Snails

[DiveLife]

Are snails worth it? I've seen several posts about them but everyone seems 50/50 I guess. I have a 32 biocube and wondered if adding a snail(s) is worth the time and effort. It possibly with the rest of my cuc and fish will be going into the 75 when it's up and running. But I want to know if they will disrupt everything in the system or add to it. In the tank already are
2 clowns
3 fire fish
2 emerald crabs
1 urchin
1 royal gramma
1 yellow blenny

 

[ChaosAquaculture]

we have snails in all of our systems, they are helpful to have around to help with algae. - kali

 

[Hooz]

IMO, snails are key members of the CuC. They can get into places and eat things that fish can't/don't. Though, I'm not sure adding "a snail" will make too much difference. I have tanks too small for most utilitarian fish, so I rely on snails for my cleaning and algae removal.

In my 30g, I have about 24 Dwarf Ceriths, 12 Ceriths, 12 Small Nerites, 10 Nassarius, 3 Asterae, 3 Turbos and 6 Dwarf Hermits. They all eat different things and occupy different areas of the tank. Some bury themselves in the sand, some stay on the glass, some disappear in the rocks, etc.

 

[DiveLife]

IMO, snails are key members of the CuC. They can get into places and eat things that fish can't/don't. Though, I'm not sure adding "a snail" will make too much difference. I have tanks too small for most utilitarian fish, so I rely on snails for my cleaning and algae removal.

In my 30g, I have about 24 Dwarf Ceriths, 12 Ceriths, 12 Small Nerites, 10 Nassarius, 3 Asterae, 3 Turbos and 6 Dwarf Hermits. They all eat different things and occupy different areas of the tank. Some bury themselves in the sand, some stay on the glass, some disappear in the rocks, etc.

That's not too much for the size of the tank? I'm still new and trying to figure some of it out. So I apologize if the questions are stupid

 

[DiveLife]

we have snails in all of our systems, they are helpful to have around to help with algae. - kali

Will they eat the red algae as well as green algae on the glass? What about the red algae in the gravel? Just to help with tank maintenance

 

[Hooz]

That's not too much for the size of the tank? I'm still new and trying to figure some of it out. So I apologize if the questions are stupid

There are no stupid questions!

Snails have a pretty minimal impact on the bioload of a tank, especially since they eat things that would otherwise decompose and become "bad" eventually. The populations will also tend to self regulate. If you don't have enough for them to eat, the populations will die back accordingly. Because of that, I like to add them as I need them and adjust numbers accordingly.

A good place to get an idea of the numbers and types of stuff you might want/need is ReefCleaners.org They list "Cleanup Crew Packages" based on tank size. I used to think their numbers were a bit high, but after 3 different tanks, they're pretty darned close.

They have options for snail only crews, snails and hermits, snails and mithrax, etc. Even if you don't buy from them (I have twice) it gives you a "shopping list".