genie

I found a snail in my aquarium and now I am afraid that I might get an outbreak! I am pretty sure it is a ramshorn snail. It is very small-- smaller than the cap of a Bic pen. I pulled it out of the tank, but I don't want to kill it. What can I do with it, and how likely is it that I will get an outbreak. I can't see any eggs anywhere and I put the plant in 1 week ago (he hitched a ride on that).

atmmachine816

Do you have a small tank, gallon or less. You can put it in that and change the water couple times a week and it should live fine.

genie

At work I have a 2 gallon with a betta But I am most afraid of it multiplying like crazy I found it in my 5 gallon betta tank. Spike inspected it a few times, but didn't try to eat it. It is a bit too big for the betta mouth.

atmmachine816

Do you have a cup that a betta came in, that can do for awhile, just drop in a tiny piece of flake every so often and change the water the next day after putting in the flake, and set it by the window some so it has algae to eat.

genie

I have that cup still. I live in PA, could I put it in a stream or will that just kill it or hurt the eco-system?

Tom

It could disrupt something in the ecosystem. Pet stores usually don't advise doing that.
Tom

Terry

Hi. I'm certainly no snail expert, but I think pond snails are the worst to have in a tank due to them multiplying & taking over. I think those type have a long pointy shell. I have a ramshorn in one of my tanks - it snuck in with some gravel in the bag from a fish purchase about 2 months ago. I left in in, and I'm hoping I don't regret it. I see it every so often. When I was a kid the LFS used to sell ramshorns so at least at one time they weren't considered as pests.

atmmachine816

Ramshorns are good, but don't release any snails. Just kill it, if your that uncomfortable ask to give it to your lfs.

genie

I might try to keep it for now. I hate the idea of killing it. Since it came from the LFS plants, they should take it back-- but 4 now I think I will try it in the cup. If he doesn't multiply then I will think about putting it back in the tank. I was just going to leave it in there anyway, but someone on the forum told me it would take over the tank quickly.

Here is a pic of him-- is he a ramshorn?? He is small so it was hard to take his pic.

Attached Images

snail.jpg (65.4 KB, 145 views)

atmmachine816

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...=1&sa=N&tab=wi Looks like it, what for Butterfly's confirmation. If so then definately keep it, they are good not bad.

Jim

I found a snail in mine as well, although I haven't seen it in a while. It's very small, maybe 1/4 of an inch. It's been a few weeks and I haven't had an outbreak, just the one. I wouldn't panic unless you see a bunch.

atmmachine816

LOL then it's too late to panic. You don't want to see what happens when you don't control pond snails, my grandpa didn't in one of his tanks and when I got it, at least one fourth of the gravel was snail shells. Though if you like pond snails and control them they can be helpful. Though ramshorns which look like this one are very nice.

Tom

The closest Petland sells them and they are huge suckers. By that I mean the shell is more than an inch long.
Tom

tan.b

i started with just a snail or 2, now i have loads. too many to count thats for sure! i'd isolate the one you have! make sure it has a lid or it'll escape though!

genie

Thanks for the input. Everywhere I go on the internet says that the Ramshorn snail is a fast breeder and will over take a tank quickly. I am thinking about an ornamental snail though.

atmmachine816

Ramshorns are beneficial though, ask butterfly about them, she has a bunch.

sirdarksol

I was told by a friend that there's some type of freshwater crustacean (shrimp perhaps?) that loved eating juvenile snails. He had a tank that received a snail infestation, and the shrimp just kept eating the little snails. Somehow he ended up with a perfect balance, just enough snails to keep providing food for the shrimp. He only had to perform water changes and other maintenance.

tan.b

i have shrimp and they dont touch the snails or snail eggs.........(i wish they did!)

atmmachine816

Never heard of that shrimp

Luniyn

Not heard of a shrimp that does that, but a freshwater puffer will. Of course you can't have anything else in the tank with the puffer, but still it will eat all the snails you toss it's way.

tan.b

shame i cant rent a puffer for a week!! itd have a feast in my tanks!!!! lol!

Sparkling Diamonds

I read that ramhorns are the bad kind. They're transvestites and can multiply on their own. They also eat live plants. I'd keep it contained for a while and would think long and hard about putting it back into the tank with your betta.

sirdarksol

Male ramshorn snails dress like females?
Yes, they do reproduce hermaphroditically. However, many places sell them as aquarium snails, because they are typically helpful. They do eat plants, but they also eat nearly anything else, including various bits of detritus on the bottom of the tank, lowering the amount of decaying waste. Also, critters that reproduce asexually tend to produce fewer young than those that need another to fertilize their eggs.
But it is a good point. They do, apparently, eat live plants.

Sparkling Diamonds

Haha I did mean hermaphrodites. ><

tan.b

snails with clothes on would be funny!

Gargoyle

I have snails in one of my tanks that I am wondering about... I found some eggs today on the glass and vacuumed them up while I was doing the gravel vac just to be safe. Where can I find pics of snails to find out if these are good or bad ??

Also what kind of fish will eat them but still be good community fish ?

Thanks!!

tan.b

as flbettacouple informed me yoyo loaches will! here's a link for more info

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-almorhae

also weather loaches, but these get huge! http://www.loaches.com/species-index...guillicaudatus

found this useful link too http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/snails.htm

also...this has loads of info on loads of loaches http://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/databank_list.php, unfortunately it seems most are shoaling, big and aggressive ! it seems our snails are here forever! (i even tried the copper preperation from lfs....it had NO effect at all on my snails along with the luring tactic, also my snails werent fooled!) if you find a solution to this prob, be sure to share it!

good luck!
tan

genie

Thanks for the advice, but my tank is too small for any loach. It is my betta tank. AHhhh I guess I will be pulling them out forever. Lila ate one of the baby ones though.

tan.b

shame! my tank mates wouldnt like any loach, so i'm stuffed too! lets hope lila enjoyed her snail and may eat some more!

Phloxface

That snail pic is a common pond snail and one of the worst you can have in your tank. I highly recommend you kill them. Just drop them in boiling water. They are pests much like cockroaches. They have been known to kill Bettas. I've seen it before several times. They swarm all over the sleeping Betta and suck on it's slime coat until it's dead. It's horrifying to watch! I have suddenly had an outbreak of these pests in Lava's tank. Yesterday I found about 12 of them crawling all over and quite close to where he always sleeps. He even tried to eat one that was floating. He got the entire thing in his mouth but couldn't chew it and spit it back out. Had he swallowed it it would have killed him as he cannot digest the shell. I wasted no time it pulling every one of them out and killing them. I would never think of keeping them in a separate tank alive. It would be like saving roaches... Never dump anything into lakes or rivers. Not even plants as they upset the ecosytem.