Dealing With Bladder Snails

HI all, could use some advice about how to humanely deal with all of these bladder snails I have been collecting out of one of my main tanks. I had bought two zebra snails from my LFS and they threw in two free baby snails that I had mistakenly thought were baby zebra snails. After seeing a rapid explosion of baby snails in the tank I put them in I realized the problem and that these were bladder snails instead. I have been trying for over a month now to eradicate them from the main tank. I squish the tiniest ones but I’m very squeamish about doing that to them once they are larger so I have been scooping them out and putting them into a vase where I put some gravel and aquarium plants and a Marino ball and put it near my grow light, hoping they can live out the rest of their days there with minimal maintenance from me. Do I need to feed them ? Change or clean the water as if it was an aquarium?

Will they just keep laying eggs until there are hundreds of snails?!

Also there are a ton of almost microscopic little things all over the inside of the vase that go around the glass but they don’t seem like they’re maturing into more snails - anyone know what those are? Thanks all!

 

You're too nice with them. I would just kill them. You would still need to change and clean the water as if it were an aquarium (it still is) because they still produce waste and they would most likely still reproduce in there.

 

Your vase is lovely!
Don't dis those snails, they have helped create your micro-system
Just remove any excess ones.

Options are,
Remove them to a local pond. No-one will criticise that.
Get an assassin snail who will slowly eat them. Assassin snails are very pretty. Lol, pretty assassins

My assassin baby.

My assassin baby.

 

Nice vase!

If it were me, I'd just throw in a small piece of cucumber or iceberg lettuce every week or two. Leave it in there overnight, and take it out the next morning. Remove some if you think you've gotten too many, and find something to do with them - kill them, set up another vase, take them to a store that's already overrun, whatever.

 

You're too nice with them. I would just kill them. You would still need to change and clean the water as if it were an aquarium (it still is) because they still produce waste and they would most likely still reproduce in there.

I know, I’m a sucker I do find them rather cute hah thank you for the help!

Your vase is lovely!
Don't dis those snails, they have helped create your micro-system
Just remove any excess ones.

Options are,
Remove them to a local pond. No-one will criticise that.
Get an assassin snail who will slowly eat them. Assassin snails are very pretty. Lol, pretty assassins

Lol I would never dis them! Thank you all for the help!

 

Nice vase!

If it were me, I'd just throw in a small piece of cucumber or iceberg lettuce every week or two. Leave it in there overnight, and take it out the next morning. Remove some if you think you've gotten too many, and find something to do with them - kill them, set up another vase, take them to a store that's already overrun, whatever.

I had some sneak in somehow. Turned into hundreds a total pain. I smoosh the eggs and I recently tried cucumber. They love cucumber. Didn't go for lettuce. I got a cheap veggie clip and I collect them on cucumber every few nights now.

 

My brother has had bladder snails in his tank for a few months and I'm allowing maybe a dozen to colonize my new 20g. I've always heard that a good way to deal with them is to feed less and feed smaller amounts. This limits their food supply so they die off, or at least do not reproduce as quickly.
In my opinion you can let them live and just control their population through feeding. I don't think I've ever seen them eat any plants or do any harm, so you can probably count on your tank not being in any danger.

Alternatively, buy a loach (I believe those eat snails?) and let him munch on the small ones.
Just be careful because theoretically an assassin snail or a loach can still harm your nerite snails.

 

My brother has had bladder snails in his tank for a few months and I'm allowing maybe a dozen to colonize my new 20g. I've always heard that a good way to deal with them is to feed less and feed smaller amounts. This limits their food supply so they die off, or at least do not reproduce as quickly.
In my opinion you can let them live and just control their population through feeding. I don't think I've ever seen them eat any plants or do any harm, so you can probably count on your tank not being in any danger.

Alternatively, buy a loach (I believe those eat snails?) and let him munch on the small ones.
Just be careful because theoretically an assassin snail or a loach can still harm your nerite snails.

I have heard this too I don't think I overfeed but I was not able to control them that way. I hope it eorks well for you! They are kind of cool when it's only a few

 

I have heard this too I don't think I overfeed but I was not able to control them that way. I hope it eorks well for you! They are kind of cool when it's only a few

Honestly I'm not entirely sure you can eradicate them by cutting the food because I'm sure they'll consume algae. I've been messing with the population in my 20 gallon as it cycles by cutting food for a few days and I do notice they seem to disappear without the food but they do always come back. I'm guessing that even without overfeeding they can survive on the very tiny amount that the fish miss, so I don't think that they're a sign of overfeeding

 

Same here, they are in my divided 10 gallon with two bettas and I only feed them 3-4 high quality pellets a day and a couple feeeze dried bloodworms - sometimes I’ll mix it up with diff brands, but I didn’t think it was so much. But I think that tank does get some sun and tends to have some algae growth they are living off of. If it would stay a few I’d be okay but there were TONS! And they seemed to be making a lot of poop! I never had that much stuff to gravel vac when it was just the two bettas. I do think they are cute though so it’s a shame they reproduce so quickly and so many !

I had some sneak in somehow. Turned into hundreds a total pain. I smoosh the eggs and I recently tried cucumber. They love cucumber. Didn't go for lettuce. I got a cheap veggie clip and I collect them on cucumber every few nights now.

What do you do after you collect them?

 

Same here, they are in my divided 10 gallon with two bettas and I only feed them 3-4 high quality pellets a day and a couple feeeze dried bloodworms - sometimes I’ll mix it up with diff brands, but I didn’t think it was so much. But I think that tank does get some sun and tends to have some algae growth they are living off of. If it would stay a few I’d be okay but there were TONS! And they seemed to be making a lot of poop! I never had that much stuff to gravel vac when it was just the two bettas. I do think they are cute though so it’s a shame they reproduce so quickly and so many !


What do you do after you collect them?

My bf will kill them for me. I feel bad but I figure a more quick death once out of the water is best option. I would love to get an assassin snail or something but I have shrimp. My tanks gravel and really fully stocked so adding kulI loaches not an option. I liked the little plant vase idea posted here I may try that

 

There are usually people looking to buy them as food. You can post in the BSTF section. I slowly collect the extras from my tank, and bring them to my mom’s house for loach snacks.