Nassarius snail feeding

[freybizzy]

A single nassarius snail is currently the only inhabitant of my new 5 gallon tank except for 2 coral frags. Do I need to supplement his diet with some extra food or will he just pick off what he needs from my live rock? I have a pretty sizable population of amphipods so I was wondering if those would be enough to sustain him so I don't have to add anything that might cause a chemical imbalance

 

[dingusplease]

A single nassarius snail is currently the only inhabitant of my new 5 gallon tank except for 2 coral frags. Do I need to supplement his diet with some extra food or will he just pick off what he needs from my live rock? I have a pretty sizable population of amphipods so I was wondering if those would be enough to sustain him so I don't have to add anything that might cause a chemical imbalance

In general nassarius are better in more established tanks with a dsb. They are burrowers that will eat detritus in and on your sand bed, and they do this pretty quickly which is why they are better in more established tanks. I would recommend nerites, as they aren't carnivores and will not exhibit their food source as fast as nassarius or turbo.

Assuming you plan on keeping the snail, do you have a pretty deep sand bed? These guys love to dig around. ALSO, they really only eat dead things so pods won't do much good. I would recommend getting some marine fish pellets, like omega one shrimp pellets. As the tank becomes more mature and has fish that produce waste, you won't have to feed the snails.

 

[freybizzy]

Yes the sand bed is very deep, he burrows in it all the time. And I'll be sure to get those pellets as soon as possible because I'm definitely planning on keeping him.

 

[dingusplease]

Yes the sand bed is very deep, he burrows in it all the time. And I'll be sure to get those pellets as soon as possible because I'm definitely planning on keeping him.

Sounds good! Good luck with your tank I'm assuming it's new?

 

[freybizzy]

Yep, tossed in the first 2 corals last Friday (montipora and xenia). It's my first saltwater tank.