Sound Off: How many of you get frustrated with snails?

[revhtree]

Seriously what's the secret here?

I'll buy a bunch of super healthy snails and a month later all I see are mostly shells and snails on their way out! I've bought from various places and the story seems the same. Maybe I have something eating them? I don't think so but maybe the flame hawkfish is picking them off. Haven't seen him though and that's the only fish in question. Maybe I'm not feeding the tank enough and with my multiple tangs the algae stays pretty much at zero issues.

Would love to hear from you!

Do you have issues with keeping snails for a long period of time?

How often do you buy snails?

What's your experience?

image via @Pacific Island Aquatics

 

[Highgrade]

Don't think there is much of a secret here. Seems most snails are preyed upon or starve to death. Given the type of snails and the available food source the circumstances vary. Certain snails such as margarita snails prefer cooler temps. So the environment and age of a tank play roll as well. Personally I order a large batch of snails/inverts about once a year to replenish any that may have perished or were attacked by my wrasses/angels.​

 

[andrewkw]

I doubt this is your problem, but a problem that seems to be pretty widespread is overstocking. The suggestions of 100 snails in a 100 gallon tank is crazy. I have maybe 6 in my 112 gallon and no algae issues.

Likely they are starving if the tank is clean, or they were just barely hanging on when you got them and already on their way out. Another common problem is stray current, they are one of if not the first thing to be effected by this. The ones that can't right themselves somehow survive in the ocean, but if they flip in our tanks they are done. Also most of these snails don't have a particularly long life span. So you may just be getting old snails. I have the opposite problem. I've got one mexcian turbo who's gotta be pushing 5+ years in my tank, maybe more who long ago wiped out the algae he was brought in to eat and now just knocks over corals.

 

[Crustaceon]

Because people buy too many snails with the expectation that they’ll completely remove every trace of algae in the tank. The problem is, if you have that many snails and they clean the tank to that degree, they’ll have trouble finding anything to eat and will starve. Algae control should be accomplished by maintaining water quality and not livestock. For reference, I have 3 trochus and 1 mexican turbo snail in my 100 gallon. I also run chaeto in my sump. I have zero visible nuisance algae in my display. Yet there’s enough visibly undetectable, slow growing algae for those four snails to continually graze on and stay healthy.

 

[zbryant91]

My hermits keep eating mine. Have to buy 6-12 every few months to keep it stocked. I notice the algae starts to build up faster after so many die off so I get more. Normally when stocked I can go 2-3 days without scrubbing the glass. When they start to get sparse I have to do at least once a day

 

[ddrueckh]

I have some mantis shrimp in my tank so some losses are expected

 

[tnyr5]

Have you tried a variety? Perhaps some will like your tank more than others. Trochus seem to love my tank and spawn regularly. I find them in my sump every few months.

 

[Greybeard]

Stay away from clean up crew 'kits' or packages. Buy select varieties of snails, ones that are known to eat the stuff you're trying to get rid of, when you have a need, in a quantity that isn't going to immediatly destroy the food supply you're buying them to consume. Adding 100+ snails is never the correct response. Never.

The common situation I see is this: You've got a system with some algae growth. Go buy 40 graizing snails. Snails consume the minimal algae available, and die, due to lack of food. No more graizers, so the algae comes back... not to mention the nutrient bloom you've got from 40 dead snails making the initial problem worse.

Got algae? Fine. Get a couple graizing snails. Let things get settle for a month or so, and reevaluate. Need more? Great! Just MOVE SLOW.

Also, in my experience, hermits are snail killers. I don't buy hermits anymore. Snails are MUCH better at consuming algae than the hermits are, and without hermits, I rarely loose a snail.

 

[Biokabe]

I've always had trouble with keeping snails alive, but it seems to be very hit-and-miss. I had one turbo in my tank for 3+ years, and another that died in six weeks. Trochus usually die after a month or two, but sometimes they'll last forever. Same with all the species... trochus, astrea, cerith, turbo.

I do have hermits, after having sworn them off years ago... and once the current crop is gone, I'll be swearing them off again. They've never seemed to pull their own weight, and I seem to spend more time fending them away from freshly-fed corals than anything else. If I need scavengers to consume uneaten food and detritus, there are better options than hermits.

 

[lapin]

The snail problems I see are; They die as soon as you get them. They get preyed upon if you have crabs and certain fish. You get the wrong kind for what you want them to do. You get way too many and most starve.
I have about 25% of what I started with a year ago.

 

[ZoWhat]

The last words of every snail that dies says,
"Next time, buy an urchin......" ;Vomit




.

 

[Tennsquire]

I've always gotten good mileage out of banded trochus snails. Lately, I've had really good luck with zebra turbos. I've got several I've had for 2+ years....

 

[Schnizzle]

My hermits look like they work on the algae a little... They definitely work on the snails. :/

 

[Dodgersallday]

Seriously what's the secret here?

I'll buy a bunch of super healthy snails and a month later all I see are mostly shells and snails on their way out! I've bought from various places and the story seems the same. Maybe I have something eating them? I don't think so but maybe the flame hawkfish is picking them off. Haven't seen him though and that's the only fish in question. Maybe I'm not feeding the tank enough and with my multiple tangs the algae stays pretty much at zero issues.

Would love to hear from you!

Do you have issues with keeping snails for a long period of time?

How often do you buy snails?

What's your experience?

image via @Pacific Island Aquatics

I only buy turbos. They get huge and never cause any problems

 

[Evan28395950]

I only buy trochus and turbo, because if they can’t flip over they become my puffers next meal. Although I will help if I see them.

 

[Fishface1970]

In my 29 that no longer is with us, I went through tons of snails and crabs never knowing why. Finally, one day I caught my female clown (her over there to the left) hunting them down, knocking them upside down, then getting a good healthy bite and then proceeding to shake the snail until it came out of its shell, then beat it on the rock until dead. So much for a cleanup crew. More like mortuary crew. At least the bristle worms were healthy...

 

[tautog83]

Red Banded trochus( not the ones live aquaria sells those are worthless) are your best bet , if you have sand , some cerith and nassarius . I bought 10 trochus for a red sea reefer 750 and they have spawned too many times already . After lights out other day I counted 52 from a grain of rice size to almost adult size . Going to rehome a bunch so they dont starve

 

[Dave Mach]

Do hermits bother zoas

 

[leepink23]

I have noticed since letting my tank run cooler, around 77-77.8 that my snails have done much better than when I ran it 78-79.

 

[kkiel02]

Get trochus so they reproduce in your tank.