Disappearing snails

[Almondsaz]

I think I have invested way too much in snails over the past year. They don't seem to be dying of natural causes and my biggest turbo's seem to last forever. There has to be some type of opportunistic feeder in my system somewhere. I have about three emerald crabs, several small hermits (probably 20 or so) and two serpent starfish. I am puzzled by who is eating the snails? Any ideas.

Here are my fish
Leopard Wrasse
Mystery Wrasse
Ornate Leopard
Chromis
Banggai Cardinals
Klein's Butterfly (only had about a month)
Yellow Tang
Tail spot blenny
Orange spotted goby

I would have thought the mystery wrasse could be part of it, but he only goes for the hermits when they are fist put in...never the snails or hermits after they pass the first day.

Forgot to mention that I do have a coral banded shrimp and a harlequin shrimp and a million asternia.

Any ideas?

 

[Rudy]

Depending on temp snails can have varied life expectancies in the home aquarium. Many snails like Mexican turbos cant tolerate the more temperate tank temps of the home aquarium for long periods. Or, perhaps they are starving? How is the algae growth. Perhaps they are dieing psuedo-naturally, then being quickly harvested by various scavengers.

I'd try to be patient and let a natural balance occur over a couple months and see what remains. That willlikely be the appropriate amount your ecosystem will support long term.

Just my experience-based opinion.

 

[Almondsaz]

Keith: thank you for the response. My tank has been up for a few years and I run a chiller to keep the temp at ~78. As for algae, there is enough that keeps growing for the snails to feed on and I drop a sheet of nori each week for additional food.

 

[Rudy]

Good Mornung Almond - well I'm out of suggestions now other than just waiting to see what happens if you do not add any more. Short of complete in-tank extinction you might be surprised by how few snails you actually need to keep the place clean without having to supplemental feed. That was/ is certainly the case for me.

Best of Luck to you

 

[Almondsaz]

Thanks, and I do appreciate the response. I get the orange chestnut turbos and within a week or so the 10 I buy is down to 1 maybe 2 left. I will just have to wait and see. Interesting point you raise about how many does it take...I will look and see what the natural balance number is in Dec.

 

[Rudy]

No Worries Almond. I can appreciate your frustration. I know when I was stocking my DT most supposed experts at various LFS as well as most on-line live stock sellers recommend 1-2 snails per gallon of H2O. It has been my personal experience that number is way too much, at least for my set-up (lighting, qty of LR, etc.)

Suffice to say their are a lot of variables which make the aforementioned commonly stated recommendations to general. I likely only have a 1/2 dozen Turbos and another dozen or so Astrea snails in my relatively large DT. You may want to try some Astrea snails as well? They do not get around as quickly as the aptly named turbos, but they seem to do a good job nonetheless. And, generally speaking are repoprted to have a longer live expectancy in captivity. As you have experienced dead snails don't eat much algae, do they. :lol2:

It certainly is not a perfect science, but I am confidant you'll strike a natural balance at some point. Then as more slowly die off you may have to add a couple to maintain the homeostasis.

I think some of my turbos may have bred because occasionally I note a few very small similarly shaped snails on some LR. It will be interesting to see if they reach maturity without being eaten by something. The next time I see one, I am going to try and transfer it to my fuge to provide it a safe haven to see if will grow into a full sized turbo or if it is simply another species which I did not intentionally add.

Good Luck