What eats diatoms?

[coral keeper]

What eats diatoms and is inverts/clam/reef safe? The tank is a 28 gallon nano cube with 30 lb of sand.

 

[sickboy]

Astrea Snails

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by sickboy
http:///forum/post/2775644
Astrea Snails
+1 downside is they do not like sand beds. Fighting conch will chow diatoms and will reside in your SB.

 

[bigarn]

stomatella snails are great diatom munchers.

 

[alix2.0]

now i read this somewhere on here, so it may or may not be true~
i was under the impression that nothing we keep in our tanks actually eats diatoms as a main part of its diet. snails & conchs can remove then from rocks & shift the sand over them (therefore causing them to die), but its not a staple food.
again, not 100% about that.

 

[stanlalee]

diatoms are a huge part of fighting conch and astrea/cerith snail diets. diatoms are the main reason you get snails right after the cycle is over. you probably cant do but one fightng conch in a 28g as it wont produce enough food for more than that.

 

[reefkprz]

diatoms are actually great filter feeder food, cleaning diatoms from glass and kicking them up from the sand bed feeds filter feeders, such as cklams dusters gorgonians etc.

 

[coral keeper]

The Diatoms are only on the sand bed. I don't want to kick it up so it wont go on the rocks and glass.