MIXED ALGAE EATING SNAILS
Our finest mixture of hardy vegetarian marine snails
that can clean between the rocks and keep the glass free of algae This mixture contains the proper blend of algae eating snails

CERITH SNAIL Family Cerithiidae (CERITHS) Cerithium strercusmuscarum

NERITE SNAIL Family Neritidae Nerita funiculata

Brown and black round algae eater. Active glass cleaner This species of Mexican Nerite is the best one we have tested. IT STAYS IN AQUARIUM
Compared with astraea, it is slower and much better at removing all the algae and diatoms from the rocks and glass. This snail does not leave an algae film on the glass. It is also listed in Julian Sprung's Reef Aquarium as a good algae eater.

One half inch round shell with ridges. Found only on smooth rocks below average lowest tide. The choice of reef expert Larry Read.

CORALLINE ALGAE COVERED MARGARITA SNAILS

These incredible new snails are covered with many strains of bright colors of purple and pink coralline algae. This is so important to add to a new tank as well as a established reef.

There are two different types of Margarita snails in this hobby the cold water and tropical snails. The cold water ones are jet black and the jet black ones do not thrive in salt reef aquariums.

The Tropical Margarita snails are encrusted with healthy strains of coralline that will seed on to your rock and glass in no time. Most of these coralline covered Margarita snails will live for many years in your closed reef systems and are certainly a great addition to our famous janitor package.

RED LEGGED HERMIT CRABS

Clibanarius digueti

Species is usually red in appearance with expanded chromatophores forming blue spots over their cheliped (claws) and walking legs. The antennae and antennules are bright red. The tips of all legs are also red or orange.

This small crab is the best algae eating hermit crab we have tested. Chibanarius digueti feeds on algae that grows on the rocky substrate and mangrove roots.
C. digueti occupies a large variety of shells. This hermit crab is found in the oldest coraline incrusted shells. I have found entire colonies in broken sand worn shells. The crabs from La paz often occupied such a strange assortment of shells that I could identify the colonies before I looked at the crabs.
Both the Blue leg hermits and the red San Sabastion crabs always are collected in clean fresh shells. Both of these crabs have eaten snails in my reef tanks. I have kept C. digurti in reef tanks in colonies of over 10 crabs per gallon with many types of snails.

These red legged crabs are very effective at eating hair algae. I have observed many small C. digueti settle in the center of patches of hair algae and stay there for several days until they have cleared a patch over one inch in diameter. This small hermit crab will clean red sponges and small polyp colonies and not damage them in any way. I have watched these crabs clean red cyanabacteria from new woods polyps and not damage the cuttings.
In nature C. digueti feeds by scavenging the algae that has started to decay from being exposed at low tide. I often find large groups of these hermit crabs on algae covered rocks.

A very important item are the Mexican Red Leg Hermit Crabs. These little suckers are amazing! I had several rocks which had Cyanobacteria red slime algae covering them from the old system. The morning after adding the crabs I witnessed "Herds" of about 6 or 7 crabs each that would concentrate on a rock at a time, totally eliminating the Cyanobacteria I have never heard of a cyanobacteria eating critter like this and it seems they actually prefer it! A week later, my tank was almost completely free of red slime. I have not seen them harm anything in the tank. I even tested this in another tank. I placed a small rock fully covered in Cyanobacteria and 8 crabs in a 10 gallon tank for 4 hours. In 4 hours, the rock was about 50% clean!* * Letter from The Sea Star A monthly publication for the marine aquarium hobbyist by the past President - Tim L. Weidauer Wasatch Marine Society in Salt Lake City, UT.