CUC close to water surface, is anything wrong?

[arturoo1977]

Hi all, my tank is a recent new setup and is still in early stages.
In past days first CUC members were introduced, 5 snails and 2 crabs with a bonus of a little star.
Thing is, couple of days a go I noticed the star and two snails were at top of glass clse to water surface, but this morning all of them are in similar spots.
Is there something wrong? Why are they not in the rocks?
My two little clowns swims at bottom and seem pretty happy.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Oxygen comes to mind....

How new? How was it cycled? Got a skimmer? What are your water parameters ?

 

[arturoo1977]

Also thought about oxygen, but fish seems pretty normal, not heavy breathing nor surface swimming.
Not skimmer but lots of surface movement.
Cycled with swrimp and bacteria method in about 4 weeks.
Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10

 

[lmm1967]

what kind of snails and what kind of star?

Some snail species will actually crawl right out of the tank - especially the first few weeks of being in a new environment

 

[vetteguy53081]

Mine do it all the time and that's also where they lay their eggs for me.

 

[Sailingeric]

I think you are ok. Mine do it a lot. They are doing what you want them to do, clean the tank, all the way to the top.

 

[Be102]

I have a few snails whom I would assume are dead ( because I swear they are in the same spot outside of the tank alll the time) lol I went over and it was stuck to the glass and wouldn’t let go so I gave up. I’ve also found some behind the glass / maybe fell off and were no longer wet.

Once found one on my rug on its side; picked him up and put him on a rock in the tank and he just started moving along like he was waiting for me!

 

[arturoo1977]

5 turbo snails and 1 asterina star that came on one of the snails.
I will rearrange flow just in case and keep them watched.
Thanks

 

[mtfish]

I have an army of cerith snails that climb the glass each night. During the day they are on the substrate.

 

[lmm1967]

I swear asterina stars can live in a salty sewer line - I've never had one move out of the tank - I'd ignore that (some people will remove as some species of them may snack on soft coral - I'm not sure one way or another but keep an eye on them just in case).

The turbo snails - it really depends on where they came from. There are different species and some of them come from much cooler waters than what we keep our reef tanks at.

Depending on tank size - you may want to watch the turbos - they perish pretty regularly in my experience and a large one in a small tank - especially a newer tank - could cause an ammonia spike for a short period of time.

 

[ZoWhat]

Oxygen Schmox-o-gen....

The TASTIEST algae film is to be had along the top waterline.

All snail instinctively know this.

Very rarely do you see snail on LR bc the easy tastiest meal is on the GLASS