I have never had a problem putting snails in, I do the same thing as you. I float the bag for 15 minutes & drip for 30 minutes. Are you sure you are not letting them in the tank upside down. If they are upside down, they will die (drowned believe it or not). My salt level 1.025 and I have 4 turbo snails, 6 nassarius, and a few others, never a problem. I will make on suggestion though, throw away the dip sticks & but some other tester either api or seachem. Those dip sticks give false reads, I was using them & it kept telling me my pH was 7.8, then i bought the api tester & it gave me a 8.3 read. I had my water checked at the store and it was 8.3.
Why am I a snail murderer?
- Thread starter Fishy
- Start date
TimSchmidt
New Member
One last thing as far as testing your water with your lab equipment. PH will swing based on the O2 and CO2 concentration so I would recommend testing PH and ALK right at the tank and keep testing at the same time relative to lighting (i.e. middle of the light cycle). Not sure on the fish but I would clean out the dead stuff and keep up with smaller water changes more frequently. Smaller more frequent changes are better for the tank as it gradually shifts everything to a more ideal parameter...but honestly can be a bit of a nuisance to change 2 -3 times a week. Has the fish changed it's eating habits (i.e. not eating as much as it normally does)?
I put the snails foot side down. The crabs knocked them over a few times but I righted them. And no, the crabs did not kill the snails; the snails never came out and moved except that one who came back to life for half a day.
Crusty the clown was still eating as of this morning. I will see how he's doing when I get home. Nemo is definitely dominant though being larger.
Crusty the clown was still eating as of this morning. I will see how he's doing when I get home. Nemo is definitely dominant though being larger.
Well, Crusty is dead. I am now a fish murderer too! I've never lost animals like this with freshwater, ever! When I came home, Crusty had white film on his left fin as well as two white things under his chin. I don't know if it was bacteria, fungus, or skin sloughing (indicative of water quality issues). He wanted to eat but Nemo would slam him every time he tried. Of course, the common fish would kill the rare, expensive fish. I'm actually hoping Crusty died from Nemo and not from water quality or medical issues. I was told by Live Aquaria, the fish stores, and my nano reef book that if you get two young Ocellaris clownfish at the same time, they will get along. It's a lie! If only I'd known! Crusty was stuck to the intake this morning. Anyway, Nemo is big and strong. The only concern is one white dot on his right flank. I'm hoping it's nothing. If it spreads, and he dies too, then I should be punished. Whatever I'm doing is killing animals. I've put in 26 animals so far in my tank; only 8 are still alive! I've killed 14 snails, 1 hermit crab (died while molting), 1 clownfish, and 2 corals.
I did a 2.5 gallon water change last night. RO water with 1/3 Reef Crystals, 2/3 Red Sea RO salt mix, a dash of buffer. The pH of the make up water tested off scale, over 9 (an hour of mixing and aeration)! The pH of the tank said 8.6! Yikes! Then, I went on-line, and it seems the common salt mixes always mix up at pH of 9 or even 10 for some! Is that the case for you? What do you do? I decided to do the water change even though the pH was too high. I'm hoping the problem is not solely pH, and that water changes will help.
If things settle down in a month or two, could I try to add another fish to the tank with Nemo or is it a lost cause? Before I found out about the black and white variety, I was going to have one regular false Percula clown and a firefish. If I later get a firefish, will Nemo pulverize him too or leave him alone? [I know they jump; the tank is fully sealed.]
I brought a tank water sample to work again today and got a pH of 7.95! Too low at work, too high at home? Either the pH is fluctuating, or one or more test kits are phooey. I've borrowed the pH test strips here (more accurate and easier to read) to try at home. I also ordered the pH meter and paid an extra $20 to get it here by the weekend. Then, I'll do another water change.
I don't know if I should leave out the buffer since the pH is too high or leave it in since it's fluctuating too much?
I did a 2.5 gallon water change last night. RO water with 1/3 Reef Crystals, 2/3 Red Sea RO salt mix, a dash of buffer. The pH of the make up water tested off scale, over 9 (an hour of mixing and aeration)! The pH of the tank said 8.6! Yikes! Then, I went on-line, and it seems the common salt mixes always mix up at pH of 9 or even 10 for some! Is that the case for you? What do you do? I decided to do the water change even though the pH was too high. I'm hoping the problem is not solely pH, and that water changes will help.
If things settle down in a month or two, could I try to add another fish to the tank with Nemo or is it a lost cause? Before I found out about the black and white variety, I was going to have one regular false Percula clown and a firefish. If I later get a firefish, will Nemo pulverize him too or leave him alone? [I know they jump; the tank is fully sealed.]
I brought a tank water sample to work again today and got a pH of 7.95! Too low at work, too high at home? Either the pH is fluctuating, or one or more test kits are phooey. I've borrowed the pH test strips here (more accurate and easier to read) to try at home. I also ordered the pH meter and paid an extra $20 to get it here by the weekend. Then, I'll do another water change.
I don't know if I should leave out the buffer since the pH is too high or leave it in since it's fluctuating too much?
Update: When I got home, that white thing on Nemo seems to be gone; he/she seems healthy. The crabs were having fun. It seems the remaining animals are fine. I brought home some more accurate pH dip strips from work. The result: 7.8 or 7.9! Then, I dipped my 6 in 1 aquarium dip strip. I got 8.9 or higher! I don't know what to believe. The dry test kit I didn't do today but it's been doing about 8.6. The pH meter I'm getting may not be accurate either!
I was looking at you web page you linked to this thread. A couple of things hit me like a bolt of lightening.
When did you start this tank?
When did you start the tank cycling in earnest..ie when did the rock get in it, the live sand, the water and all that and start seeing elevated levels of Ammonia?
When did the Ammonia start going down and the Nitrites start to become elevated?
When did the Ammonia levels start getting below at least 0.10 ?
When did the Nitrites max out and at what level?
When did the Nitrites start dropping and the Nitrates start to become elevated?
At what level and day was it when the Nitrates maxed out and stopped getting higher?
How many and how much in the way of water changes did you do before the Nitrates dropped down to 10 ppm or less?
You you did the water changes to lower the Nitrates after they were no longer increasing, did the Ammonia or Nitrites go up any, and if so how much?
What day did you add the fish?
When did you start this tank?
When did you start the tank cycling in earnest..ie when did the rock get in it, the live sand, the water and all that and start seeing elevated levels of Ammonia?
When did the Ammonia start going down and the Nitrites start to become elevated?
When did the Ammonia levels start getting below at least 0.10 ?
When did the Nitrites max out and at what level?
When did the Nitrites start dropping and the Nitrates start to become elevated?
At what level and day was it when the Nitrates maxed out and stopped getting higher?
How many and how much in the way of water changes did you do before the Nitrates dropped down to 10 ppm or less?
You you did the water changes to lower the Nitrates after they were no longer increasing, did the Ammonia or Nitrites go up any, and if so how much?
What day did you add the fish?
So many questions! Here are the answers:
I first put water and live sand in the tank on 4/26/08. I put in 11.5 pounds of live rock on 4/27/08. The store said it was pre-cured but I didn't add any animals at first just in case. I tested the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate weekly. I never read anything but zero. This indicates to me that the live rock was pre-cured and the tank was ready to go. So, I intended to wait a month but waited just 2 weeks to get the first snails and hermit crabs. As I've said, the hermit crabs did great, and the snails died instantly. As of today, the tank still has no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate.
I've been changing 2.5 gallons weekly (now twice a week). The tank is supposed to be 12 gallons but I measured it in the 8 to 9 gallon range so my water changes are thus about 30% weekly from the beginning.
The 2 fish, 4 corals, and 7 new snails (who died instantly except for one that came back to life for one day and then died) were added on 5/21/08.
Let me repeat: My tank has ZERO ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and always has. I've tested it with dry tests and also with the dip sticks (more often since they're fast). I'm a chemist. I may not be sure about the pH but I know there is no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate at a level to have harmed the animals.
I am hoping that Crusty died from being bulled by Nemo. I am hoping that the 14 snails and 2 corals died from improper temperature acclimation since the water cooled during the long drip acclimation. I am going to wait at least 3 weeks to try again.
Update later: When I got home, everyone who is left was doing fine. I figured out that the "slime" algae was in fact sheets of dead diatoms. Also, among the zooanthids was what I think is a macroalgae growing. It's fan shaped and looks like lettuce. Also, all over the live rock now are these little green plants. They're like miniature freshwater valisneria. Are those macroalgae too or just another form of microalgae?
I first put water and live sand in the tank on 4/26/08. I put in 11.5 pounds of live rock on 4/27/08. The store said it was pre-cured but I didn't add any animals at first just in case. I tested the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate weekly. I never read anything but zero. This indicates to me that the live rock was pre-cured and the tank was ready to go. So, I intended to wait a month but waited just 2 weeks to get the first snails and hermit crabs. As I've said, the hermit crabs did great, and the snails died instantly. As of today, the tank still has no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate.
I've been changing 2.5 gallons weekly (now twice a week). The tank is supposed to be 12 gallons but I measured it in the 8 to 9 gallon range so my water changes are thus about 30% weekly from the beginning.
The 2 fish, 4 corals, and 7 new snails (who died instantly except for one that came back to life for one day and then died) were added on 5/21/08.
Let me repeat: My tank has ZERO ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and always has. I've tested it with dry tests and also with the dip sticks (more often since they're fast). I'm a chemist. I may not be sure about the pH but I know there is no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate at a level to have harmed the animals.
I am hoping that Crusty died from being bulled by Nemo. I am hoping that the 14 snails and 2 corals died from improper temperature acclimation since the water cooled during the long drip acclimation. I am going to wait at least 3 weeks to try again.
Update later: When I got home, everyone who is left was doing fine. I figured out that the "slime" algae was in fact sheets of dead diatoms. Also, among the zooanthids was what I think is a macroalgae growing. It's fan shaped and looks like lettuce. Also, all over the live rock now are these little green plants. They're like miniature freshwater valisneria. Are those macroalgae too or just another form of microalgae?
I guess you're all too busy with your nano reefs to give me some more advice. I certainly understand how time consuming it is!
Anyway, I got the pH meter today, calibrated it with solutions I stole from work. The pH in my nano reef reads 8.41. That's neither the 7.95 the work pH meter said nor the 9.0 that the test strips say. It's a tad high but useable! I'll take it! Strangely, the pH in my 50 gallon freshwater tank was 7.65! It's never been that high. It's normally under 7.5 by the tests I've done in the past. I got some stick on in-tank pH meter things but once I got them, it says only for freshwater! Drat!
As I type this, the RO system is working overtime again!
Anyway, I got the pH meter today, calibrated it with solutions I stole from work. The pH in my nano reef reads 8.41. That's neither the 7.95 the work pH meter said nor the 9.0 that the test strips say. It's a tad high but useable! I'll take it! Strangely, the pH in my 50 gallon freshwater tank was 7.65! It's never been that high. It's normally under 7.5 by the tests I've done in the past. I got some stick on in-tank pH meter things but once I got them, it says only for freshwater! Drat!
As I type this, the RO system is working overtime again!
I dont think its a case of being too busy as much as it is that you got a tough situation to deal with and ts very difficult to solve some pronblems with out being right there to actually see the tank and test the water personally. You have a new and unstable tank or you have test kits that are giving questionable results making any suggestions little more than a chance shot in the dark.
Its good to see the Ph up. 8.4 is very workable as long as it doesnt get any higher. 7.9-8.0 on your refractometer at work was okay although a tad on the low side.
Without a pic, IDing your mystery algae is impossible as much as I would like to. A description can only take you so far at times.
Its good to see the Ph up. 8.4 is very workable as long as it doesnt get any higher. 7.9-8.0 on your refractometer at work was okay although a tad on the low side.
Without a pic, IDing your mystery algae is impossible as much as I would like to. A description can only take you so far at times.
I just make things too hard for you all and myself! I got my new pH meter and calibrated it with pH 7 and pH 4 buffers ("borrowed" from work).
Here are the pH readings from today:
The pH of the tank was 8.4 by dry marine test kit, 8.8 by dip stick, and 8.13 by pH meter. The pH of the make up water (I changed out another 2.5 gallons) was 8.2 by dry marine test kit, 8.4 by dip stick, and 8.02 by pH meter! The pH was a bit low in the make up water so I added more buffer; it re-tested at a pH of 8.11. A pH of 8.2 is ideal, right? I think a pH of 8.1 sounds pretty good though for now! None of various pH tests agree with each other; I'll trust the pH meter.
As for the mystery green thing, this photo has it at the upper left of the zooathid colony. It's just one green leaf:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/photos/othe ... nthids.jpg
Anyway, my surviving animals are doing well - 1 fish, 4 crabs, 2 corals, and that little feather duster. Do I need to feed him specifically? He's tiny. I have some "Coral Frenzy" which I've pipetted (minute amount) over the corals once so far (told to do weekly). I would squirt the feather duster worm some but he closes up if there's any disturbance (like big monster me in the tank).
Here are the pH readings from today:
The pH of the tank was 8.4 by dry marine test kit, 8.8 by dip stick, and 8.13 by pH meter. The pH of the make up water (I changed out another 2.5 gallons) was 8.2 by dry marine test kit, 8.4 by dip stick, and 8.02 by pH meter! The pH was a bit low in the make up water so I added more buffer; it re-tested at a pH of 8.11. A pH of 8.2 is ideal, right? I think a pH of 8.1 sounds pretty good though for now! None of various pH tests agree with each other; I'll trust the pH meter.
As for the mystery green thing, this photo has it at the upper left of the zooathid colony. It's just one green leaf:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/photos/othe ... nthids.jpg
Anyway, my surviving animals are doing well - 1 fish, 4 crabs, 2 corals, and that little feather duster. Do I need to feed him specifically? He's tiny. I have some "Coral Frenzy" which I've pipetted (minute amount) over the corals once so far (told to do weekly). I would squirt the feather duster worm some but he closes up if there's any disturbance (like big monster me in the tank).
I really would not get so wrapped up in the exact pH and all of that. I can honestly say that I dont know exactly what my pH is. I use dipstick-style 5-in-1 test strips and I check just to make sure that everything is in the proper range... that is it. You arent trying to keep unforgiving SPS species or anything like that so it really isnt rnecessary to nail the pH to any particular number. Also, remember that all of the parameters that we follow with reef tanks are ranges, a range of 400-450ppm Ca+, a range of 8.0-8.4 pH, a range of 7-11 dkh for alkalinity, a range of 1.023-1.027 SG, a range of 1250-1350 ppm for Mg, a range of 77*-82*F for temperature... none of these are an exact number. Also, most dont HAVE to be tested on a very regular basis unless you are keeping SPS and clams that are demanding Ca+ users and thus you need to monitor the Ca+ and Mg levels.
I also wouldnt suggest all of these water changes while the tank is so new. You're tank will find it's own equilibrium with time.
BTW, that green leaf is most likely a macroalgae and are usually beneficial.
Anyways, I hope that helps.
Jesse
I also wouldnt suggest all of these water changes while the tank is so new. You're tank will find it's own equilibrium with time.
BTW, that green leaf is most likely a macroalgae and are usually beneficial.
Anyways, I hope that helps.
Jesse
Thanks. I wouldn't have gotten so wrapped up in the details except so many animals have died. People suggested it was the water chemistry so I was trying to figure out why. I think I will go back to weekly water changes instead of twice a week since it takes 2 hours to make RO water and another hour to make the saltwater the next day and then half an hour of more work; I'm low on time. I plan to go back to Mr. Coral on 6/16/08, and I just dread having a third batch of snails and a second batch of corals die. If the snails die this time, I'll have to give up on them. But, the algae is having a field day!
Also, how do you guys affix corals to the live rock? My live rock is full of hair algae now. Should I toothbrush off a section and then use the reef epoxy? I also got some reef glue but it says you have to use it out of water which doesn't work for me. I used the reef epoxy for my first two corals, and two of them just came off (luckily the dead ones anyway). The epoxy doesn't really stay put!
Also, how do you guys affix corals to the live rock? My live rock is full of hair algae now. Should I toothbrush off a section and then use the reef epoxy? I also got some reef glue but it says you have to use it out of water which doesn't work for me. I used the reef epoxy for my first two corals, and two of them just came off (luckily the dead ones anyway). The epoxy doesn't really stay put!
TimSchmidt
New Member
Generally they should get enough from the water column. If you "feed the tank" you should be fine. Turn off any skimmers and almost if not all power-heads and feed the tank. Wait 5 or 10 minutes and then turn everything back on. They should make sure it eats. Just don't over do it as uneaten food will just cause more water quality issues. Go with which ever testing method you prefer. if you get live stock from generally one store I'd take some of your water and ask them to test it. Only reason being is if they are happy with it, then the live stock you get from that store should be ok as your water is similar to their water. Just make sure you put a powerhead and the top of the water is agitated for a while (10 minutes or so) before testing. Honestly I would just do 1 gallon or so water changes at a time in your case and for the make up water I would just use one type of salt and nothing else. Mix it in a bucket with a power-head and a heater. When it's mixed up and the specific gravity and temp match your tank I would then use it. Keep that up for a month or so.
I say that only because all aquariums are ever so slightly different. I have my temps a bit lower than others. 76.7 degrees fahrenheit while others swear by 78.5. Constancy is key in your aquarium, keep your parameters stable and you will be amazed at how it will take care of its self.
I say that only because all aquariums are ever so slightly different. I have my temps a bit lower than others. 76.7 degrees fahrenheit while others swear by 78.5. Constancy is key in your aquarium, keep your parameters stable and you will be amazed at how it will take care of its self.
I would definitely recommend that you get some more snails. Until you can get some snails to survive your most likely wasting money on corals. Plus until you can get the hair algae under control your going to stuggle to keep the corals alive even if you dont have a water chemstry problem.
If you got a hair algae promlem and its growing and spreading you got a nutirent problem. This could be due to generous feeding, deteriorating snails that have died, phosphates from the water you were using and a whole number of other things. You need to correct this before you even consider corals. To handle that Hair Algae issue go to www.garf.org and check out their section called algae control central. There is a lot of spiritual enrichment there you can garner.
This is easily accomplished using a product called Sally Jo's Reef Glue Gel. Its not the only glue that works well, this is just the one I have seen work the best. Go to www.garf.org and look at some of thier coral fragging video clips and you can see how they use the glue. You can order the glue from this site as well.
I've been using RO water the last few weeks and put in phosphate remover so the phosphate is now low. My test kit won't measure lower levels accurately though (I guess I need a different one). I'm not reading any nitrate. All the snails have been removed or rotted. There is some hair algae but I wouldn't say it's a ton. It is starting to grow over one end of the zooathid colony so I guess I should try to pluck it.
TimSchmidt
New Member
Well all seems to be going well now. You may want to try one turbo...just to get the hair algae in check. Besides, since it's so big you should be able to catch it when you don't need him anymore.
Well, I have great news and not-so-great news.
First, for the not-so-great news. I have two surviving corals. The zooanthids are doing pretty good although it looks like the ones closest to the light may be dying while the ones hanging over are more open. My starburst polyps were/are my pride and joy, fully open, very happy. But, when I came home yesterday, they had fallen off the live rock and landed on their soft parts on the substrate. The purple reef epoxy came un-stuck. I kneeded up some new. It was sticky while dry but once I put it in to the tank to try to stick the corals back up, it really doesn't stick. I toothbrushed off where I was sticking it and tried to get the coral to stay but it kept coming off. I'm afraid I touched the tender parts of the coral trying to get it on there. There's now so much epoxy that it's gaudy but I have it wrapped around the rock the polyps are on so hopefully it won't come off again. The epoxy is still holding on the zooathids but the other two corals' (the ones that died) epoxy never stuck. I bought some reef glue but after I got it, I read it can only be used to set out of water for sticking coral to little things out of the water. About half the polyps opened this morning but only partially.
What in the world do you guys use in the water to stick the rock or whatever the coral is on on to your live rock? The epoxy is just not working. I want to stick some mushrooms and zooathids on parts of the live rock that aren't flat so it really has to stick. The flat are on top would be great but apparently the lighting is just too strong for any corals (yet, I was told they needed the strong light). Thank you so much for any help!
The good news - the third time's the charm with the snails. I went to a different store and got one huge cerith snail, two margaritas, and two nassarius snails. Unlike the last two batches of snails, these guys were very active in the bag. I went back to work with them and brought them inside (120 degrees F in the car!). That store guy said all he ever does is float and dump, and I should do that! I decided not to. I floated for about 30 min while doing other animal/fish chores, then drip acclimated for an hour, then re-floated in ziploc bags for 20 minutes. This time, I checked the salinity, pH, and temperature of the snail's water versus tank water. When I started, my tank pH was 8.02 but the water in the bags was pH 7.93 in one and pH 7.90 in the other! So much for store water being the perfect 8.2! It was too low! The salinity in my tank was 1.024. The two bags of snails were 1.026 and 1.0245. One was pretty high! After drip acclimation, the snails were at pH 7.96. I had to do a water change to allow for the drip so I made 2.5 gallons of new saltwater at a pH of 8.16 and 1.024 SG. I lifted the snails out in to the tank. They moved right away! For the first time, I had moving snails in my tank! The margaritas and huge cerith are very slow. The nassarius, or one of them anyway, thinks he is speed racer! His foot is four times the surface area of his shell. I had no idea they were that fast! He's been in the sand with snorkel up, sliding down the glass like an amusement ride, and driving around. So, I think my previous snails died from acclimation problems (changes) and not from the tank itself.
Anyway, now that I've got that down, how many snails should I have in the end? The tank claims to be 12 gallons but it's really about 8 gallons in the tank and 1 gallon in the filter. I have five snails. Should I get a few more? Which kinds? This new store guy said bumble bee snails eat corals, and yet the coral store guy sold me one last time (one of my victims).
I know you're all very busy but I really would appreciate any help. I asked if a firefish would eat the little tiny feather duster worm I have in the fish section a few days ago and got no response. Thanks.
First, for the not-so-great news. I have two surviving corals. The zooanthids are doing pretty good although it looks like the ones closest to the light may be dying while the ones hanging over are more open. My starburst polyps were/are my pride and joy, fully open, very happy. But, when I came home yesterday, they had fallen off the live rock and landed on their soft parts on the substrate. The purple reef epoxy came un-stuck. I kneeded up some new. It was sticky while dry but once I put it in to the tank to try to stick the corals back up, it really doesn't stick. I toothbrushed off where I was sticking it and tried to get the coral to stay but it kept coming off. I'm afraid I touched the tender parts of the coral trying to get it on there. There's now so much epoxy that it's gaudy but I have it wrapped around the rock the polyps are on so hopefully it won't come off again. The epoxy is still holding on the zooathids but the other two corals' (the ones that died) epoxy never stuck. I bought some reef glue but after I got it, I read it can only be used to set out of water for sticking coral to little things out of the water. About half the polyps opened this morning but only partially.
What in the world do you guys use in the water to stick the rock or whatever the coral is on on to your live rock? The epoxy is just not working. I want to stick some mushrooms and zooathids on parts of the live rock that aren't flat so it really has to stick. The flat are on top would be great but apparently the lighting is just too strong for any corals (yet, I was told they needed the strong light). Thank you so much for any help!
The good news - the third time's the charm with the snails. I went to a different store and got one huge cerith snail, two margaritas, and two nassarius snails. Unlike the last two batches of snails, these guys were very active in the bag. I went back to work with them and brought them inside (120 degrees F in the car!). That store guy said all he ever does is float and dump, and I should do that! I decided not to. I floated for about 30 min while doing other animal/fish chores, then drip acclimated for an hour, then re-floated in ziploc bags for 20 minutes. This time, I checked the salinity, pH, and temperature of the snail's water versus tank water. When I started, my tank pH was 8.02 but the water in the bags was pH 7.93 in one and pH 7.90 in the other! So much for store water being the perfect 8.2! It was too low! The salinity in my tank was 1.024. The two bags of snails were 1.026 and 1.0245. One was pretty high! After drip acclimation, the snails were at pH 7.96. I had to do a water change to allow for the drip so I made 2.5 gallons of new saltwater at a pH of 8.16 and 1.024 SG. I lifted the snails out in to the tank. They moved right away! For the first time, I had moving snails in my tank! The margaritas and huge cerith are very slow. The nassarius, or one of them anyway, thinks he is speed racer! His foot is four times the surface area of his shell. I had no idea they were that fast! He's been in the sand with snorkel up, sliding down the glass like an amusement ride, and driving around. So, I think my previous snails died from acclimation problems (changes) and not from the tank itself.
Anyway, now that I've got that down, how many snails should I have in the end? The tank claims to be 12 gallons but it's really about 8 gallons in the tank and 1 gallon in the filter. I have five snails. Should I get a few more? Which kinds? This new store guy said bumble bee snails eat corals, and yet the coral store guy sold me one last time (one of my victims).
I know you're all very busy but I really would appreciate any help. I asked if a firefish would eat the little tiny feather duster worm I have in the fish section a few days ago and got no response. Thanks.
How many snails should you have?
Enough to keep one step ahead of algae on the glass and the rocks and anything else. I suggest adding one every week or so until you no longer have algae issues and any that you do have can easily be remedied with glass cleaning magnets. I usually like to do about a snail per 1-2 gallons depending on the snails. Obviously 12 Turbo Snails in a 12 gallon tank is insaine. But a couple of cerith, a couple of Nasssarious, a couple of Margarita snails and a half dozen Astreas shouldnt be too terribly much. I like diversity too as some snails work on glass better than other and some are better at keep the sand bed stirred and tidy. Bumble Bee snails have mixed reviews. I have had them in a tank before and found them to be exceptable although they seem to be primarily nocturnal type snails. FWIT...they were in a 135 gallon SPS/Clam tank, so...YMMV.
I would wait a couple of weeks minimum before adding another fish to the tank if I added any more at all. If you do add another one then I think a Firefish would be an excellent choice for such a small tank. No there should be no issues with it eating feather dusters, at least I have yet to hear of such an issue until reading this thread. This doenst mean Im correct though so I would do some serious research in the mean time and see what info you can scrounge up.
As for glue...I thought I already answered this but I guess I didnt. I use Sally Jo's Reef Glue Gel from www.garf.org. It cost a bit more than your typical run of the mill super glue gel at the grocery store but it works exceptionally well in my experence and I have used it to glue hundreds of coral frags over the last several years. If there is a better glue...Im all ears!!!
Enough to keep one step ahead of algae on the glass and the rocks and anything else. I suggest adding one every week or so until you no longer have algae issues and any that you do have can easily be remedied with glass cleaning magnets. I usually like to do about a snail per 1-2 gallons depending on the snails. Obviously 12 Turbo Snails in a 12 gallon tank is insaine. But a couple of cerith, a couple of Nasssarious, a couple of Margarita snails and a half dozen Astreas shouldnt be too terribly much. I like diversity too as some snails work on glass better than other and some are better at keep the sand bed stirred and tidy. Bumble Bee snails have mixed reviews. I have had them in a tank before and found them to be exceptable although they seem to be primarily nocturnal type snails. FWIT...they were in a 135 gallon SPS/Clam tank, so...YMMV.
I would wait a couple of weeks minimum before adding another fish to the tank if I added any more at all. If you do add another one then I think a Firefish would be an excellent choice for such a small tank. No there should be no issues with it eating feather dusters, at least I have yet to hear of such an issue until reading this thread. This doenst mean Im correct though so I would do some serious research in the mean time and see what info you can scrounge up.
As for glue...I thought I already answered this but I guess I didnt. I use Sally Jo's Reef Glue Gel from www.garf.org. It cost a bit more than your typical run of the mill super glue gel at the grocery store but it works exceptionally well in my experence and I have used it to glue hundreds of coral frags over the last several years. If there is a better glue...Im all ears!!!
TimSchmidt
New Member
Congrats on the snails! I too have not heard of a firefish being problematic with feather dusters. But they do jump so make sure a lid is on. For epoxy I use "AquaStik" Stone Grey Epoxy Putty. "For Underwater Use". I wouldn't get the bumble bee snails. I have no personal experience but I have read too many posts about them being problematic for me to have any in my tank, especially when there are so many great snails out there.