Moving a snail

[skymastre]

Here is a 'lose your own adventure'

Before you is a small cyano algae bloom. It is in the corner of your tank, on the substrate. Your mindless snails (ceriths and Nerites) keep wandering but missing the main meal.

You also notice that on top of the live rock, very close to the surface of your tank sits a few dwarf ceriths.

Do you

a. wait until your next water change and siphon the crud
b. do nothing
c. gingerly pick up a few ceriths and maybe a nerite and 'relocate' them to the problem spots


I went with c (which I'm sure isn't the right answer, but they did clean the sand)

 

[merkywater]

C- I would do the same. IMO that's there job to clean tank. lol

 

[carpenter981]

Ive moved a few snails every so often to finish the diatom from setting up my tank...I dont think its a big deal

 

[jcook54]

A. I've had to move snails on to algae when they've been in the tank a while and spend all their time on the glass. However, I've never had much luck getting anything to eat cyano so in your example I would have siphoned.

 

[shrimpy brains]

jcook54;581449 wrote: A. I've had to move snails on to algae when they've been in the tank a while and spend all their time on the glass. However, I've never had much luck getting anything to eat cyano so in your example I would have siphoned.

+1 Only I would not wait till the next water change. I would go ahead and do one. Then prep water incase I had to do it again the next day....
and so on.......till the cyano is gone!

 

[jef4y]

I move snails all the time..

 

[siren's eye]

Lol. You people are treating the snails like little vacuums. But, I guess that is what they're there for.

 

[jcook54]

Hey, it works. When algae is bad I've found that the snails will hang out where it's easiest to eat and that usually isn't where I need them the most. I don't blame them but I do move them when I have to. They certainly don't seem to mind. However, the OP mentioned cyano and I haven't found any critter that does a good job in the fight against that.

 

[gnashty]

d. Sick my diamond goby on it...Lou, short for lou diamond phillips

 

[tango]

I move my snails around all the time, they help me i help them

 

[rolo65]

I move mine alot too.....I think they appreciate it more then an thereby do a better job

 

[ryuchi]

siren's eye;581557 wrote: Lol. You people are treating the snails like little vacuums. But, I guess that is what they're there for.

snails are our clean up crew, for to do our bidding.

 

[jennm]

Cyanobacter isn't algae. Snails don't eat it. They might turn it over, but it's still there.

Siphon the stuff out, and figure out why it's happening - flow/nutrient levels, etc. Fix that and the stuff won't keep coming back.

Jenn

 

[skymastre]

Interesting. Is 'blue-green algae' a misnomer?

JennM;581748 wrote: Cyanobacter isn't algae. Snails don't eat it. They might turn it over, but it's still there.

Siphon the stuff out, and figure out why it's happening - flow/nutrient levels, etc. Fix that and the stuff won't keep coming back.

Jenn

 

[jennm]

Do you have blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria?

Most cyano is red (occasionally it's green). Either way it's bacteria, not algae, although it behaves rather like algae, being photosynthetic and all.

Jenn

 

[jcook54]

I was blessed with the red as well as the green. Good Q&A in the link.