# All about saltwater snails



## Jiinx (Apr 5, 2012)

I spent some time today doing research about snails. I was very puzzled as to which ones to get and I felt like there were quite a lot to choose from. I enjoyed doing some research and wrote up a little bit about them...
Please do add to it. First hand experience is better than reading and I have very little experience with snails! So please do add or correct anything that I wrote  Thanks!

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Snails
Snails scour the tank to eat algae and organic waste that will otherwise build up in a tank. One type of snail doesn't target all issues that a tank may have, so having many different types is ideal. 
From my research, I am to understand that there are two types of snails to consider.

1. Algae Eaters
The most common algae eater snails that are kept in a salt water tank are: Turbos , nerites (I thought these were exclusive to freshwater!), Mexican turbos, ceriths and astreas. I've also found information on chestnut snails, trochus, margarita snails, extra large cerith, stocky cerith and tapestry snails. These snails come from the Caribbean waters and are good for warmer water tanks. However, I've read that Mexican turbos die easily in our tanks because the water is TOO warm! And they're used to cooler waters.

So how many should one get for their tank? They are recommended at approximately 30 percent of the tank volume. If you have a tank that is 100gallons, one should consider getting 30 of these snails.

*Mexican Turbo Snail*
This snail is very popular amongst reef keepers. They're from the Gulf of California off the coast of Mexico. Their appearances vary but they all have a turban shaped shell. They are great to get rid of nuisance hair algae! They need lots of space and hidey holes to hide in. Don't be surprised if one of your corals falls because they are notorious to bull doze into things. If they fall over, they may not be able to right themselves back up. So I've read that having rubble in your substrate would be greatly beneficial if keeping these snails in your tank.









http://fourcubed.net/wpu/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/600ltr-mixed-reef/mehico800.jpg

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Cerith Snail *
These snails have conical cones and can grow to 2-3 inches. They sift through the tank searching for diatoms, algae and sediments so they can also be good for aerating the substrate. However, they don't stop at just the substrate! They also wipe your glass, heaters, refuge and corals that have succumbed to any algae! However, when these guys fall off the glass upside down they won't be able to right themselves back up. If you're not around to help them, they will surely be eaten by a hermit crab or other scavenger! You may wake up one morning to see a dazzling string of eggs that have been left by these snails, but since they take awhile to hatch they will get eaten or sucked up by the intake. Apparently these snails are difficult to breed in captivity!









http://www.hisreef.com/images/IMG_1361.JPG

*Astrea Snails*
These lovely snails are native to the Caribbean and are smaller in size and reach about one inch in size when they become adults. Different their close relative, the Turbos, they can right themselves up when they fall down, but other websites say they can't! I believe they probably need the help to make themselves right side up. These guys like to munch on cyanobacteria, green and brown film algae, but they don't touch green hair. However, liveaquaria says they do. Does anyone know if they eat green hair? You can add about 1 snail for every 6-7 gallons of water. 









http://coralguy.com/uploads/3/0/5/4/3054927/5306855_orig.jpg

*Trochus Snail *
These little guys are great and easy to take care of. They have a pyramid cone. They have a healthy appetite for micro algae and diatoms. They will clean your walls and rocks so one needs a lot of rocks around so they have places to look for food. As with all snails, they are quite sensitive to water parameter fluctuations. Also with all snails, they do need sufficient calcium in the water to maintain and grow their shells. Freshwater snails need this too - especially nerite snails. These small snails are easy to breed in captivity and are seen as releasing gametes into the water column which will make the water appear cloudy or white. After the gametes join, they will settle into your aquarium and develop into mature snails over a few months. Pretty cool, huh? I never knew this until I read a fellow forum members account of having cloudy water! 








http://rockncritters.co.uk/images/Trochus snail.jpg

2. Detritus Eater
These are fantastic! They eat all the grime stuff that others wouldn't touch. They're important because they eat the dirty things that can cause nitrates and feed algae. These little guys have a small shell, the size of an olive pit. They burrow themselves into the substrate and one can only see their long antennae peeking out. They're great to sift through the substrate to prevent any compaction. You can keep 1 or 2 of these per gallon. They don't have to be fed as they will have plenty to eat in an established tank. 








http://www.101-saltwater-aquarium.com/graphics/nassarius-snail.jpg

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Most information from liveaquaria.com
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f...-the-why-the-how-and-the-how-many-179038.html
http://www.101-saltwater-aquarium.com/others-care-information/trochus-snails.php
http://voices.yahoo.com/three-most-beneficial-snails-reef-aquarium-11721604.html?cat=53 
http://animals.pawnation.com/saltwater-snails-algae-removal-6125.html


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

Awesome read, will help me stock my new salt tank

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