algae eating machine

[bigJPDC]

I had to share this. The one place in my entire tank that has algae is my eductor. Since it is unreachable it steadily grows a beard of brown hair, which I just wipe off every now and then. The other day I was moving some corals around and set an astrea on it and forgot about it.

lmao - after two days it looks like this:

 

 

you can see he's munched almost the whole thing clean. I am surprised the copperband hasn't found him and pecked him off, but this is why I have to have these guys in my tanks. I finally found astreas and ceriths last weekend and haven't had to clean my glass since.

 

enjoy,

jp

[toastiireefs]

they didnt do anything for me

[bigJPDC]

not sure toast. Giant mexican turbos also love the brown stuff, but I only saw it when I first cycled my tank and on the eductor. Maybe you have a different kind of algae.

[trble81]

I had a couple of astreas in my tank....then they started falling off the glass and rocks and whatever else they were on and I would pick them up and put them back...then they started falling off during the night and by the time I got home from work (the lights are off still when I take off for work), they were on the sand and not in their shells anymore.

 

They cleaned the crap out of whatever they were on....however, they became a delicious treat for something else

[zotzer]

Anyone who appreciate astrea should try trochus. They do the same thing (from what I can tell), but can right themselves when they fall over!

 

Tracy

[treesprite]

the mex turbos are amazing the way they go through stuff

[ArtC]

Anyone who appreciate astrea should try trochus. They do the same thing (from what I can tell), but can right themselves when they fall over!

 

Tracy

 

If they fall over. Hawkfish and some others will knock the snails off the glass and eat them.

 

Just plain falling off the glass sounds odd - like there was something wrong with them.

 

Mexican turbos are colder water snails and usually don't make it in reef tanks. (Shimek, Marine Invertebrates, p. 296)

Edited September 21, 2007 by ArtC

[bigJPDC]

cool - I didn't think this would spark discussion.

 

I picked up five trochus at F&F because I couldn't find astreas, and they were all dead the next day. Aquatic World out here in Leesburgh has an awesome cleanup crew selection, although they are $3 each, which adds up fast. I still have the orginal 7 scarlet hermits and 2 ceriths I bought from them almost a year ago, along with every fish I've ever bought from them.

 

Occasionally I will find the astreas upside down, but they seem to be able to protect themselves because after I right them they keep moving around. Remember, in nature they are food, not pets so it's not a big deal to just keep replacing them.

 

I have a feeling I lost my mexicans becuase the tank temp stayed over 80 all summer. Not sure if I even need to replace them now and didn't like how they kept knocking over frags anyway.

[treesprite]

If they fall over. Hawkfish and some others will knock the snails off the glass and eat them.

 

Just plain falling off the glass sounds odd - like there was something wrong with them.

 

Mexican turbos are colder water snails and usually don't make it in reef tanks. (Shimek, Marine Invertebrates, p. 296)

 

Didn't know that about mexican turbos, but I've had them in my tank for a very long time without problems.

 

As far as fish knocking snails off, my female clown knocks the large ones off the walls all the time, but they can right themselves easily. She doesn't bother the astreas.