Bladder and ranshorn snails - how many do you end up killing?

Now, I really do love my snails - they help control algae, and they break down waste a bit. But there's just. So. Many of them. Every time I do a water change I end up sending half a dozen to their deaths in my plant pots. Do any of you have tricks for avoiding this? Or is snail murder just a sad fact of fish keeping.

 

Overfeeding is usually the main culprit for a pest snail overpopulation.
See if your LFS would want some or someone in your area. Or get a nice school of pea puffers- they will clean it up in no time. Some species of loaches will eat them as well.

 

Overfeeding is usually the main culprit for a pest snail overpopulation.
See if your LFS would want some or someone in your area. Or get a nice school of pea puffers- they will clean it up in no time. Some species of loaches will eat them as well.

...yeah, I have overfed a bit. (I swear I'm not a bad fishkeeper lol)

But the reason most of them die is because they just are too dumb to get out of the way of the vacuum hose. Am I just suppose to accept that I'm going to suck up snails every time I clean? Do I try and save them? Do I leave them to their cruel deaths?

...These are the important questions. Plus it's hard to kill them. They're all so pretty.

 

...yeah, I have overfed a bit. (I swear I'm not a bad fishkeeper lol)

But the reason most of them die is because they just are too dumb to get out of the way of the vacuum hose. Am I just suppose to accept that I'm going to suck up snails every time I clean? Do I try and save them? Do I leave them to their cruel deaths?

...These are the important questions. Plus it's hard to kill them. They're all so pretty.

When your tank is overrun, your love affair may end, and you will become the cruel slayer of snails
I don't have any squishy feelings anymore when I collect them on the salad leaf in the morning.

 

Snacks for my Berdmori loach!

 

When your tank is overrun, your love affair may end, and you will become the cruel slayer of snails
I don't have any squishy feelings anymore when I collect them on the salad leaf in the morning.

Fair enough - but I do have to ask if there is just. Any way to not kill them. They've overfloweth for months and I've yet to get sick - unless the rest of the tank was suffering, I'm loving them.

I may need to do a few planned cullings though.

 

...yeah, I have overfed a bit. (I swear I'm not a bad fishkeeper lol)

Definitely not a bad fish keeper It's easy to overfeed. I feed just enough to where I wonder if I actually fed them enough. That weird logic seems to work pretty well for me. Haha

If you don't want to kill them I would see if a LFS wants them or look at some local groups too.

 

So when I vacuum I just let them get sucked up into the bell, and kink it before they get to the hose. Just like I do with sand and small gravel. I hardly ever let my siphon run full speed.

That said, there can still be a few that make it into the dirty water bucket, especially if I've hauled 60+ gallons out that day. The ones smart enough to hang on while I dump the bucket into random flower beds get wiped gently out of the bucket and dropped into whichever tank needs a few more. There will probably be a few that die.

If you really really are worried about it, put a chunk of filter floss/poly fill in the bell, some folks stretch nylons, socks or strainers across the bell. I use floss sometimes if a fry tank is really crowded, then just unroll the floss gently over a plate when you're done in case you have some hitch hikers. The downfall to stuffing the bell is a little less cleaning power, but if it's worth it to you, it's worth it.

 

Now, I really do love my snails - they help control algae, and they break down waste a bit. But there's just. So. Many of them. Every time I do a water change I end up sending half a dozen to their deaths in my plant pots. Do any of you have tricks for avoiding this? Or is snail murder just a sad fact of fish keeping.

I love my snails! Great indicator of overfeeding or dying plants for me.
I try to save as many as I can, sometimes spending half an hour just to get them off the leaves
As John58ford said, the ones that hang onto the bucket have the highest chance of survival for me. All of them get nipped when I drop them into the tank though...

 

I usually let the rams horns go, but whenever I see a bladder snail near the top of a tank I grab it, go to a shrimp tank, crush it, and let it drop. Shrimp just loooove fresh snail meat.