New To Reefing

Sean81

Member
Nov 11, 2015
112
36
Sydney, South
Dying Turbos
Hi, my turbos keep dying in my 120. Only other clean up is small hermit and sand sifter plus a few peppermints. The turbos will last a month or two then keep falling off the glass the eventually dying.

There is plenty to eat on the back glass, and usually the front. Plus my gonis and LPS are all happy healthy and growing. Nitrate is stable about 10-15 and phosphate 0-0.01 on hanna.

Any ideas? I know they fall off a lot but not usually dying. I'm just about to lose my 5th in 3 months.
 

Sean81

Member
Nov 11, 2015
112
36
Sydney, South
Shrimp & hermit will both attack snails.
Yeah but they are all very well fed and only seem to attack once the snails are well dead. At the moment two snails are all closed up against the glass and not putting their foot out and no one is hassling them. They seem to just give up.
 

hoangii

Member
Feb 2, 2013
158
64
Footscray
Dead snail if not taken out can deteriorate and leech out ammonia. Small amount maybe can affect the other snails and in turn can cause them to die... my theory is not supported but can be a possibility

Maybe a small water change may help.
 

Savage Henry

Member
Feb 2, 2015
653
254
Where are you getting them from?

I have come across a lot of snails and other mollusks around Sydney that are obviously temperate and that could be sold off in LFS or elsewhere.

I have one turbo that was sold to me about two years ago and which has grown big and has lasted. I also had two others that I bought from LFS A that died, one soon after purchase, the later more recently. It made me wonder whether the two that died were not tropical snails. Similarly, I purchased a Strombus from LFS A that died maybe three weeks after purchase whereas I have a different Strombus that I purchased from Aquaristic three years ago and it is alive and well in my tank today. It has made me question where LFS A was getting stock from.

I won't mention who LFS A was.

Have seen both turbos and Strombus in temperate environments and know they could be easily exploited by someone chasing a quick buck.
 

Sean81

Member
Nov 11, 2015
112
36
Sydney, South
Where are you getting them from?

I have come across a lot of snails and other mollusks around Sydney that are obviously temperate and that could be sold off in LFS or elsewhere.

I have one turbo that was sold to me about two years ago and which has grown big and has lasted. I also had two others that I bought from LFS A that died, one soon after purchase, the later more recently. It made me wonder whether the two that died were not tropical snails. Similarly, I purchased a Strombus from LFS A that died maybe three weeks after purchase whereas I have a different Strombus that I purchased from Aquaristic three years ago and it is alive and well in my tank today. It has made me question where LFS A was getting stock from.

I won't mention who LFS A was.

Have seen both turbos and Strombus in temperate environments and know they could be easily exploited by someone chasing a quick buck.
Yeah I think we shop in the same areas. Come to think of it they all came from one LFS. And the latest two lasted only 3-4 weeks. Ok I will change supplier and see how I go. Cheers.
 
Sep 24, 2013
367
280
Palm Beach
I have had similar issues with a bunch of species of snails. They would die for no noticeable reason, which doesn't mean there wasn't a reason. They are sensitive to water parameters, easy prey for large hermits and some fish and also sensitive to metals.

In one episode I cut a frag, with a rusted plier, near a throchus snail and it died instantaneously. Its well know they are sensitive to cooper, and this episode showed they are also sensitive to other metals.

Finally, around two years ago, I bought a handful of turbo snails from a fellow reefer and they reproduce like crazy, so no more issues with snails disappearing.
 

potatocouch

Member
Jan 16, 2014
1,124
153
Sydney
Finally, around two years ago, I bought a handful of turbo snails from a fellow reefer and they reproduce like crazy, so no more issues with snails disappearing.
Their reproduction rate fare higher than the mortality rate (from what I've observed) ... I'm still seeing high mortality rate (by looking at empty shells) but I can't see any shortage of it.

Try to get a horny one next time, @Sean81
 

riley

Member
Apr 25, 2013
371
112
GYMEA BAY
+1 for temperate turbo's you can defiantly get turbo's in waters around Sydney. I've also had mine barely hanging on when i change my alk a little to aggressively.
 

potatocouch

Member
Jan 16, 2014
1,124
153
Sydney
How many do you have in your cube?
I don't know, man .. countless ... I used to be able to see it spawning in my pico tank .. probably back then I got nothing better to do than staring at my pico tank.

In the cube, I hardly seen them spawn (those milky liquid) but they're everywhere ... I recalled my niece said my tank is disgusting because it got so many baby turbo snails.
 

potatocouch

Member
Jan 16, 2014
1,124
153
Sydney
Maybe you have too many of them and that's why you have some dead ones.
Yeah maybe. I can't control them not to spawn :D

I swear to you man, the one or two (the ancestors) that I got from Aquaristic probably super horny bastards .... need to do some vasectomy.
 

NiCd

Lead Moderator
Jul 29, 2011
4,296
1,586
Sydney
I'm not a person to bash LFS but its best to stay away from snails (turbos and ceriths at least) through LFS as most of the time they are not suited to aquarium life.

One of my LFS even sell temperate black nerites for $10 each, which although they seem to go OK in tropical water have an awesome habit of wanting to leave the tank being intertidal.

There is quite a lot of hobbyists (myself included) and a few online companies (best seems to be oceanarium) that sell aquacultured ones that thrive in tanks for a fraction of the cost as to what LFS charge.

This isnt a situation where you can say I prefer wild collected because they have better colours or are cheaper etc aquacultured win all round.
 
Oct 30, 2015
13
2
I'm not a person to bash LFS but its best to stay away from snails (turbos and ceriths at least) through LFS as most of the time they are not suited to aquarium life.

One of my LFS even sell temperate black nerites for $10 each, which although they seem to go OK in tropical water have an awesome habit of wanting to leave the tank being intertidal.

There is quite a lot of hobbyists (myself included) and a few online companies (best seems to be oceanarium) that sell aquacultured ones that thrive in tanks for a fraction of the cost as to what LFS charge.

This isnt a situation where you can say I prefer wild collected because they have better colours or are cheaper etc aquacultured win all round.
Hi all,
I bought half a dozen from NiCD 6 months ago and all are going strong so thumbs up from me on his stock
 

Sean81

Member
Nov 11, 2015
112
36
Sydney, South
I don't think so but I must admit I don't test Alk as much as I should. I am almost finished my DIY stirrer to make my Alk tests easier and then more frequent.