Turbos/Water change

[silverado61]

I was going to do a water change when I noticed one of my turbos at the top of the glass. He must have been there for a while cause I couldn't find him for at least a day. My question is: Will he be ok up there (out of the water) while I do the water change or should I try to move him?
My tank reached Ammonia-0 Nitrites-.02 Nitrates-10 KH-10 mEQ/L3.6 so I put 5 small turbos and 5 Dwarf Hermits in. I figured this would be enough CUC for now.
BTW, I have tiny Feather Dusters on my Macro, will the Hermits go after them?

 

[silverado61]

Quote:
Originally Posted by silverado61 http:///t/396304/turbos-water-change#post_3530708
I was going to do a water change when I noticed one of my turbos at the top of the glass. He must have been there for a while cause I couldn't find him for at least a day. My question is: Will he be ok up there (out of the water) while I do the water change or should I try to move him?
My tank reached Ammonia-0 Nitrites-.02 Nitrates-10 KH-10 mEQ/L3.6 so I put 5 small turbos and 5 Dwarf Hermits in. I figured this would be enough CUC for now.
BTW, I have tiny Feather Dusters on my Macro, will the Hermits go after them?

It's a 36g tank.

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by silverado61 http:///t/396304/turbos-water-change#post_3530708
I was going to do a water change when I noticed one of my turbos at the top of the glass. He must have been there for a while cause I couldn't find him for at least a day. My question is: Will he be ok up there (out of the water) while I do the water change or should I try to move him?
My tank reached Ammonia-0 Nitrites-.02 Nitrates-10 KH-10 mEQ/L3.6 so I put 5 small turbos and 5 Dwarf Hermits in. I figured this would be enough CUC for now.
BTW, I have tiny Feather Dusters on my Macro, will the Hermits go after them?

Snails are fine out of the water for a while. In fact, most snails are shipped dry in the bag. As long as your WC's are not two days the turbo will be fine.

As far as hermits going after micro dusters... Also, should be fine. I have never seen a hermit go after any feather duster.

 

[silverado61]

Thx sweatervest13. I was getting worried about the Dusters cause one of the crabs has been digging through the Macro since I got them. Is the number of snails and crabs ok for a 36g? I don't want to over do it. I know LFS's recommend 50 of this and 50 of that but I think that would be WAY too much.

 

[sweatervest13]

I had a bad crab hitchhiker once that would go after micro feather dusters. But he was pretty big. Maybe keep an eye on the hermits, but don't lose any sleep over it.

Your CUC sounds appropriate for the tank size. I am more of the school of CUC should match your bio load and feeding habits verses just tank size. Do you have a lot of uneaten food after you feed??

 

[saxman]

50 hermits is WAY too many, (as is 50 snails, IMHO)...they'll starve out, but before they do, they'll eat all of your snails to try and stay alive. Also, most hermits tend to develop a "taste" for snail meat, and once they do, they'll go after your snails anyhow...it has nothing to do with wanting a new shell.

For a 36 gal, I wouldn't add more than 2 or 3 hermits, and I'd add scarlet reef hermits (Pagueristes cadenati) over anything else, as they're the most docile of the hermits. I don't trust any of the others having kept several species. If you don't want hermits, add 3 Nassarius snails.

As for snails, I'd mix Astrea, Nerite, Trochus, and Ceriths. For now, I'd begin with maybe a dozen of the first 3 species, and maybe 6-12 Ceriths.

Stay away from Margarita snails, as they're temperate species that won't last long at tropical temps. Also stay away from Turbo snails unless you have a lot of hair algae, or you can find the orange Caribbean species Turbo castanea. Get 3 of them if you can find them.

Get started with that, then see what does well in your tank, and what gets eaten by which species, then adjust accordingly.

 

[silverado61]

Quote:
Originally Posted by saxman http:///t/396304/turbos-water-change#post_3530858
50 hermits is WAY too many, (as is 50 snails, IMHO)...they'll starve out, but before they do, they'll eat all of your snails to try and stay alive. Also, most hermits tend to develop a "taste" for snail meat, and once they do, they'll go after your snails anyhow...it has nothing to do with wanting a new shell.

For a 36 gal, I wouldn't add more than 2 or 3 hermits, and I'd add scarlet reef hermits (Pagueristes cadenati) over anything else, as they're the most docile of the hermits. I don't trust any of the others having kept several species. If you don't want hermits, add 3 Nassarius snails.

As for snails, I'd mix Astrea, Nerite, Trochus, and Ceriths. For now, I'd begin with maybe a dozen of the first 3 species, and maybe 6-12 Ceriths.

Stay away from Margarita snails, as they're temperate species that won't last long at tropical temps. Also stay away from Turbo snails unless you have a lot of hair algae, or you can find the orange Caribbean species Turbo castanea. Get 3 of them if you can find them.

Get started with that, then see what does well in your tank, and what gets eaten by which species, then adjust accordingly.

Damn! I got five Coraline Margarita. They seem to be doing fine. I keep the tank temp is between 76 and 77. They all have picked their own turfs. One stays on the glass and moves everywhere.
That and I've got five Dwarf Hermits. The Hermits even climb up the seams of the glass scrounging for food. Time will tell if the snails make. I'm confident the Dwarfs will. BTW true Margarita Snails live 1,000ft below the surface of the water. They would literaly melt from the lack of water pressure if taken out. I researched this. The Margaritas in tanks only look like true Margaritas. I forgot what the real name is for these snails are.

 

[saxman]

As far as I know, the species most places sell is Margarites pupillus, altho I've also seen them called "black turbo snails". I can wade out into the water here and grab them by the bazillions if I were so inclined. If your snails were collected in warmer waters, they may do better than most, but what happens is they generally "burn out" quicker than they would under cooler conditions due to increased metabolic rate.