Reef packages?

thereefer9

thereefer9

Member
Hola,
I am considering purchesing a reef package from Swf. The price seems right compared to other sites, but I have read if you add hermits with snails the hermits will kill the snails. Are these packs effective? Also should I buy one of these packs or should I create my own and if I do what should it include?
Thanx,
THEREEFER9
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
i don't like their packages since most contain stars, Cbs's, etc.
what size tank do you have?
 
rudedog40

rudedog40

Member
I voted make your own. What I've read from the guru's here are the Reef Packages they put together for your size tank is overkill on the hermits and snails. Also, I haven't put a calculator to it, but I don't think SWF gives you any price break when buying one of their packages, as opposed to you buying them individually. If they don't give some kind of discount, what's the point?
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
here's my CUC for a 75:
2 or 3 MEXICAN turbos
20-30 TONGA nassarious snails
20-30 blue leg/red leg/white legged/zebra hermits
15-20 astrea snails
1 red brittle star
2 mythrax crabs (emeralds)
2 fighting conches
try to get some asterina stars (eventually, and may come as hitchikers) and cerith snails. also, don't order the snail shells from here, i have half a bag that are useless because they are astrea snails and my hermits won't go in them. if you're near the ocean, grab a TON of periwinkle snail shells.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
my hermits don't like astrea snail shells, and the nassarious snails are too fast/feisty for them. astrea and mexican turbos are too big for them. plus, i've added quite a few periwinkle and cerith snail shells to the tank and they LOVE them. as long as you give them plenty of homes they shouldn't fight.
if you had cerith snails they probably would become homes for the hermits. just make sure you have extra homes for them and they may leave the snails alone.
 
thereefer9

thereefer9

Member
also what purpose do lettuce nudibranchs serve. I have heard these are very dificult to keep alive for even 6 months
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
any cleaner clam i put in my tank eventually died.
lettuce nudibranches are good, but get sucked up into pumps too easy.
 
thereefer9

thereefer9

Member
Should I keep nudibranchs in my refugium do they eat algae or something. And would those seafood store clams be good at filtering,they are probably cheaper and easier to replace.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
the seafood store clams are the exact same thing, and what i tried. I *think* the reason none of mine survived was 1) lack of food (very little nitrates in my tank) and 2) not being used to the water being so warm.
nudibranches eat algae. they should be in the display tank. i honestly wouldn't bother with one.
 
R

randyo

Guest
finally got my nitrate levels in check... bad source water...had been losing some inverts and corals... hair algae had taken a good hold of my tank.. anyway, all is better now... just found this site.. now for the question.. it seems as though they have some good reef invert packages..... which one would be good for my established 115 gallon reef tank?
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thereefer9

thereefer9

Member
Will this work?
2 Fighting conches
25 asteria snails
3 orange turbos
1 brittle star
3 emerlds crabs
1 sally light foot
20 nassarious snails
20 halloween crabs
1 mated pair of Cbs for show
1 decorator crab for show
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
cbs will become a terror in your tank. the decorator crab will pickup and move everything in your tank, including the corals you haven't decided you want to go with but eventually will. orange turbos don't last in our tanks. tank is too new for brittle star.
halloween crabs are WAY too expensive. $15x20? tha's $300 by themselves.
definitely go blue leg or red leg, or get the assorted one.
instead of the orange turbos get mexican turbos. don't get this site's nassarous snails, they aren't tonga nas snails, and i don't think they are as good (i have both)
 
thereefer9

thereefer9

Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
cbs will become a terror in your tank. the decorator crab will pickup and move everything in your tank, including the corals you haven't decided you want to go with but eventually will. orange turbos don't last in our tanks. tank is too new for brittle star.
halloween crabs are WAY too expensive. $15x20? tha's $300 by themselves.
definitely go blue leg or red leg, or get the assorted one.
instead of the orange turbos get mexican turbos. don't get this site's nassarous snails, they aren't tonga nas snails, and i don't think they are as good (i have both)
wow didnt look at the price on that crab. and thanks for warning me on the decorator. My lfs dosent import tonga nassarious is there another snail I could substitute that will do as good a job
 
scotty37

scotty37

Member
my lfs promotes a snail called a margarita snail... but I havent paid much attention to it, or looked at it much. I may check it out tho since my turbo snails from here never seem to survive.
Renogaw, I noticed you promoted the red brittle star... which I had never heard of until now. Why is this star better than the others?
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
dunno, some people say the vibex nass snails (the black shelled ones) work just as well as the tonga ones, but i do have both, and the tonga are a LOT more active and stay off the glass more.
definitely try to get the tongas, check around other lfs's if you can.
 
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