advice on addition to CUC

[madlynb]

I have 8 turbo snails, 5 nassarius snails. My fish are 1 Tomini Tang, 1 Blue Hippo Tank, 1 panther grouper, 3 PJ cardinalfish, 1 Percula clown, 1 green brittle star, 1 black crab. I bought my CUC of snails about 3 weeks ago. I am interested in suggestions of gobies, shrimps, rabbitfish, with the thought to keep in mind that I will be adding coral in the future. My tank is 125 gal. w/40 gal long sump including refuge, protein skimmer. See a lot of black and green residue on my LR and DSB.:bowdown:

 

[winyfrog]

you need to be careful with the smaller fish such as gobies as well as shrimp etc. that grouper will eat them eventually. So I will suggest a rabbit or foxface (they are generally reef safe) Do you know what kind of crab your black one is?

 

[madlynb]

I believe it is an emerald crab. It has been in my tank since '07. It looks black to me but I basically only see it while it is hidden in the LR.

 

[winyfrog]

I believe it is an emerald crab. It has been in my tank since '07. It looks black to me but I basically only see it while it is hidden in the LR.

I was curious because you had mentioned you wanted to start keeping coral, so just making sure it was reef safe. :Cheers:

 

[ZOOT098]

i have been leaning twords snails, tons of them
i like the margarita snails, because they are inexpensive, decent sized and do a good job, i just got like 70 of them from THAT FISH PLACE for like .70 each

im also a fan of red tipped hermits, but i dont have nearly as many hermits as snails

 

[Bifferwine]

Margarita snails are a no no. They are usually collected off the Pacific coast. They are not warm water species, and they'll slowly cook to death in reef tanks. They do a good job at first, but within a couple weeks they'll all be boiled.

 

[ZOOT098]

once again you do what you think is the research and its not correct
i think im going to start a thread on wrong info

the temp range that they state is the same for turbos 72-80
and they say that margaritas are ind-pacific in origin

this is what That fish place has to say about margaritas

Margarita snails are some of the most common snails seen and chosen in the saltwater hobby. They prefer to eat green and brown algae occuring on rock and glass. Normally their shells are black and white and often encrusted with pink coralline algae. Margarita snails do not move well though sand or gravel so they should be placed close to rocks or glass when first placed into the aquarium. :frustrat:

 

[Bifferwine]

It's best to get your research from more than one site.

First and foremost, it is not a good idea to add this species to a typical reef system with a water temperature of 80° F / 27 °C or so, because the Margarita snail lives deep down in the ocean where the temperature is much lower. Unfortunately, you can still see this species being marketed as “the perfect clean-up snail for reef tanks”. It is true that they are great at cleaning up – they are veracious algae eaters – but being kept in tropical heat shortens their lives significantly.
Margarita Snail - Margarites pupillus

Margarites pupillus occurs deep in the temperate marine water bodies where the temperature is as low as thirty-nine degrees Centigrade.
Temperature of water: Fifty to sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit or ten to twenty degrees Centigrade.
FreshMarine.com - Margarita Snail - Margarites pupillus - Buy Cheap Stomatella Limpet Snail at Wholesale

Many snails sold as "Margarita" are temperate snails as opposed to tropical and simply will not survive in a reef environment. They are collected from colder waters of the Pacific and will slowly succumb and die in 80+ degree F waters.
Margarita snails are typically cold water snails and are sometimes collected from water temperatures in the 50s. It is no wonder they do not survive long in our systems.
Margarita snails - The Talkingreef Community

Margarita snails (Margarites pupillus) are another snail species commonly included in a clean-up crew package, but one that should not be added to a tropical marine system. While some hobbyists will knowingly add Margarita snails to a cooler tropical reef tank, this species is not a tropical species and should only be utilized in a temperate or cold water system. While Margarita snails are excellent hair algae eaters, and they will survive for some length of time in tropical reef tanks, knowingly adding a temperate species to a tropical environment is (and should be) frowned upon.
Clean up crew basic info. an FYI - Michigan Reefers

 

[dcantucson]

There you have it! And that's why she's a moderator.....

 

[ZOOT098]

i think i was owned

just wish it happened prior to buying 70 snails that now have been given a death sentence

just to clarify i do look at more than one site, but i guess they are mostly "major retailers" that are out to sell stuff

 

[Bifferwine]

i think i was owned

just wish it happened prior to buying 70 snails that now have been given a death sentence

just to clarify i do look at more than one site, but i guess they are mostly "major retailers" that are out to sell stuff

It's okay. I think we've all probably purchased margarita snails at one point. I know I did when I started this hobby.

 

[daugherty]

yep i did it one time to almost a hundred of them and they all died in a week or two

 

[winyfrog]

you can also check out this site
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ it is ran by marine biologist so you will get unbioused (I spelled it wrong) opinions, they aren't just trying to sell you something.

 

[mng777777]

I had margaritas that lasted almost 6 months, so there is some hope for you Zoo. Either way, when they are gone, go with Cerith or Astreas.

 

[madlynb]

HELLO! Can we get back to the original thread subject, plz!!!!!

 

[dcantucson]

SORRY... we were just having a break and a drink. Please forgive us, we were way out of line. And please don't tell Biff, she'll ban us. :lol:

 

[mng777777]

HELLO! Can we get back to the original thread subject, plz!!!!!

Right, well I think you need a lot more snails to start off with. I would suggest you avoid any more turbos because their waste trail is kinda nasty. Not sure if anyone mentioned it but Margaritas are also not a good plan because they... A lot of interesting stuff here... My favorites are Cerith and Astreas for glass and general clean up, and Nassarius for the sand bed. I would start off with another 10 Nassarius for your sand give or take a few depending on how deep it is. I would get 25 astreas and 25 cerith and another brittle or serpent star and see how that does for you. You can always add more if you need later. Stay entirely away from shrimp and gobie with that grouper. You could probably do good with the rabbitfish you are thinking about. You need to decide what direction you want to go with your tank and then do some research on it. The grouper doesnt belong in a reef. Your stocking decisions will be based on your long term goal for the tank and should probably be re-evaluated before you get any more livestock considering that you have several conflicting desires.

 

[dcantucson]

+1 Justin
In addition I would add some small blue legged hermits, about 25. Sand sifting stars, 2-4, and probably more Nassarius snails.

 

[mng777777]

stay away from the HC you'll thank me later, I've also heard mixed reviews on the SSS. Dcan do you have them? I have heard that they tend to die and leave more nasty in the sand than there was to begin with. I have never had them. Any thoughts?

 

[dcantucson]

Hermits would be fine for him (correction HER, sorry). It's a fish only set-up, no corals. I have several Sand Sifting Stars and never had any problems with them at all. But I also feed my tank everyday, so I think they get plenty of food as do the hermits. May be that's why some of you might have problems with your hermits. They're hungry! Feed them.