Are SPIRAL HORN SNAIL good algae eaters ?

[Gamezawy]

hi all

i was wondring are SPIRAL HORN SNAIL good as Zebra Nerite in eating algae ?

[Sugardaddy1979]

I think they are. The good thing about them is that they can get into you smaller leaved plants because they are lighter and smaller.

[pmcarbrey]

'Spiral horned snails' are horned nerites... So yes.

[acitydweller]

they are good for feeding in small crevices and areas that would otherwise go neglected but i wouldnt go out of my way to pick these as there are better algae feeders around.

[Gamezawy]

Originally Posted by acitydweller

they are good for feeding in small crevices and areas that would otherwise go neglected but i wouldnt go out of my way to pick these as there are better algae feeders around.

what are the better algae feeders then ?

[pmcarbrey]

Sae, and BN plecos are the best, or Amano shrimp

[C Campbell]

These are just comments from my own experiences and should not be considered to be an expert opinion.

My preffered algae eater is the Otocinclus and are what I use to control algae Dust type algae.

SAE are good when small, but do not eat at algae as much when adult and I have had some leaf damage come from them. They will eat some BBA algae when young.

I have not found BN plecos to do that much against algae, but others seem to find they work well.

Nerite snails I like, but have trouble keeping them alive.

Amanos do a good job of cleaning out algae, but watch for any fish that might harm them.

A good combination of Otos/Amanos could be great if the tank suits!!!

-Cory

[HybridHerp]

I do like nerites, for their looks and their algae eating, but I gotta say that the best bet is to have more than one type of algae eater.

Ideally, having some species of shrimp (or even two or more species), otocinclus, and nerite snails, all in the same tank, seems to be the best option (in terms of smaller fish).

If this was a larger planted tank where smaller inverts could not work, I think a small group of south american algae eaters and bristle nose pleco's would be fantastic, with perhaps a few mystery snails (if tank space allows for all of that).

I'm still working on trying to find fish in the 8"+ range that are good algae eaters and safe for planted tanks. For a little while, I had a fei fang that kept a lower tech iteration of my 75 mostly clean of algae and yet also allowed for my plants to do okay...but after having such a fish, I feel like for it to be kept in a heavily planted tank requires something more like a 6 or 8 foot long tank, because they like to move too and fro and are very powerful swimmers, where even a brush of its tail can send plants flying.