Turbo Snails

[aussie lad]

Hi all,
Was just wondering how many turbo snails would be enough for a 24g tank.

 

[guille]

I have always gone with 1 med. for every 5 gallons. Seems to work for me

 

[aussie lad]

Do they leave alot of waste behind?

 

[guille]

No, snails and hermits do not increase your bio load. There are several snail types out there, but turbos tend to be the easiest and cheapest to get. They do tend to turn into little dozers as they get bigger. You have to keep an eye out sometimes they can not flip themselves back over off of loose substrates. I have one that likes to ride in circles on my wave maker that goes on a maxijet p/h. I think he likes getting dizzy

 

[jthomas0385]

I personally hate turbo snails. Mine always flip themselves over on their back. And for whatever reason I can never keep them alive. Any other type of snail, invert, I'm fine with. For whatever reason though they always die on me.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by JThomas0385
http:///forum/post/2484057
I personally hate turbo snails. Mine always flip themselves over on their back. And for whatever reason I can never keep them alive. Any other type of snail, invert, I'm fine with. For whatever reason though they always die on me.

Got to agree! But they're the best IMO on diatoms, so I always include a few, but a small enough number that I can keep track of them

 

[phelpz]

At least half of the turbo snails I buy just sit in one place, and then die.

 

[air_putih]

i just got 5 of them..and they're doing pretty fine...
how do you know whether or not they starved ?

 

[aussie lad]

Thanks guys, I might another one as they seem to be doing a good job for me

 

[florida joe]

turbos are good cleaners but they can get large and bull doze anything in there way

 

[debbie]

I have a turbo in my 10 gal the size of a gulf ball. I personally think smaller snails would be better cleaners. They do tend to knock things over like my frags.

 

[caseysimp7]

i say get 2 mexican turbo snails

 

[apos]

Oftentimes places sell turbos that are from cool waters. The reason these snails die is because they are basically boiling to death in reef temps. Their metabolism goes into overdrive, which is partly why they have a reputation as such voracious eaters. But it drastically shortens their lifespan, in addition to being sort of cruel.
When I first started out, I bought three orange chestnut snails that turned out to be cool water species. They all croaked within weeks. I felt incredibly guilty, and this is why I always try to heavily research my purchases from now on.
If you are going to get larger Mexican turbos, go with the zebra kind: they are at least a little better suited to reef temps, though still not perfectly.

 

[willlovesfish]

I have 3 mexican turbos in my 22 gallon tank, have been in there for a month now, doing perfect. They keep my tank very clean! 3 seems to be a good number, this way they have plenty of food too.