Margarita snails are peaceful creatures that help remove excess algae. They are very popular with hobbyists and help keep tanks clean.
What are margarita snails?
The margarita snail is a gray or brown snail that does very well in saltwater conditions. It is actually one of the most sought-after creatures for saltwater home tanks.
This is because it is commonly used as a form of “clean up crew” for aquariums due to the large amounts of algae that they can consume. Unlike other creatures they will even munch away at the tougher hair algae, making them a great choice to keep your tank clean and tidy.
They are very peaceful creatures and will not pose a threat to any of your corals, fish, invertebrates or other creatures in your tank. In addition, they are also non-venomous, making them very easy to accommodate.
They are known by many other name such as Stomatella Limpet, pearly topped snail and even little margarita. They are not particularly big in size, with adults reaching up to only 1 inch in size.
How long do margarita snails live for?
The lifespan of a margarita snail is not particularly long. They can live for slightly longer in warmer temperatures than in cooler ones, with most reaching the age of six months in a warm reef environment.
So, unfortunately, this means that if you are particularly fond of keeping margarita snails in your home tank then you will need to keep spending money to replace them. However, they can certainly be worth the hassle of buying and adding new snails if you are using them to keep your tank nice and clean.
What do margarita snails eat?
The main reason why margarita snails are particularly popular is because their diet consists almost entirely of algae. This means that they will happily remove and consume any excess algae and nutrients floating around in your tank.
If you have problems with algae growth in particular, either keeping your algae under control or stopping it from growing in the first place then adding margarita snails to your tank is a very good idea.
However, you should make sure that the algae levels in your tank do not run too low. This is because this will essentially starve your margarita snails. If this is the case you can choose to supplement their food source with dried seaweed.
In order to feed this dried seaweed to your snails, you will need to either use an algae clip or wrap a shell or rock in the seaweed and place it gently into your home tank near the glass. This will ensure that your snails are fed.
What are the best snails for a reef tank?
The type of snails that are best for a reef tank depends entirely on your needs and preferences. There are many different types of snails that make great additions to reef tanks.
For example, if you are looking to add snails to your home aquarium in order to clean up and remove excess algae then the snail that is best for you will depend on the type of algae you want to remove.
Different snails have different preferences for their food, just like people. So, here is a list of the best-suited snail to each type of algae:
- Hair algae – opt for margarita snails or astrea snails
- Macro algae – opt for turbo snails or trochus snails
- Cyano algae – opt for turbo snails or astra snails
- Film algae – opt for trochus snails or nerite snails
Of course, each of these types of snail will come with its own requirements. For example, trochus snails are very well-known for multiplying very quickly and this may bring about more problems than it solves.
So, before simply adding any snails to your home aquarium it is worth considering if they will add more problems than they solve. After all, it may simply be easier to remove the algae by hand on a regular basis in order to save yourself the hassle of looking after snails.
What conditions are best for a margarita snail?
Margarita snails are not overly fussy when it comes to their tank conditions. They can live in either cooler or warmer temperatures up to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. However, they are not suitable for any reef temperatures warmer than this. So, for this reason, you should consider the temperature ranges suitable for all the other inhabitants in your tank before purchasing and adding margarita snails.
However, they should always be kept in a tank with other peaceful creatures. They will not do well in a home aquarium filled with aggressive or even slightly aggressive creatures.
They are particularly sensitive to nitrate levels in the water and so you should avoid having high nitrate levels in your tank. When you first purchase your margarita snail you should introduce it to its new environment slowly by using the drip acclimation method.
This is because they are very sensitive to environmental changes and even something such as a change in pH level can cause problems. If you want to promote their shell growth then you can choose to add calcium supplements to your aquarium’s water.
To sum up
Margarita snails are a very popular addition to many hobbyists’ home aquariums. They are easy to look after, require little attention and will help to keep your tank clean. They will happily munch away on the algae available in your tank and unless this food source gets particularly low they will not need additional food.
They thrive better in slightly cooler reef temperatures in home tanks, even though they are known to live longer in warmer conditions in nature. They are peaceful creatures and so should only be housed with other peaceful creatures.
However, they will only live for approximately six months. So, if you are adding them to your tank in order to clean up the excess algae then you will need to replace them every so often.
References:
- All About Saltwater Snails https://www.algaebarn.com/blog/invertebrates/snails/all-about-saltwater-snails/
