It's a sad day for the reef

Lavey29 · Oct 4, 2022

I am moving my big turbo snails back to the LFS. These guys have been with me about a year and have grown huge. They are incredible algae eating machines but over the past few months they seem to really have to work to find any good algae to eat. I will let my glass go sometimes just to supplement them and am not really a fan of nori in the tank because it gets shredded by the fish. I have been worried that my Big Guys might not be getting enough to eat and I don't want to see them slowly decline. Luckily the LFS where I got them will take them back and they will be fine in their frag tanks. Also, hopefully they will be available in case I ever have to call them back into service. Right now my tank has virtually no algae. I was worried about the urchins to but there is enough coraline to sustain them it seems. Thanks for a job well done Big Guys....I forgive you guys with all the frag bulldozing too. Accidents happen.

Do you guys ever have to thin back your cleaning crew or do you let nature take its course?

homer1475 · Oct 4, 2022

Some of my wrasses seem to do a better job of decimating the population then starvation.

Lavey29 · Oct 4, 2022

homer1475 said:
Some of my wrasses seem to do a better job of decimating the population then starvation.

Strange neither my wrasses or even the hermits mess with my snails.

Tired · Oct 4, 2022

Having too many herbivores artificially placed in a space too small to sustain them isn't really "nature taking its course".

I tend to err on the side of too few herbivores, so I haven't had to remove any so far. The baby tuxedo urchin currently in my pico is kinda pushing that, but it's only in there until the big tank grows algae in.

KrisReef · Oct 4, 2022

Lavey29 said:
I am moving my big turbo snails back to the LFS. These guys have been with me about a year and have grown huge. They are incredible algae eating machines but over the past few months they seem to really have to work to find any good algae to eat. I will let my glass go sometimes just to supplement them and am not really a fan of nori in the tank because it gets shredded by the fish. I have been worried that my Big Guys might not be getting enough to eat and I don't want to see them slowly decline. Luckily the LFS where I got them will take them back and they will be fine in their frag tanks. Also, hopefully they will be available in case I ever have to call them back into service. Right now my tank has virtually no algae. I was worried about the urchins to but there is enough coraline to sustain them it seems. Thanks for a job well done Big Guys....I forgive you guys with all the frag bulldozing too. Accidents happen.

Do you guys ever have to thin back your cleaning crew or do you let nature take its course?

View attachment 2850784

Everytime I return a clean up crew member it seems that down the road I will be replacing that snail, crab, filefish, or shrimp to address the ecological problem that I thought had been handled. Your tank looks very nice, btw!

Lavey29 · Oct 4, 2022

Tired said:
Having too many herbivores artificially placed in a space too small to sustain them isn't really "nature taking its course".

I tend to err on the side of too few herbivores, so I haven't had to remove any so far. The baby tuxedo urchin currently in my pico is kinda pushing that, but it's only in there until the big tank grows algae in.

I agree, but when the food source dries up (no pun) because the tank matures and becomes much more stable then it gets to a point where you have to make a decision on what's best for the inverts there doing the work. This is why I always like having my LFS just down the street because I know if something doesn't work out I have a back up plan. I tried to add a YWG bunch of months back and the reef neighborhood just would not accept him at all even though he was a peaceful bottom dweller. Luckily I am able to just take him back and he gets the opportunity to find a more suitable home rather then stressing and dying. Same with my inverts.

Lavey29 · Oct 4, 2022

KrisReef said:
Everytime I return a clean up crew member it seems that down the road I will be replacing that snail, crab, filefish, or shrimp to address the ecological problem that I thought had been handled. Your tank looks very nice, btw!

Sure that could be a possibility but its easier to add them back then have them start dying inside some cave rocks where you can't see them and fouling the tank up. Have you ever smelled a snail passing away in your tank? the water wreaks bad.

thank you for the tank compliment.

vetteguy53081 · Oct 4, 2022

Lavey29 said:
I am moving my big turbo snails back to the LFS. These guys have been with me about a year and have grown huge. They are incredible algae eating machines but over the past few months they seem to really have to work to find any good algae to eat. I will let my glass go sometimes just to supplement them and am not really a fan of nori in the tank because it gets shredded by the fish. I have been worried that my Big Guys might not be getting enough to eat and I don't want to see them slowly decline. Luckily the LFS where I got them will take them back and they will be fine in their frag tanks. Also, hopefully they will be available in case I ever have to call them back into service. Right now my tank has virtually no algae. I was worried about the urchins to but there is enough coraline to sustain them it seems. Thanks for a job well done Big Guys....I forgive you guys with all the frag bulldozing too. Accidents happen.

Do you guys ever have to thin back your cleaning crew or do you let nature take its course?

View attachment 2850784

Just sea hares which I have not needed for over 4 years

KrisReef · Oct 4, 2022

Lavey29 said:
Sure that could be a possibility but its easier to add them back then have them start dying inside some cave rocks where you can't see them and fouling the tank up. Have you ever smelled a snail passing away in your tank? the water wreaks bad.

thank you for the tank compliment.

You are welcome. I have smelled the wretched smell of the snail in their coffin. If I was a skunk I would want a gland that produced the snail coffin spray instead of the typical skunk odor. Dead snails are much more unpleasant, potent, and gag-worthy, ime.

Lavey29 · Oct 4, 2022

KrisReef said:
You are welcome. I have smelled the wretched smell of the snail in their coffin. If I was a skunk I would want a gland that produced the snail coffin spray instead of the typical skunk odor. Dead snails are much more unpleasant, potent, and gag-worthy, ime.

Which is why the turbos that are bigger then golf balls need a vacation home for awhile.