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Korrine
01/07/2010, 11:21 AM
I don't have much. They've dwindled over the past 9 months and I need to restock as I saw an algea spike while I was gone for Christmas.

Tank 29g reef tank
sg1.025
78F
0-2 nitrate...before algea it was reading 2.5

I have 6 nassarius and 2 astrea snails with 3 blue leg hermit crabs.

I was thinking this:

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TH width="10%" align=left>Item # </TH><TH width="30%" align=left>Name </TH><TH width="13%" align=right>Price </TH><TH width="5%"></TH><TH width="10%" align=middle>Qty </TH><TH width="5%"></TH><TH width="18%" align=right>Total </TH><TH width="10%" align=middle>Remove </TH></TR><TR bgColor=#f5f5f5><TD vAlign=top noWrap>CN-80012


</TD><TD vAlign=top>SW - Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+623&pcatid=623) </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$ 1.29


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle>x


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><INPUT value=5 maxLength=3 size=2 name=quantity_7208387>


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>=


</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$6.45


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle><INPUT border=0 alt="Remove this item (and any associated items) from your Shopping cart" src="https://www.liveaquaria.com/images/cart/b_shoppingcart_remove.gif" width=21 height=23 type=image name=remove_item_from_cart.cfm?shoppingbasketid=7208387&type=normal> </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD vAlign=top noWrap>CN-89374


</TD><TD vAlign=top>SW - Medium Fancy Empty Hermit Crab Shells(12 lot) (https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+1756&pcatid=1756) </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$ 5.99


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle>x


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><INPUT value=1 maxLength=3 size=2 name=quantity_7208389>


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>=


</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$5.99


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle><INPUT border=0 alt="Remove this item (and any associated items) from your Shopping cart" src="https://www.liveaquaria.com/images/cart/b_shoppingcart_remove.gif" width=21 height=23 type=image name=remove_item_from_cart.cfm?shoppingbasketid=7208389&type=normal> </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f5f5f5><TD vAlign=top noWrap>CN-79687


</TD><TD vAlign=top>SW - Turbo Snail (Mexico) (https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+571&pcatid=571) </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$ 1.99


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle>x


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><INPUT value=2 maxLength=3 size=2 name=quantity_7208391>


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>=


</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$3.98


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</TD><TD vAlign=top>SW - Cerith Snail - Mexico (https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+526+1159&pcatid=1159) </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$ 1.99


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</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><INPUT value=10 maxLength=3 size=2 name=quantity_7208394>


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</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$19.90


</TD><TD vAlign=top align=middle><INPUT border=0 alt="Remove this item (and any associated items) from your Shopping cart" src="https://www.liveaquaria.com/images/cart/b_shoppingcart_remove.gif" width=21 height=23 type=image name=remove_item_from_cart.cfm?shoppingbasketid=7208394&type=normal> </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f5f5f5><TD vAlign=top noWrap>CN-89514


</TD><TD vAlign=top>SW - Chalk Bass (https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2730+1700&pcatid=1700) </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>$ 19.99


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I was considering the chalk bass just for a fun...not a CUC of course :)

spw4949
01/07/2010, 12:18 PM
I personally am not a big fan of hermits in a reef tank for a few reasons. The first is in my experience they will kill snails for their shells even if you put empty ones in there, they also tend to walk all over corals & make them close up & if you have frags they will knock them over, it really is a matter of personal preference but I'm not a fan. I think that a variety of snails, cerith, nerite, turbo, nassarius(which you already have), & trochus are the way to go. Maybe 3 of each & see if they can keep up, if not you can always add more......as far as the chalk bass goes, I think they are definately cool little fish&see why you would want to add 1.....HTH......

br3nt
01/07/2010, 12:21 PM
You could probably add a turbo but i wouldn't go any more. To many cleaners in the tank and they start to go hungry.

sfilipowski
01/07/2010, 12:36 PM
+ 1 br3nt there are several questions about cuc up now, so I will throw my 2cents in. I had several snails die because they starved to death. I think lots of people overdo it with the cuc but we all have different standards for what is a clean tank. I would add cuc slowly to see what kind of impact they have on clean up. you can always add more but if you have too many and they die then you could have another problem

Korrine
01/07/2010, 12:38 PM
Thanks. I have debated adding more hermits or not wasn't going to initially, but this changed my mind:

Clibanarius tricolor, the Blue-Legged Hermit Crab. To less than an inch in length. One of a few "reef-safe" Hermits that stay small and almost exclusively feed on algae (and Cyanobacteria!). Good for aiding in aerating the substrate as well. Aquarium photo.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/crabs/hermitcrabs.htm

I'll read up about trochus. haven't read about them for awhile, so forgot if they are carnivores, omnivores or strictly herbivores.

Thanks all for the advice so far any more? :)

Korrine
01/07/2010, 12:43 PM
Found it
The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php

Korrine
01/07/2010, 01:21 PM
Has anyone ordered from reefcleaners.org recently? Seems I've read good things about them a long time ago. Their shipping rates are cheaper than liveaquaria and the livestock prices seem to be good.

Any thoughts?

Sk8r
01/07/2010, 01:30 PM
I love hermits, otoh, and never have any trouble with snails: I think it may be a species thing. My favorites are the little red guys; but the dwarf blues and dwarf black and whites are great, too. I use turbos, astraeas, and ceriths (skip margaritas: they're coldwater and will die). Do acclimate them as seriously as you do fish: more so: their shells are slower to respire. Most of my crew is going on 3 years now; and a couple of tips for keeping them all happy:
1. be sure you do your weekly or monthly water changes: trace elements help inverts, and that's how fresh trace elements get into your tank.
2. test alkalinity and calcium. If your alk gets under 8.3 and/or your calcium drops below 405, test magnesium, which should be at 1280. If you have all these elements up to snuff, your inverts will live longer and have nice strong shells.

Korrine
01/07/2010, 01:49 PM
Thanks :)

I've only had issues w/astrea snails, but they are temperate not tropical so I was chalking them up to that?? All my original hermits are still there as well my nassarius snails. I haven't had a major die off or anything. Just about 4 or 5 astrea from my lfs and buying fish from them is sketchy at best, I guess. I've never really had a large well diversified CUC from the beginning and plan on stocking that now. Just had astrea, nass, and 3 hermits from the beginning.

I think I may go with 10-20 dwarf cerith. They seem to be very well diversified in their cleaning abilities. Also 5-10 Nerites. Any thoughts on these guys?

bertoni
01/07/2010, 06:40 PM
They're probably starving to death. I don't think a 29g tank needs anywhere nearly that number of snails. Is there any sign of algal growth that needs to be removed? If so, I might add a snail or two at a time.

Korrine
01/07/2010, 07:08 PM
The dwarf ceriths only get an inch big. They aren't the big ones, only tiny. How many would you suggest total?

bertoni
01/07/2010, 07:35 PM
I might try 2-3 each of the cerith and nerites. Actually, I didn't have good luck with my nerites, so I might choose another genus, but that's another story.

Can you get any snails locally? If so, it's often easier to do that on an as-needed basis.

Korrine
01/07/2010, 08:18 PM
I can only get astrea and turbo's locally. That's it.

bertoni
01/07/2010, 08:39 PM
Oh, well, I don't like either of those genera, typically. If you have to buy more, you could give away or euthanize the extra. Maybe a store will take them for a tiny bit of credit.

Goodwin9
01/07/2010, 09:10 PM
I can only get astrea and turbo's locally. That's it.

Check with Mark @ MC, I get Margarita, Nassarius, Cerith, Nerite & Astrea's all of the time from them. If they don't have them in stock, he normally can have them the next week. I've never had to order CUC on line.

Korrine
01/07/2010, 09:15 PM
I don't know if reefcleaners.org has a minimum order or not. If not, that's awesome! Maybe some in my lrc will need some CUC?

Korrine
01/07/2010, 09:15 PM
Check with Mark @ MC, I get Margarita, Nassarius, Cerith & Astrea's all of the time from them. If they don't have them in stock, he normally can have them the next week. I've never had to order CUC on line.

oh ok thanks :)

Chiefsurfer
01/07/2010, 09:23 PM
Thanks :)

I've only had issues w/astrea snails, but they are temperate not tropical so I was chalking them up to that?? All my original hermits are still there as well my nassarius snails. I haven't had a major die off or anything. Just about 4 or 5 astrea from my lfs and buying fish from them is sketchy at best, I guess. I've never really had a large well diversified CUC from the beginning and plan on stocking that now. Just had astrea, nass, and 3 hermits from the beginning.

I think I may go with 10-20 dwarf cerith. They seem to be very well diversified in their cleaning abilities. Also 5-10 Nerites. Any thoughts on these guys?

I am only getting started, and don't have nearly enough experience to compete for knowledge of many others on this board.

In my tank I have 3 types of snails, and dwarf blue-legs. They are teeny tiny and it's tough to see if they are pulling algae off, but I regularly see patches of algae missing. I have seen my hermits clawing at a LOT of algae on my rocks. Macro and micro alike. They also helped clean some flow-burnt sponge off. I have NEVER seen a SINGLE cerith seemingly feeding on my rock. My turbos split time between the glass and the rock. My ceriths live in the sand til the lights go out, then they come to the top(like someone rings a dinner bell) and climb all over the sand, and the glass, but I have seen very few crawling around on the rock. If they do go riding the rock, they just move too fast for me to believe they are eating. I have yet to see any of my hermits go after any snail.