The Number of Snails Needed for a Saltwater Tank

General rules for stocking snails are really guidelines. Every aquarium has important differences that contribute to algae and debris. For example, a powerfully-lit reef tank may have more algae issues than a fish-only aquarium with more subdued lighting. With the limitations of these rules in mind, one or two 4-inch snails per 20 to 30 gallons of aquarium capacity makes a suitable guidelines.

Snails usually need additional food to survive. A healthy aquarium may not provide enough food for algae- and debris-eating snails. Without adequate food, your scavenging snails may pine away and die. You can feed them dried nori, a type of algae. You can get this from pet shops or specialty grocery stores -- sushi chiefs use nori to wrap sushi. Algae wafers, available at pet shops, also make great snail food. Make sure you buy sinking wafers, snails cannot catch floating food.

You also have to pick the right snail for your aquarium. Turbo snails (Turbo spp), also called turban snails, as well as astro snails (Astraea spp.) make great algae-eaters. The cerith snails (Cerithium spp) nassarius snails (Nassarius spp) also help clean aquariums, but general eat debris rather than algae. However, all of these families also include temperate species that sometimes find their way into pet shops. These snails tend to die off in tropical aquariums. Always buy your snails from a reputable dealer to make sure you have tropical species.

Many reef aquariums feature groups of invertebrates called cleanup crews. Aquarium hobbyists often abbreviate them CUCs. CUCs typically include snails, shrimps, brittlestars and crabs that complement each other by eating different types of algae or debris. However, some less-than-scrupulous dealers will throw together a random grab-bag of invertebrates and sell them as CUCs. These "CUCs" may include coral-eating inverts like arrow crabs. Always purchase your CUCs from reputable dealers.