Best Snail for Algae?

Well.... Nerites, are really the only snails ive seen really go after Algae. Mystery, MTS, Trapdoor, Pond and most other snails exist. They dont really do much for algae. They will eat decaying plant material or fallen leaves. They will eat excess food and some clean the substrate.. BUT Nerites do eat Algae. They have been known to eat GSA, Ditom, brown and the like. None that I know of eat BBA, Hair or Staghorn or any other problematic.

Amano Shrimps will eat BBA and hair..

Unless you have a super tiny tank, or a ridiculous number of snails, they're not going to do jack for an algae problem.

I have 3 nerites in a 20g and they make lots of poop so theyre eating something, but it's not staghorn! hahaha

xmas_one said:

Unless you have a super tiny tank, or a ridiculous number of snails, they're not going to do jack for an algae problem.

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Exactly.

A community including a mixed snail population can contribute to reducing the food available to the algae but doesn't directly reduce significant algae quickly enough to correct an imbalance.

Maybe shorten the light period or add a brief unlit period during the day until you can achieve a better balance. Maybe spreading less total food over more feedings each day would help.

I like Malayan Trumpet snails. They tend to do their thing least during the most viewed part of the day, they don't leave little booger-like egg sacs around and are slightly more visually appealing than other snails. They often burrow in the substrate for extended periods of time.

LAKE said:

I like Malayan Trumpet snails. They tend to do their thing least during the most viewed part of the day, they don't leave little booger-like egg sacs around and are slightly more visually appealing than other snails. They often burrow in the substrate for extended periods of time.

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These are great for substrate cleaning. They make it look like the substrate is moving. They don't eat algae.

steak said:

These are great for substrate cleaning. They make it look like the substrate is moving. They don't eat algae.

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Of course they do. I've seen mine graze on algae on my glass but not as much as nerites do.

wait a couple hours after lights out, then turn on the light quickly and you'll see all the MTS on the glass and out and about eating above the substrate.

I like the mts, if you have sand the mts make it look like a sand zen garden =

Ramshorns: Diatoms (and unhealthy watersprite)

I have ~20 ramshorns in a 30 gallon tank. They are eating through what appear to be diatoms on my tank walls. I can faintly see their tracks though it. It may be true that they cannot eliminate an algae problem, but they save me the trouble of having to clean my tank.

They've also been eating my normal and broad leaf watersprite, mostly the latter. I was a little freaked out initially, but I noticed the plants they were eating had previously had very little growth. So they probably were not doing too well. My crypts and hygrophilia are untouched and super clean though.

I have a wide variety of snails in all my tanks, my favorite is the MTS. As conditions evolve different varieties become dominant/predominant/dormant rather quickly. Another living indicator of changing conditions in the tank. Another means of breaking down wastes, turning the substrate, cleaning the glass, they really help a lot.

I have not had a problem with snails eating desirable plant life, seems like they eat the micro organisms that contribute to decay. They also tend to eat lettuce or spinach very quickly (for snails), a nice little treat.

They do crawl on the glass, eating whatever micro organisms or sediments are present. Maybe even some tiny algae spores but if you see build up on the glass, the snails are likely eating what is growing on/in/around it. They won't be correcting the algae problem without assistance.

I can't remember the last time I scrapped algae off the glass. It always looks polished inside, with the cats nose marks on the outside.

My nerites eat more algae than any other snail.
Nerites for the glass.. And amano's and oto's for the leaves and decorations.
Not that I have alot to begin with.