Nerite questions

[humdingerx]

I've a relatively new tank and it has diatoms/brown algae on some patches of sand. This has reduced a bit hopefully will just go over time but I was wondering, would a nerite eat that stuff off sand?

I read they like to be on leaves/rocks instead of on the sand?

Secondly assuming that stuff clears up over time would nerites eat off pleco type algae tablets and veg slices? I also have MTS and ramshorns so need to be sure the nerite(s) won't starve or something, same for the existing snails if I add a nerite or two. Any pointers?

 

[MirandaB]

The diatoms will clear up on their own with time and I'm not sure Nerites would eat it off the sand.
They also don't eat supplementary foods or not that I have found anyway but the ramshorns and MTS will 🙂

 

[humdingerx]

Yeah I already have the MTS and ramshorns for quite some time now and those are doing fine, and also eating the veg/tablets 🙂 I'm just concerned if there isn't enough algae to go around what would the nerites live off.

 

[MirandaB]

What size is the tank humdingerx?
I have 2 Clithon corona and 1 zebra nerite in a 90lt,they always seem to find enough to eat and do a fantastic job of keeping the glass clean 🙂

 

[humdingerx]

Hi, it's 4 foot wide and 200 litres. The diatoms are continuing to clear up so if I get nerites they need to have enough things to eat off. I can try with one I suppose and see how it gets on 🙂