CUC for 8 Gallon Tank

[ArialReef]

So, I have an 8 gal reef tank that doesn't have any CUC in it, yet. I have 3 options for CUC, 1. Astraea Snail
2. Turbo Snail
3. Nassarius Snail
Which one should I get and how many?

 

[Jmas4]

I would get 3 astraea snails and 3 nassarius snails for your tank. Turbos is grow to big. Remember that astraea snails can't flip themselves over.

 

[ArialReef]

Thanks! Any other suggestions?

 

[ArialReef]

I would get 3 astraea snails and 3 nassarius snails for your tank. Turbos is grow to big. Remember that astraea snails can't flip themselves over.

Alright, thanks for the comment! BTW, how do I care for Nassarius and Astraea snails? Also, what types of algae that Astraea eats?

 

[savetheocean]

Alright, thanks for the comment! BTW, how do I care for Nassarius and Astraea snails? Also, what types of algae that Astraea eats?

I never fed them and theyre fine. They just eat your algae.

 

[ArialReef]

Alright then. Any other suggestions?

 

[savetheocean]

Cleaner shrimp ?

 

[ArialReef]

By the way, I have a Red Tile Starfish and I have a question. Does the starfish eat algae or what? It has been in my tank for around 2 months and it's doing really good.

 

[Jmas4]

Astraea snails eat green film algae that always grows on the glass. They also eat hair algae but not long strands. They only eat hair algae if it is very short.

 

[savetheocean]

By the way, I have a Red Tile Starfish and I have a question. Does the starfish eat algae or what? It has been in my tank for around 2 months and it's doing really good.

Good to know that he looks fine, I have heard they dont last long in any tanks.

 

[Jmas4]

By the way, I have a Red Tile Starfish and I have a question. Does the starfish eat algae or what? It has been in my tank for around 2 months and it's doing really good.

I believe they eat only leftover food but I am not sure. Someone else might know.

 

[savetheocean]

I believe they eat only leftover food but I am not sure. Someone else might know.

If its been alive for two months, he must be eating something.

 

[ArialReef]

If its been alive for two months, he must be eating something.

I think so, but I do not know for sure what it eats.

 

[ArialReef]

Astraea snails eat green film algae that always grows on the glass. They also eat hair algae but not long strands. They only eat hair algae if it is very short.

Do they eat Diatoms tho? I kinda have a Diatom problem.... Also, I seem to have like some kind of white-ish 0.2 mm long algae on my glass. Definitely not hair algae. ID?

 

[ArialReef]

Does Astraea Snail eat Diatom?

 

[Jmas4]

Does Astraea Snail eat Diatom?

Yes

 

[ArialReef]

Can Astraea Snail climb the glass and if so, does it eat the algae that is growing on the glass?

 

[Jmas4]

Can Astraea Snail climb the glass and if so, does it eat the algae that is growing on the glass?

Yes

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

I have several astreas. They eat any algae, diatom, or cyano but not macros or bubble. I have seen them eat green, brown, red, grey, and some clear looking algae in my tank. It doesn't matter if it is film, slime, or hair. Long, short, thick, or thin. They will eat through it. It can be on the rocks or glass. They stay away from sand though. They can't flip themselves if they get turned on their backs but, over two years I have only seen this happen once and I am the one who scared it so I turned it over right away. I wouldn't be worried about it.

If you want something that does everything above and can flip itself and goes on sand, then get cerith. They are half the size of astreas so they can get into smaller groves on the rocks. But they are smaller so they eat less in a day. They also come in dwarf size. It would probably take two ceriths to eat as much as an astrea and almost ten dwarfs to eat as much as a normal size cerith. All three of these snails do most of there work at night.

Nassarius snails eat detritus and leftover food particles. They also eat decaying matter. They do not eat algae. If you feed you fish a lot then a few of these would be good to get. Just make sure you over feed a small amount so they can get food too. If they don't have food, then they can start to become predatory.