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jeffm 
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 Topic: Snails and DSB and refuge
Posted: January 12 2009 at 6:33pm |
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So I have some snails to pick up from Deb tonight and I have a quick question. Is it a good idea to have snails in the refuge?
My refuge is small (about 12x10x10) with a 6 inch DSB. I was thinking mainly about the nassarious snails. Also, does anyone feed their DSB? I was reading about that last night. I just kind of threw it together because I heard it was a good idea to have one. I got all the sand from someone elses refuge, so it had a good start.
While I'm asking. I'm finally getting great growth out of my Cheato now that I stopped using 10,000k PC and started using a cheap 6,500k HomeDepot can light. But I'm still not seeing too many bugs. Some, but nothing to impress. I've been up for 2 months +. Do I just need to be more patient? And how packed should I let the Cheato get? I have a few other greens in there. Just in small amounts.
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Jeff Martin
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 12 2009 at 6:44pm |
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Just enough snails in the Refugium to keep it kinda clean
Did you mean feed the Refugium? The Refugium gets fed by the tank. That's it's purpose, to eat up the stuff that flows from the main display. The algae in the Refugium needs to be harvested regularly. When it gets 3/4 full of macroalgae take out half of it and give it away, throw it away and maybe let your herbivorous fish have some of it as often and/or as fast as they can eat it.
Patience is a virtue.
The more you feed the tank, up to a point, the more bugs will grow. They don't seem to like hanging around in Chaeto. They are more numerous in thick growths of Caulerpa along the sand.
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CrimsRayne
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Posted: January 12 2009 at 6:48pm |
Personally I wouldn't put snails in the fuge. Esp if it has only been set up for a couple months. There has to be enough food in there for them and the bugs and whatnot. Though depending on how you have it set up, it could be ok.
I don't think there is a size rule on the amount of macro. I just pull some out when it starts to look cramped.
You may have lots of bugs. They like to play/hide in the macro and sand, so maybe you can't see them all.
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"What we know from this hobby is too hard to share with the people who just want to look and not get wet." -Rioreefer
"The Puffer Girl"
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West Jordan
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pa_reptileman_4
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Posted: January 12 2009 at 7:11pm |
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i keep snails in my sump to reproduce. then harvest the babies.
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pitiful guppy tank.
shane
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MadReefer
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Posted: January 12 2009 at 11:06pm |
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I put a small amount of snails in my fuge. I also feed my fuge, only maybe once or twice a week. Maybe, if I took the snails out of the fuge, I wouldn't feel like I had to feed it.
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Mike Savage
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Posted: January 13 2009 at 7:53am |
I don't see a problem with a few snails in the sump/refugium. They mostly eat film algae.
Mike
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thefu
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Posted: January 13 2009 at 9:28am |
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I have one lucky giant turban snail in my refugium. I put him down there just to keep a handle on some of the film algae on the sides. My wife told me to move him to the display because he was lonely and he had such pretty burgundy colored macro all over his shell. I still have kept him down there for now.
In a related question, I have a bunch of extra kenya tree down there, is that a big no-no in terms of keeping the bug population up? If so, anyone want some kenya tree...hehehe
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 13 2009 at 1:23pm |
The Kenya is not a hindrance to the bug population. To get a better idea, look at the Refugium when it's dark. That's when the bugs come out to play. 
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jeffm
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Posted: January 13 2009 at 2:12pm |
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thanks for the responses. I do have a fair amount of film algae in there. I think put a snail in.
I take it from the responses that my thought of a nassarious snail working the sand is really not needed.
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Jeff Martin
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 13 2009 at 2:52pm |
Leave the sand alone and it will do it's job. If you are concerned about it, it's so simple to give the top layer of sand a stir once in a while to send detritus into the water column as coral food.
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