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- Nov 2, 2019
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Good question. I had only a couple of snails the first time I treated the tank with fenbendazole and didn't remove any snail or other inverts. The snails didn't make it and i removed them after about 1 week. I have since had to re-dose the same tank 2x with BCP making a come-back each time. I think i'm out of the woods now (it's been 3 months since last dose). My other inverts - hermit crabs, emerald crabs and 5 urchins all survived. The urchins were slower for about 2 weeks but made a strong come back. I don't have snails in that tank due to a very aggressive wrasse and a hawkfish - both of which dine regularly on even the largest turbo snails. I've since changed it up to using urchins to control hair algae.Thanks for posting your story. I finally pulled the trigger and dosed fenbendazole after seeing a surge in BCP growth and wanting to hit it before it took the tank over. I’d say 20% or so of rock had it.
After 3 days the BCP was totally gone and at this point, 10 days later, they are all gone. I’m in the midst of a pretty bad algae outbreak. I did a 20% change on day 4 and another 20% on day 6. I plane to do another 10% today. My levels are fine, N3-4, phos 0.03 but I suspect that’s because the algae is consuming it.
My main question is, when are snails safe to add again? I pulled all snails out to a temporary home during the treatment and readded them after the first 20% change which I also added carbon and phosban. My astraea snails seem totally fine. My nerites not so much. I’d say half are mobile and half haven’t moved in days. They are tucked into their shells and don’t flop out or anything when I check them but they haven’t moved. I don’t want them sitting in my tank rotting. I’d like to purchase some replacements but I don’t know when I can expect them to be fine? Any thoughts?
From the original post on using Febendazole by Max Draco (https://maxdraco.wordpress.com/2013...ue-cloves-polyps-xenia-aiptasia-hydriods-etc/) he doesn't really say when it's safe to add snails again. I would guess that after a total of 100% water change (add up the %s of your water changes over the course of a few weeks) and you should be ok, but that's just my guess.
Good luck! BCP are the worst scourge but fortunately fenbendazole is a pretty easy cure, unlike hair algae and other ugly invaders of our precious tanks.