Hard to Kill: Using Cerith Snails and Siphonaria Limpets by Kenneth WingerterNuisance algae is almost certain to emerge—at least to some extent—in all reef aquarium systems. Of course, the maintenance of good water quality is by far the best way to combat them. However, herbivores present an effective and totally natural means of algae control. Snails in particular are a great choice of algae-eating herbivore. In addition to mopping up unwanted algae, many snails act as fantastic detritivores, consuming accumulations of settled organic particulate matter. All that being said, there are some downsides to using snails for this purpose—at least some species! Though generally hardy, some snail species have a terrible record of survivability in marine aquaria. Some are fairly selective feeders and starve to death after eradicating their favored food source. Some are extra sensitive to poor water quality. Some are collected from temperate (i.e. cooler) habitats and cannot tolerate extended exposure to the “hot” water of the usual reef tank. Some simply have short lifespans and are typically already on their way out by the time they enter the aquarium trade. Whatever the case, dead snails rapidly pollute the water; this obviously is quite counter-productive when you’re attempting to remove solid organic wastes or reduce nutrients in the midst of an algal plague. Born to live Dead snails are almost as annoying, disgusting and detrimental to the health of your reef tank as detritus and nuisance algae. In order to minimize the impact their decomposition has on your system, we suggest the following: Don’t introduce more than you’ll have (or eventually provide) food for. Don’t introduce so many that it’ll be difficult to keep track of them (i.e. look for dead ones). Only introduce hardy, adaptable species. Only introduce captive-bred specimens. Clearly, the idea behind those last two points is that with a reduced risk of mortality (especially mass mortality), there is little chance that you’ll miss a dead snail somewhere. And, even if you do, the occasional mortality won’t be like losing a dozen giant turbo snails all at once while you’re out of town for the weekend. Fortunately, there are a couple of small—and virtually indestructible–mollusks that will meet all your basic clean-up requirements: The cerith snail and the siphonaria limpet. Cerith snail The cerith snail (Cerithium spp.) has become a classic clean-up crew critter. Willing to eat anything from film algae to raw detritus, they are highly valued as a do-all member of clean-up crews. Completely reef-safe, they are far less troublesome than some other scavengers such as hermit crabs. Further, they help keep the surface layer of substrates clean through their constant plowing and burrowing. Unlike some other scavengers such as sand-sifting starfish, they are not known to consume any desirable sand-dwelling meiofauna. Ceriths live in somewhat unstable, nearshore environments. Their adaptation to this type of environment makes them relatively tolerable of fluctuations of temperature, salinity, oxygen availability, etc. Thus, they tend to flourish in captive conditions. In aquaria, these snails primarily occupy the surface and subsurface of the substrate. They are often much more active at night. Because of their tiny shell size, they can squeeze into tighter areas as they clean the aquarium bottom. Best of all, unlike some other snail species, they do not knock over small corals as they move over rocks. Unlike some sand-sifters such as diamond gobies, they do not heap sand over bottom-dwelling corals and clams. Siphonaria limpets Siphonaria limpets (Siphonaria spp.) aren’t actually true limpets but rather are pulmonate snails. These little guys are dedicated herbivores. They eat most types of algae but are especially fond of green film algae. Like ceriths, they occur in rugged environments and are thus tougher than the average snail. Additionally, because they naturally inhabit wave swept shallows, they tolerate the powerful water currents one might employ in an SPS-dominated system. Even better, their tough, low-profile shells help protect them for harassment by predators such as crabs, wrasses, etc. Not only are siphonaria limpets long-lived, but they also are capable of reproducing in the aquarium. From the snail farm Captive-bred aquarium animals are almost universally hardier than wildcaught specimens. This makes pretty good sense, since these individuals are already fully adapted to captive conditions. Snails are no exception here. One nice thing is that you don’t have to worry about any hard-to-treat hitchhikers that arrive on the shells of wild snails. But the big thing is how much sturdier aquacultured snails are. Maybe they cost an extra buck apiece… Big deal. They actually live longer. What a huge difference in not having to replace them every other week! And even better is that you’ll never have to worry about making a messed up tank even worse because of a couple dead snails that slipped between the cracks in your rock base. Sure, even your aquacultured snails will die… everything eventually dies. But using tougher types such as the cerith snail and siphonaria limpet will help to prevent those constant, or massive, die-offs that endanger your entire aquarium community. We promise, you won’t ever miss that smell!
Matthew Ussery says June 14, 2021 at 4:14 pm Love using the natural process to keep my tank healthy! Reply
Reefer says June 14, 2021 at 5:32 pm This blog gives a very detailed description on both cerith snails and limpets but for those who need to hear comments and reviews, both work wonderfully in a reef aquarium. I have personally ordered the cerith snails from Algae Barn and they did a great job. Reply
branngarybeary says June 14, 2021 at 6:20 pm I have a lot of ceriths. They are very hardy, and they clean the hard to reach spots. Love them! Reply
Danny says July 3, 2021 at 5:48 am usually get a few off frag plugs then they multiply like crazy Reply
Alex Jeffords says June 16, 2021 at 5:08 pm I definitely learned i’m missing out on the ability of snails! Reply
J Beach says June 18, 2021 at 3:53 pm Cerith snails are great but the limpets I got were so small I don’t know if they are still in my tank Reply
ekersd says June 19, 2021 at 7:17 am Ceriths are under appreciated for sure. Best overall cleaner IMO. Reply
Ricks Garage says June 22, 2021 at 5:39 pm Love them until blue legged crab eats them to take its shell Reply
Ricks Garage says June 22, 2021 at 5:39 pm Great scavengers until blue legged crab eats them to take its shell Reply
Robert Joseph Mastronardi says June 25, 2021 at 9:57 am Great overview of the hardiest of any tank’s CUC. Bookmarking! Reply
Robert Long says June 25, 2021 at 1:27 pm I need to try limped because my Bird wrasse likes snails more than I do! Reply
jwhisenhunt81 says June 27, 2021 at 6:46 am I had some ceriths and those mofo’s reproduced like crazy… it was actually kind of annoying as I constantly had white dots all over my glass. I am interested in the limpets though, I have never tried them Reply
Larry Rutherford says June 28, 2021 at 3:22 pm I had some limpets once in 28 Gallon Biocube. Problem I had is they were crazy and would crawl up the glass and out of the tank and it had a good good lol sneaky ninjas Reply
Dion Charles says June 28, 2021 at 8:09 pm I have some ceriths but would also love to get some limpets! Reply
Morgan FishanistaAlmeida says June 29, 2021 at 12:44 pm I have a tank for growing limpets! Love em. Reply
Jeffrey Ramirez says June 30, 2021 at 12:07 am Just what I need to help my existing cleaning crew! Reply
zachary_3 says June 30, 2021 at 6:56 am i never knew people put limpets in their tank before this. interesting ? Reply
zachary_3 says June 30, 2021 at 6:56 am i never knew people put limpets in their tank before this. interesting ? Reply
Winston VanEssendelft says July 2, 2021 at 11:29 pm Love my Cerith Snails but ive never heard of limpets im gonna have to try them out!! Reply
chell slayton says July 3, 2021 at 4:14 pm I currently have Cerinths and Limpets, they are great for a tank. Reply
Scott Schuette says July 4, 2021 at 8:40 am Love Cerith snails! They are a great team member of my cuc! Reply
Dan says July 30, 2021 at 10:19 pm Never thought snails would be so important. Learning alot moving from freahwater to saltwater. Reply
Leo Yurek says August 15, 2021 at 4:26 pm I do need to add to my cuc; perhaps both verity and limpets. Reply
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