Reefcleaners question.

[Jonathan Troutt]

So I am wanting to order from these guys because I cannot stand the insane prices that my LFSes have. I am not home during the day my wife would be home and available to bring the package indoors but would it be ok to sit until I got home? Prolly something like 5 extra hours in the box?

 

[reaper0268]

As long as it is brought inside, it should be fine My LFS stock is usually sick or lacking. I ordered everything online and have had great experiences. The few times something was wrong the vendors have always resolved.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

5 extra hours. NBD.

 

[Scurvy]

Should be okay indoors. Better if she could open the box and float the bags for you but should be fine if not.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

That’s good to hear. My lfs sells nassarius for 2.99 a piece. It’s nutz. Anyway looking at reefcleaners packs. I have a 40breeder and their 40breeder pack seems like a lot of snails.

Do anyone of you have experience with these pre built packs are they adequate or to much?

 

[reaper0268]

Too much in my opinion. Most of the snails will die when the food is gone. In addition to snails, I would also look for microfauna.. small brittle stars, bristle worms, spaghetti worms to eat detritus and food.

 

[Scurvy]

I usually skip the package deals and go for what I know i want. Packs tend to come with filler items IMO.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Ok then we’ll currently I have 3 nassarius snails and 4 very large trochus snails and maybe 4-6 large hermits.

I know I want some smaller snails to be able to get into the smaller areas in my rock. I am wanting some addition nessarius snails.

What would you guys recommend?

I’ve always read star fish will knock my corals off and over.

 

[reaper0268]

Trochus, stomatella, cerith, and nassarius are the only snails I'll buy. Couple of scarlet reef hermits. 2 for your tank. An emerald crab if you start to see bubble algae. I would not get any hermit other than the scarlet reef. All the other hermits will eat your snails quickly.

 

[Idoc]

I haven't purchased the pre-built packs...i buy the type of snail i need for the particular job I need fixed.

I like their Astrea snails... good eaters and hardy. But, they can't flip themselves over so you have to watch if they tumble off a rock. The only ones I've had to flip have been ones i knocked over though.

Their cerith snails are good... the little ones get into rock crevices very well.

Nerite are good as well, but they have been known to leave the tank...i haven't had any do this, though. They will sit up at the edge of the water line sometimes.

Nassarious eat only meat... good to clean up after getting the fish.

I wish they did trochus snails though...i bought 5 of those from my lfs and they're doing great.

They usually send more than you ordered to account for any doa. Which is very nice of them.

Depends how much algae you have for them to eat to determine how many to purchase, though. Too many and they starve and can foul your water... but the nassarious snails will love the extra meals and fix that problem for you, lol.

I have a 75g with around 5 trochus, 6-7 astraea, ~10 nassarious, ~6 nerite, and who knows how many dwarf ceriths! My rocks are clean of algae... but my back wall is covered in GHA (on purpose attempting to out-compete a new dino bloom due to low nutrients). The snails attack the back glass some, but mainly focus on the rocks.

 

[Scurvy]

^^ What he said. I also like Astrea snails and stick to dwarf hermits over the larger ones.

^^ What they said

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

Oh I have one emerald crab because of a small amount of bubble algae. But the picture I posted show the main issues currently.

Forgive the clownfish they always photobomb me. So cyano is growing inside of the rock structure. And the brown diatoms looking stuff is actually hair on the rock behind the mushroom

 

[Scurvy]

What kind of flow do you have in the tank? With diatoms on the sand and Cyano under the structure I wonder if you need more flow...

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

I have lots of flow in my tank. Two jebao pp-4’s on running full blast opposing each other they are on the sine wave mode and are not in sync. Plus the return from the sump which is about 380gph.

I should also say I have just recovered from a period of super high nitrate levels. 160+ppm high.

 

[Scurvy]

180 is No Bueno! Where they at now? The results of being that high are what you’re seeing now.

Are the PP-4’s clean? My small jaebo needs to be cleaned almost weekly to be adequate at 100% in a 17g tank.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

180 is No Bueno! Where they at now? The results of being that high are what you’re seeing now.

Are the PP-4’s clean? My small jaebo needs to be cleaned almost weekly to be adequate at 100% in a 17g tank.

Yes I know. I may lose my chalice from it. My Duncan has a bare spot on its trunk that is starting to heal and my acan hasn’t almost recovered fully now that I’m getting the no3 lowered. The acan still has some recession.

Nitrates are still not where I want them but they are a lot lower than what they have been. Tonight I tested and the color is in between the 25 and 50 color on the salifert chart. New fuge light is coming tomorrow and chaeto will go back into the fuge should take care of the rest.

Back before my fuge light took a crap I had issues keeping my nitrates elevated.

Yes my pp4’s get cleaned weekly. And there is enough random flow that I see grains of my sand being moved around. Which my sand is not sugar sized. Next step up I think.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

My largest trochus snail I love these guys. I killed 4 of them when I first set my tank up because I didn’t acclimate properly.

 

[Scurvy]

Sounds like you’re on the right path. Manually remove the hair algae as best you can, try to get some flow underneath or inside that rock structure if its lacking there to combat the cyano and definitely hold off on the coral feeding until you get you Nitrates back in check and the chaeto growing again.

Astrea snails will work well on the diatoms. You mentioned large hermits earlier. They’ve eaten Acans on me which is why I like the Dwarf’s.

 

[Jason777]

I've ordered from ReefCleaners and have been happy with their CUCs. If you don't want hermits in your tank be careful because I have received a couple in cerith shells. On my first order USPS took my priority package on a trip through Florida and the East Coast and did not arrive for 10 days. One type, I believe the nassarious, did not survive but the rest were in pretty good shape. An email to ReefCleaners and they asked for a picture and then were very quick to replace the DOA.

 

[Jonathan Troutt]

@Scurvy I think I bought dwarfs they are just large at this point purchased both blue and red legged dwarf hermits.

@Jason777 good to know they made it right. I’ve heard good things about them.

I’m gonna order from em. Thanks guys for all your help!