purple_phoenix

I've just found something suspicious on a plant I bought online. It's like one clear blob of something (A bit like what you get on frogspawn) and has tiny white dots in it. It's not very big - there are two and the biggest is about half a centimetre - , but has got me wondering what it is. Can anyone help?

Thanks!

Butterfly

Yep those are snail eggs scoop them out and throw them away. Keep an eye on your feeding regimen, any extra food will cause them to have a population explosion. vacuuming good when you do water changes will help remove the tiny ones also. .
Carol

purple_phoenix

Okay, thanks. My red-tailed shark seems to be quite interested in them.. I'm wondering if he'd eat them if I were to let them hatch.
Still, I'd rather not risk having a tank full of snails to try and feed the greedy little thing something different
Thanks for the advice.

armadillo

Yep, sounds like snail eggs. I have a major infestation going on at the mo because I have to overfeed my fry tank (their food is so tiny they'd never find it if I just fed a fry's eye's worth per feeding).

And the buggers are EVERYWHERE! I hate hate hate them. Actually, I can't quite get rid of the whole nest of eggs when I find them. I can rub the majority off, but some will stay, and I don't want to throw away my plant. Any tips?

purple_phoenix

I heard that washing the plants in a very weak bleach-water solution, it kills snails and algae on them.
Of course, then you'd have to be very careful putting them back in your tank. You'd need to wash them and soak them and wash them a bit more.

If they're only on one or two leaves, would it hurt just to remove those leaves?

Fortunately, I haven't had an outbreak of snails yet in any of my tanks. I heard the bleach trick when I bought plants online, as they almost always have unwanted critters

Good luck with the snail issues, and of course your fry!

armadillo

Thanks, Phoenix. I'd like to steer clear of bleach for the reason you state. The nests are generally on the stalk, so am reluctant to cut it.

purple_phoenix

I don't know it you should use chemicals at all with fry as they would be more sensitive to it, but maybe if you just remove the plant and treat it? I read Potassium Permanganate can get rid of snails and their eggs, and read somewhere else that it is used for fungal problems on fish. Hmmm...

Maybe your best bet is just to go to your lfs and see what stuff they have to offer. at least if it's designed for aquarium use (unlike bleach!) then risks are cut.

armadillo

Yeah. I think I'll get myself a bottle of potassium permanganate if only to dip new plants in it (then rinsing them in conditionned water) before putting them in the tank.

Allie

These types of snail are parasitic snails & are good for your tank. They eat parasites...hence the name. If you want to get rid of some stick in a piece of cucumber for 24hrs or until you notice a good amount of snails on the cucumber...then flush it.

fishgirl

They could be pond snails...When you buy plants your going to get snails....if you cnat find somthing at you lfs/lps you might try adding some copper tubing or copper wire. the copper will kill inverts i.e,snails and shrimps. I have shrimps in my tanks so when I see the snails I pick them out and send then to "The Farm" (its a one gallon drum style goldfish bowl with plants and an airstone) When the Farm is over stocked I will give**for the cost of shipping** them to someone with loche or puffer as they eat snails.

purple_phoenix

That's actually a good idea, fishgirl. At least then they come in useful for someone, and you don't have to worry about disposing of them.

I don't know if I'm worrying too much here, but would the fry be affected by the copper? Depends how hardy they are, I guess.

fishgirl

Sorry I don't know about copper and fish fry.

sjlchgo

If you sprinkle table salt on your plants before rinsing them the salt will kill the snails and the eggs. Salt them down, rinse and replant.