Best snails for detritus and sand bed algae?

[SmoothSmoke]

My trochus snails are absolute beasts consuming anything and everything off of rocks and glass. However these snails leave the sand bed untouched. I dont have much detritus or algae on the sand bed. But would love to know which snails work best for tackling that area?

 

[FX CharityCorals Verified Sponsor]

For detritus sand sifting cucumbers and nassarius snails. For algae cerith

 

[kaoscoder]

Nassarius snails are great. They rise up out of the sand bed like zombies and go after any uneaten food. Beneficial AND entertaining.

 

[mrcoffee2]

I have done quite a bit of research on this.

For snails I think the best thing you can get is a tiger / fighting conch. Nass snails are good but they really seem to like the freshly dead things or the newly added food in my tank.

The conchs will constantly churn and clean the sand.

 

[Ryan2428]

I have three fighting conch and they r awesome and entertaining

 

[jon68951]

Love the fighting conch and the starfish. They keep my sand bed clean I never have to do anything and the conch snail will also eat red slime

 

[Bad Company]

I had two fighting conches. Neither they nor any other snail (cerith, trochus, turbo, margarita) has done a decent job of cleaning the sand. Small hermit crabs seem to have some impact.

 

[zoechance]

I have done quite a bit of research on this.

For snails I think the best thing you can get is a tiger / fighting conch. Nass snails are good but they really seem to like the freshly dead things or the newly added food in my tank.

The conchs will constantly churn and clean the sand.

I couldn't agree more! I absolutely love my fighting conch. I have 3 of them and they are constantly patrolling my sand and meeting up with each other. They are entertaining also with those nose hoses and their eye stalks...

 

[SmoothSmoke]

Thanks all! Dont think I can get the fighting conch. Just read that it needs at least a 50g (per reefcleaners). My tank is only a 29g. A couple Nassarius snails is what I'll have to get.

 

[Lemony Lemons]

Thanks all! Dont think I can get the fighting conch. Just read that it needs at least a 50g (per reefcleaners). My tank is only a 29g. A couple Nassarius snails is what I'll have to get.

Why does it say it needs a 50g? Just curious... my fighting conch doesn't roam around too much so I would think maybe it's to ensure he's got enough to eat (bigger systems = more detritus)? Mine is slow as molasses but all he does is eat! I wrap some nori around a rock when my sand bed looks too clean or I notice he's going for my rocks, just to keep him on the ground and make sure he's fed.

Here's a pic of him eating my nori rock... sorry for the blurry glass, I didn't want to scrape it until he's done, he's shy

 

[Mike J.]

My first thought when reading this question was: How deep is your sand bed? Detritus build up and algae growth on the sand bed can be mostly eliminated with a deep sand bed. Even when my tanks gets poor maintenance and algae is increasing the sand bed still stays clean and free of algae and detritus; which I attribute to the DSB. And, the critters that inhabit it, of course.

 

[Beradd]

I like olive nails for there sand bed stirring abilities. I had a fighting conch that turned out to be a predator on nassarius snails (mighta been a miss identified crown or king conch). nassarius snails, sand sifting starfish, and tiger tail cucumbers are all sand bed stirrers that I employ... its not so much that they eat the algae on your sand bed . i keep 6-12 nassarius snails, 2 olive snails, 1 tiger tail cuc, and hey keep the 3 inch sand bed stirred and cleaned very well in my 40 breeder.