and more accurately called top snails than turbos, but these guys will eat many macros including c. prolifera, codium, sargassum, botryocladia etc...

 

ceriths and nerites lack the cutting power to eat complex macro algae.