Pariah87

Hi all, not sure where to post this but since I'm a Newbie I figured I'd put it here.

Are hitchhiking snails common on live plants and are they in anyway bad for the tank in the long run? I have what looks like a Sag plant but with broader leaves and yellow colouration down the center which since I brought it has been gradually getting torn to shreds. Today when taking a floating piece out of the tank I found a small, maybe 4 mm long snail on the underside.

I hadn't brought any snails so I was confused, but unwilling to kill the little guy I dropped him back in. I have seen none on the sides of the tank and my other two plants (A cabomba and another unidentified plant) are both fine and doing well. Is he/they the most likely cause of my plants demise? Untill today I've only had Danios in the tank and they leave the plants alone so I figured it wasn't them.

Thanks for any input, I know certain types of snail are used for CUC and so on I just wasn't sure on random invaders.

aspects

it is very common for snails to hitch a ride on plants.
they can quickly take over the tank. unless you plan to keep them, i would suggest removing any of the ones you see, because there are more on the way.

iloveengl

Hello Pariah! Welcome to FishLore.

I'm not sure if your snails are eating your plants (I only have mystery snails in my planted tank), so I can't be of much help about that. It could be the other plants are better suited to your water/light/tank conditions. Hard to say.

For easy, chemical-free snail removal, leave a slice of cucumber, zucchini, or crisp lettuce (have to weight veggies down with a rock or shoved onto the handle of a spoon, etc.) in the tank at night time. Check in the morning and you should have snails on it. Remove the veggie (with attached snails) and replace with a new veggie that night.

I actually like the snails in my brackish tank because they sift the sand for me and reduce possibility of bad gas building in the sand.

GL with removal!

Lucy

I was just telling someone I have snails in a tank from a plant that died a year ago.
They're not too bad and like iloveegl, I don't mind them too much.
Along with the above suggestions, try feeding the fish less.
if you over feed, the snails will reproduce quickly.

If I haven't said it before Welcome to Fish Lore

Pariah87

Thanks for the replies folks

aquarist48

Welcome to Fish Lore Pariah87. Have fun and enjoy the site. I've moved your thread to the Snail section of the forum.
Ken

rainman

Also as a precaution, when preparing to move your new plant to the desired location you can chill dip them in cold water for half a minute this will remove any snails, and possibly their eggs.

sirdarksol

Welcome to Fishlore.
My opinion on the common pond snail (the one that is most likely to be a plant hitchhiker) differs a bit from others. I have them in all but one of my tanks (and that one is only snail free because one of its previous inhabitants methodically ate the snails), and I have come to like them.
They are a bit of an eyesore if allowed to overpopulate, but the only way they'll overpopulate is if they're given the food to do so. I know that one of my tanks has an excess of detritus on the bottom because the snails have gone nuts in the past week. Some thorough vacuuming will solve the problem in short order, and the snail population will return to a more reasonable level.

To rid plants of snails before introducing them (sorry, this doesn't help your current tank), you can use a mild bleach dip (can harm some plants) a potassium permanganate dip (not harmful to plants, though it will stain the rug, furniture, and possibly your hands, purple), an ice bath (again, can harm some plants) or a salt bath (yep, can harm some plants). PP is the safest for the plants, but requires purchasing a chemical you likely don't have in your house.

eiginh

You can buy potassium permanganate from lowes or home depot.