# Nerite Snails



## tankhead

One of the recent journal articles suggested Nerite snails for algae control. Does anyone have any experience with these snails? In the past, any snails I've had ended up multiplying too quickly for my taste.


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## LordDracula

Hi
It's very unlikely this kind of snail will be able to reproduce in your tank unless you have a tank with brackish water.


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## DJRansome

I have them and love them. They cannot reproduce in freshwater (need brackish for that). However, they are somewhat delicate and I found they don't do well with all types of fish. For example, mine did not do well with mbuna, and not all that well with Tangs.

They eat only green algae so if you don't have enough or the right kind or an inconsistent supply they will starve and die. The mbuna constantly knocked them off the glass and the nerites don't turn over easily on their own, so they would lose 8 hours of feeding daily until I got home and turned them back over.

They seem to do best with my peacocks. That is the only tank in which they laid eggs (the eggs don't hatch) and all original snails are still alive in that tank.

I hear they have a one year life span. It has not been suggested, but I often wonder if it would be longer in a brackish tank. There was one person who posted that if you collect them daily and place them on an algae wafer every night they could live 2X or 3X longer than that. FWIW.


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## 748johnd

I have some in my 90g and they have done a fantastic job of getting rid of algae. The sides and back were covered with a dark green algae and it is all gone. I couldn't believe it. There are no African cichlids in the tank. The tank has a few tiger barbs, three Siamese algae eaters (also great algae eaters) and a couple of otocinclus. None of these fish bother the snails. The snails do lay eggs, but they don't hatch in fresh water. I love them.


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## TaraM

I have had Mystery snails, and my young Lab's had them for lunch....... :x How are the Nerite Snails different? Can they stand-up to African Cichlids? Still stuck between a Limestone and a hard place>#@$ Plants and Snails?

Still contemplating Alage control....Plants and/or Snails? :? :-?


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## londonloco

I have several in my planted tanks with 7.6pH. Two have been kickin for 18 months. I've come to the conclusion they do better in established tanks. I plan on getting some for the new 125g, but will wait 6-8 months before adding any.


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## aprildawn

i have 7 in my peacock tank & they do a great job. and mine eat diatoms too.


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## RRasco

I have a few in my mbuna and my peacock/hap tank. At first the mbuna messed with them, now they don't care. The peacocks/haps also plucked the off rocks initially, but they leave them alone now. For the first week or two I was constantly finding them stuck upside down like a turtle. I won't say they clean all the algae, but they do clean every bit they walk over. My rocks have crazy patterns from where they take a stroll through the algae. I like them. They're cool.


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## Aura

I like my Nerites, but the eggs are a terrible eyesore and they are everywhere!


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## DJRansome

I have one (out of 2 dozen) that has lived almost two years now. I have been told their life expectancy is one year. :?

Anyway, I like them too for their coolness. But I would say the BN outclean them. And the fish do knock them around.


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## design1stcode2nd

I have Zebra Nerites in my tanks and they do a good job with green algae. One nerite can keep a 20g clean by itself. I was wondering how they would do with Mbuna which is how I found this thread. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m assuming the Mbuna would eat algae off of rocks but not the glass so IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m hoping they wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t bother the ZebraÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s (mine tend to move around most when the lights are out anyway). IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve had mine for over a year and they are doing fine.

I also use Amano shrimp to clean up left-over food and algae but those will get eaten in a cichlid tank. Great for a planted tank which is what my 20g is.


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## DJRansome

My mbuna continually knock the zebra nerites off the glass until they starve from laying on their backs instead of being able to continuously graze. They seem to be best with my haps and peacocks, I have one going on 2 years.


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