# Nerites testimonial



## algae.assasin (Apr 27, 2014)

The pictures speak for themselves. I placed the snail on the anubias leaf 2 hours before taking the pic. I always get plants like this from my lfs. My 4 tigers and 4 zebras wipe it out quickly. 
































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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

That's a busy little dude. I wish they didn't lay those cement eggs everywhere, but I will freely admit that they are awesome against most algaes.


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## ChadKruger (Mar 27, 2013)

Nerites! What are they good for!?! 
These!!


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

What are those white things? Eggs or little nerites?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

They're nerite eggs.


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## algae.assasin (Apr 27, 2014)

I read somewhere that you can keep the temp above 79 and they won't lay eggs. My temp holds at 80 and I've seen none. Fingers crossed. 


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## iNinja (Apr 7, 2014)

i thought nerites didn't breed in freshwater ?


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

iNinja said:


> i thought nerites didn't breed in freshwater ?


Salinity is not right, so eggs don't reach osmotic pressure needed for development.


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## ufimych (May 30, 2011)

Where did you buy Nerites? I would like to try them and, of course, I would breed them.


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## algae.assasin (Apr 27, 2014)

Petco 


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## MrAlmostWrong (Jul 16, 2012)

I'm sure everyone would have nerites if they didn't lay those damn eggs. Scientists need to find whatever substance nerites use to keep those eggs attached to wood and rock and use it as an adhesive for buildings.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

My vote is for Olive Nerites.. best little algae janitors in the world..

As to the eggs.. 1) my fish apparently like to eat them and 2)for some reason they were only a "problem" (since algae was killing every plant in sight I am hard pressed to call it a problem) for the first month or two.. A few months later nary an egg.. 
Don't know why but haven't had more than a sporadic batch (like on or 2, batches that is)in months.. 

The cure to me is certainly not worse that the problem.. They literally cleaned a hair algae/green spot infestation in days. That said they didn't do much for my Foxtail.. too delicate for them.

I would never not recommend them.. regardless of eggs..


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

ufimych said:


> Where did you buy Nerites? I would like to try them and, of course, I would breed them.


There is a seller on fleabay based in LA. 

$20 for 25.......... free shipping.. 

does remind me it may be a time for a recharge (they only live about a year or 2, at least for me....... )


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## Steve002 (Feb 7, 2014)

I understand you can find Nerites in the tidal pools around the Caribbean. Since I can't get any at my LFS but am heading to the Caribbean at the end of the month can anyone comment on this?


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## JDenyer232 (May 4, 2014)

Steve002 said:


> I understand you can find Nerites in the tidal pools around the Caribbean. Since I can't get any at my LFS but am heading to the Caribbean at the end of the month can anyone comment on this?


Be careful going thru customs, they are very strict about bringing non native species into the U.S. If they find them it could cause you some grief.


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## algae.assasin (Apr 27, 2014)

I keep my water temp at 80 and still ... No eggs. 


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## ChadKruger (Mar 27, 2013)

algae.assasin said:


> I keep my water temp at 80 and still ... No eggs.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My water temp is 82 and I get the damn eggs every where. I swear if they wherent so good at their job I'd toss them to my assailant snails in my other tank.


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## SueD (Nov 20, 2010)

ChadKruger said:


> My water temp is 82 and I get the damn eggs every where. I swear if they wherent so good at their job I'd toss them to my assailant snails in my other tank.


My olive nerite lives in a tank with a breeding group of assassins. The assassins don't touch him and they've been together over a year and a half. My tank is usually at 81 and I've got eggs everywhere too -yuck -but he's good at what he does!

On the other hand, I recently put a red nerite in another tank that just had one assassin. I kept finding the assassin riding the shell of the nerite. Didn't want to take chances so I've removed the assassin.


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## wheatiesl337 (Mar 30, 2011)

jeffkrol said:


> does remind me it may be a time for a recharge (they only live about a year or 2, at least for me....... )


Nerites live much longer than a year or two. It is likely your parameters are not optimal for them.


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## csf (Jul 10, 2003)

How many nerites for a heavily planted 75 gallon tank with some BBA? I have ~5-8 SAEs as well, plus a breeding pair of BN Plecos (so a handful of otto sized plecs).


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## Strategy (Jun 11, 2014)

I agree, there's a seller in fleabay. I bought from him before. Sells olives. Great quality. 

My temps are also around 80. I never or hardly see eggs.

I love olives. I think they are far more efficient than horned or zebras, leopards, tiger nerites because although uglier, olives are more robust and clean betrer.

My horned and leopards, tigers, abd zebra s always die after a few months. Orr they like to climb out of my tank water level and dry to death like retards.


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## Strategy (Jun 11, 2014)

I had like 15 beautiful zebras, tigers, leopards, mixed and they always climb out of water level. If I don't find them, they dry to death. It was a freaking hassle every single day looking for them around my tanks...... 

My horned did not climb out, but they are usually so small and sensitive. They die easily. Not worth the price i paid for them at about 3 each.

I may least I now have shells left. Ahhahaha


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## B16CRXT (Feb 7, 2009)

I need to get a few of these to clean my Anubias.

How do they do for stem plants? I've got a 10g that detritus just piles up on the stem plants for some reason. There's tons of water flow and fish in the tank. It's a low-tech 10 that gets a weekly capful of excel. Sometimes, my 38 has this issue as well, but the water doesn't move as strongly in it.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

wheatiesl337 said:


> Nerites live much longer than a year or two. It is likely your parameters are not optimal for them.


Actually that i just something I read.. On a personal note.. I've had some mortality over a years time. Couldn't tell you how many.. but it wasn't for lack of food.. On side note my tank did go from slightly alkaline to slightly acidic over the course of that year due to bioload and CO2 introduction.. 
gH is fine.. Kh a little on the low side.. Not totally unexpected w/ the amount of fish and maintenance regime..


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

csf said:


> How many nerites for a heavily planted 75 gallon tank with some BBA? I have ~5-8 SAEs as well, plus a breeding pair of BN Plecos (so a handful of otto sized plecs).



Recommendation is 2/gal.. but I consider that more a "max" figure..
any is better than none.. 


When I had my "issue" I added about 25 to a 40gal.. Cleaned the tank in a week..(well if I told you 2 days you probably wouldn't believe it).. No problems cleaning any plants but the Foxtail.. which I have now completely lost, due to algae and unknown reasons...


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## angelcraze (Aug 20, 2013)

csf said:


> How many nerites for a heavily planted 75 gallon tank with some BBA? I have ~5-8 SAEs as well, plus a breeding pair of BN Plecos (so a handful of otto sized plecs).


I added 4 tigers and 2 horned nerites to my heavily planted, no co2, 90g with BBA. I also had a bit of GSA on my glass and added them for that purpose-the GSA. I find they care of diatoms, green algaes, but not so efficient at BBA. Maybe they 'clean' the BBA and loosen it a bit, but I don't believe they eat it. I have been double dosing Excel and spot dosing here and there, and it is much better. I also have breeding BN in there. 

As for my low light 120g, with anubias, I did that as well when I got GSA on the anubias, I put my nerites on the leaves and let them clean for me, the leaves were always spotless the next day, LOVE it!!!

I think the amount of eggs are relative to how much 'food' the snails have. In my 'cleaner' 46g bowfront with 2/3 tigers, I hardly see any eggs, temp is always 80F...just saying, maybe the temp thing too?


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## angelcraze (Aug 20, 2013)

SueD said:


> My olive nerite lives in a tank with a breeding group of assassins. The assassins don't touch him and they've been together over a year and a half. My tank is usually at 81 and I've got eggs everywhere too -yuck -but he's good at what he does!


You'd think the assassins would eat the nerite eggs, I guess they crap out right away. I took over my friend's tank when she moved, she had probably 50 assassins in a 28g with 2 horned nerites, the nerites were fine!!


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## SuzieQ (May 17, 2014)

*nerites*



ChadKruger said:


> Nerites! What are they good for!?!
> These!!


I heard that those little freshwater fiddler crabs eat those eggs. Havnt tried it myself. You just have to provide something they can climb up and set out of the water. In the store I lean bamboo against the side sticking out and that's where they hang out. :wink:


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## CraigYoung (Mar 9, 2012)

Do Assassin Snails eat Nerites? I got a bad algae problem on some of my plants, but have lots of Assassins in the tank and I am not sure that the Nerites would survive the Assassins.


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

my assassins do not touch the nerites in my tank


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## angelcraze (Aug 20, 2013)

Nerites have a trap door: a door to close after they tuck themselves inside their shell. The assassins must have a hard time to get to them.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Does anyone have success in keeping Nerites in very acidic water, like 6.5 or lower?


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

I keep one in a tank with gH of 5. Its shell is fine but it does close up on the tank glass sometimes (though to be fair the tank doesn't have much algae).

To those wondering about nerite lifespans, my oldest nerite I had (a zebra nerite) lived 6 years. Most of the other zebras I got it with made it to at least 4 or 5.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Axelrodi202 said:


> I keep one in a tank with gH of 5. Its shell is fine but it does close up on the tank glass sometimes (though to be fair the tank doesn't have much algae).
> 
> To those wondering about nerite lifespans, my oldest nerite I had (a zebra nerite) lived 6 years. Most of the other zebras I got it with made it to at least 4 or 5.


I was referring to Olive Nerites at one point.. As to the pH.. Olives seem to be able to handle "low" pH (low 6) quite well..but they are not reaching "dime size"...

Only reference I found for Olives..



> They max out at about dime sized and have a life span of about 4-6 years. These are collecteed in freshwater, but like all nerites are really tidal as the young travel through varying levels of salinity to complete their life cycle. Also, because nerites are tidal, I always recommend having some sort of lid on the tank to prevent them from escaping.


http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=1358771


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Axelrodi202 said:


> I keep one in a tank with gH of 5. Its shell is fine but it does close up on the tank glass sometimes (though to be fair the tank doesn't have much algae).





jeffkrol said:


> As to the pH.. Olives seem to be able to handle "low" pH (low 6) quite well


Thank you both!


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## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

I just bought 25 olive nerites on eBay for $20. :3


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