Nassarius Snails

I'm planning my CUC now. Should I hold off on the Nassarius Snails untill I get fish since they don't eat algae? Also how many for a 50 Gall. Hex?

Thanks,

Brian

 

I would wait for the nassarius for the fish as they eat detritus and left over food. I wouldn't get too many as hexs are tall and don't have much area on the bottom. I would get maybe 4-6 depending on how much sand you have open.

 

Nassarius snails dont last very long for me. the best snails for long term in my tanks have been ceriths (dwarfs&large), turbos, and nerites.

 

I love my nassarius! They are so cute. As soon as it's feeding time they are racing around the tank trying to find some food.

Definitely wait until you have fish in there before adding the nassarius since they eat detritus and meat. And they do stay on the sand bed, so don't over do it.

 

One issue I've had with them is that if they die, you don't really know. I had about 12-15 of them, now maybe 3-5. They only come out at night now. My favorite snail is a cerith, dwarf or regular. They can flip them selves over, at least can eventually get back up, stay in the tank and are good cleaners. Astreas are good too, but if they fall or get flipped over, you need to help them or they will eventually die. Nerites tend to stay huddles in a corner during the day and will climb out too. I've found a few on my carpet.