Your favorite snail and why

[Maritimer]

I love having a variety ... but if I had to choose just a few, Trochus gets top nods for algae, cerith for general-purpose, and Nassarius for dedicated scavenging. I delight in Stomatellas, but so do my wrasses, so they mostly chill in my sump. Love the limpets (well, they're _like_ a snail!), but rarely see them in the display. Adore the Astraea and the ninja-stars, but worry about their ability to maintain their grips on both the rocks and reality. (Seriously ... how did a creature that can't right itself and _always_ lands upside-down even evolve?!)

~Bruce

 

[Duraticate]

For me the bumble bee snail. I like to keep a varity when i was researching snails the bumble bee snail discription started with it eats ditritus then algae. As where other snails started out with algae then ditritus. It all depends on what i need done. My faith gows to a turbo for hair algae. In my dont give up thread you can see the spots on the rock where the hair algae is gone that is direct results of adding turbos. You can literally watch them mow the grass. Lol i have my first couple of trouches snails so i cant say much i keep hearing great things. Cerith tend to become nuisance when they start breeding. Always figured that was free food for my fish. As for scavenger snails choose what you will there are a few. Stay away from a crown conche they eat snails. Lol

 

[FinnyGyrrl]

I really love all the snails named above!! A variety adds interest and provides complete tank cleaning service! Recently we tried a fighting conch!! It has hilarious habits--sleeps deep in the sand, with usually a single eye "on surveillance duty"! This one turns over our sandbed, without creating sandstorms. It's mouth is elongated like a vacuum sweeper attachment; and it cleans crannies like a crevice tool! It's 5" size means the kiddos enjoy watching it--alot! It's been a fantastic addition to a hard-working crew.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I don't have a cleanup crew. If I ever decide to get snails then I know everyone here could give me good advise.

 

[BigJohnny]

I don't have a cleanup crew. If I ever decide to get snails then I know everyone here could give me good advise.

You don't have a clean up crew?! No snails period? I consider tangs/rabbitfish/blennies part of a clean up crew as well btw. But this is about snails, no snails?!

 

[Xclusive Reef]

do snails climb out the tank if you have no cover? never had snails before either

 

[dragon99]

Trochus, for all of the reason already stated.
Ceriths are a close second. Takes many more of them, but they are a great all purpose snail. You might not know you have any though because they like to hide in the sand during the day, but check your tank at night and the army comes to life!

 

[dragon99]

do snails climb out the tank if you have no cover? never had snails before either

Nerites for sure will. I've not had a problem with any of the others trying to leave.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

You don't have a clean up crew?! No snails period? I consider tangs/rabbitfish/blennies part of a clean up crew as well btw. But this is about snails, no snails?!

well no snails or crabs but six tangs

 

[dodgerblew]

I have one turbo. (Gotta be 5 yrs old with me) and probably a dozen or more Astraea turbos.

Both good but the snail no one mentioned so far is absolutely my favorite and the best cleaner.....Strombus Maculatus or Hawaiian Strombus Grazers. Looks like miniature conchs, really cool patterns on shells, all different, some with black and some with red and only get to a 1/2". They clean everything and always working. They knock nothing over and hermits don't bother them and best of all they reproduce in the aquarium very well so a good colony will have egg sacs on the glass to all sizes of snails from pinhead+ size and up to the 1/2" size.

 

[furyofthegnomes]

I have to go with the ninja star snails. I've had five in my tank for over a year now and have not had any die, and I honestly can't think of a single time I've had to flip one over. They move all over my glass, sand, and rocks munching away and look really cool and unique doing it.

 

[Big G]

Gotta be my Florida Cerith - Harry. He's got this plant growth all over his back and a small, either scallop or oyster attached on his tail end. He's so clumsy, wallowing around the tank. He reminds me of Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoons. Too funny.

 

[OrlandoReefer]

Trochus because they can flip themselves over are small and do not disturb corals with there movements and have a long life span in captivity bonus they have spawned in my tank which is so cool

 

[Xclusive Reef]

What is the size of your clean up crew? Recommendations for 100'gallon tank?

 

[Barrett]

Nassarius snails, I love watching them pop out of the sand the second they smell food in the tank, my daughter loves to watch how fast they cruise around the tank.

 

[JALIASC]

Trochus- They are fast, right themselves, can fling hermits off, cause you to think your tank has crashed during spawn events. What more could you want in a snail.

2nd place goes to Astraea. They clean up plugs real well and do good work on the rocks.
3rd goes to turbos. Excellent grazers but they are bulldozers.

Definitely agree with this list. Trochus snails are my fav by far

 

[ReefWeeds]

I have two favorites and can't choose. I love money cowries. They're beautiful and work hard to keep your reef clean. Second are banded trochus- like others, I just love them. Hard workers and they've got great longevity. I have 3 or 4 now going on 3 years. They also reproduce readily in the aquarium. I love finding baby trochus in my sump.

 

[najer]

Money / ring cowries and dove snails (England here, no good at proper names), between the 2 of them, if you have no big snail munchers or sand divers they do sand rock and glass.

 

[Richard Severns]

Bumble bee snail's have been great for me, seems nearly indistructable

 

[Mariners]

Trochus cause they can upright themselves and defend against hermit crabs. Plus its cool watching hermits fly off w a twist