Beneficial Inverts that self populate?

[doctorgori]

I have a assortment of Turbos, trochus and a few Astrea snails that haven't tipped over yet...Are there any snails that do a good job of algae or clean up and will self populate over time?

in fact what is the name of those real small ones people sell that supposedly mulitply reasonably fast?

I used cycled dead rock with some live but have ZERO hitchhickers: no snails, dusters; bristleworms or even sponges

[philosophile]

Strombus snails are the little ones... Macanus or something to that effect

[Sugar Magnolia]

Stomatella and collonista both reproduce well. My banded trochus have reproduced for me, but not nearly at the rate that the stomatella and collonistas do.

[fishysteve]

I would agree with Sugar Magnolia. Stomatellas reproduce very well IME.

[NanoReefWanabe]

i have seen cerith and nerite snails reproduce aswell, and recently seen a fresh batch of recently hatched nassarius snails i a friends frag tank...i was lucky enough to get two baby ones on a couple frags i bought...and they were tiny about the size of a grain or aragonite.

bristle worms are also excellent cleanup artists...along with spaghetti worms, spirniod worms, peanut worms, feather dusters and micro stars, and all breed exceptionally well in any maintained tank.

sadly vermitid snails are also nice water polishers (though they are more of a nuisance)

[zigzag1]

My trochus have bred a couple of times - Always a nice suprise @ $3 each! Asterina starfish are also a good CC member, that self populate/regulate. JMTC & GL!

[Agu]

Mini stars are also good clean up crew members that reproduce in tanks.

[aleonn]

When I had stomatella snails, they multiplied pretty quickly and did their job well.

[doctorgori]

Thanks folks...I never see some of the aformentioned species for sale

Except: I've had stomatellas in the past but didn't know you could get a 2nd gen, also have 1-2 ceriths now that you mention it....

I did see those asymetrical lil starfish a couple times (probably from this zoo rock I got)but killed them; I hear some are good, some are bad...

I'll copy these down and see if a WTB can turn them up

[peasofme]

check your lfs display tank and if you see worms in the sand, ask to buy a scoop or two to seed your tank. also coral or live rock may have worms in them.

[snorvich]

Mini stars are also good clean up crew members that reproduce in tanks.

Any idea where to buy these?

[paraletho]

The best I 've ever found were what we call DIBS Turbos or RSF Turbos. Small size to get in all the nooks and crannies where normal snails can't get. They get their name from Brian Plankis and the Reef Stewardship Foundation which had a project called the Desirable Invertebrate Breeding Society. I have never seen them for sale except in Houston out of hobbyist tanks. I bought 15 and at one time had over a thousand in 4 tanks. 58, 29, 125, and a 360. They are direct copulators and lay in gelatainous masses in the rockwork.

http://www.reefstewardshipfoundation.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1129

[doctorgori]

Got my curiosity; although ^^^ links won't work

any LFS's as a source are out for a number of reason I won't go into, I might have to find a hobbyist willing to swap

[peasofme]

i've seen bristle worms and spaghetti worms on ebay. mini stars too i think.

[lordofthereef]

Any idea where to buy these?

Indo Pacific Sea Farms has them. Great company! :thumbsup:

[peasofme]

the only thing is indo pacific is crazy expensive.

[Agu]

Any idea where to buy these?

Got mine locally from a club member. When I posted in a local forum looking for ministars he responded and told me to come by in three days. In the meantime he put filter floss under the output of his drain line. When I showed up three days later there were at least couple of dozen ministars on the filter floss.

[Lynnmw1208]

I agree those little strombus grazers and such will multiply like mad in your tank. I just saw 2 baby turbo snails in my tank tho! I think if you have the right conditions, just about any snail will reproduce.

Just order a bunch of mini cerith snails from reefcleaners.org. they send you a ton! I ordered 20 and I must have gotten like 70 of them. great sand cleaners!

[SushiGirl]

Strombus snails are the little ones... Macanus or something to that effect

Strombus maculatus, though they're not really Strombus snails, they're a type of conch. Just easier to call them what they're commonly called though.

I have a ton in my DT, started from 5 in my fuge back in I think March. Been giving them away in our reef club co-op. They do like to steal food from my corals, though...which I never noticed when I had them years ago.

[Toddrtrex]

Any idea where to buy these?

Steve, I seem to find them whenever I do any work on the tanks -- found 2 yesterday while working on the 40 -- darn near threw them away. Next time you are in the area I can try to get some for ya.

[snorvich]

Steve, I seem to find them whenever I do any work on the tanks -- found 2 yesterday while working on the 40 -- darn near threw them away. Next time you are in the area I can try to get some for ya.

Thanks. I will certainly let you know! :D

[C0rp]

Any idea where to buy these?

Inland Aquatics is in Indiana and probably cheaper than IPSF. Thats where I got my micro and mini stars. Populated very fast, started with a dozen.

[doctorgori]

I just went to Inland Aquatics site, seems they got the entire gammut of critters for $70 ... only part that sorta bums me is completing the food chain by purchasing critters that normally hitchhike (not that the price is unfair but...)
...staus quo for using dead rock; you avoid the bad but avoid the good...

[peasofme]

i'd say the coolest thing i've gotten from a live rock/coral is mysids. but the bad far out weighs the good. i've gotten eunice worms, red flatworms, gha (which has taken over two of my tanks), hydroids, majanos, gammarus, bubble algae, pyramid snails.