Found Some Common Bladder Snails, Are They Bad For Plants?

I put some live plants into my 40 gallon tank for the first time, and I had the plants on the lid of a bin so that I could easily pick out which to put where. After putting one of the plants in the tank, I found a few little snails on the lid, which were probably in/underneath the plant. I quickly determined through googling that they are common bladder snails, and I've found a lot of conflicting info on whether they are 'bad'.

I personally don't mind having little snails crawling around everywhere, because it'd be cool to have more types of life in the tank and I think they're kind of cute, and I don't really want to kill them. BUT, I don't want them harming any healthy plants. Would it be safe for my plants if I put the snails in the tank?

 

I think for a little while, but when you have 100s of snails they may start to eat your plants.

I recommend setting up a small tank just for snails, and then a pea puffer tank. JK on the pea puffer, ignore me, I just have MTS

 

They will mate and mate and mate and over take your tank very shortly. Remove any you see, unless you want the sides of your tank covered with them. IMO.

 

They won't eat your plants as long as you feed them. Throw in a slice of cucumber, zucchinI or spinach every 2 days. But remove it after 24 hrs.

I personally don't like the look of bladder snails, but they do help with the algae.

 

Plus I was just in kitchen making coffee, and it reminded me what bladder snail babies look like. Imagine coffee grinds all over the sides of your tank. Gross.

 

Plus I was just in kitchen making coffee, and it reminded me what bladder snail babies look like. Imagine coffee grinds all over the sides of your tank. Gross.

 

I put some live plants into my 40 gallon tank for the first time, and I had the plants on the lid of a bin so that I could easily pick out which to put where. After putting one of the plants in the tank, I found a few little snails on the lid, which were probably in/underneath the plant. I quickly determined through googling that they are common bladder snails, and I've found a lot of conflicting info on whether they are 'bad'.

I personally don't mind having little snails crawling around everywhere, because it'd be cool to have more types of life in the tank and I think they're kind of cute, and I don't really want to kill them. BUT, I don't want them harming any healthy plants. Would it be safe for my plants if I put the snails in the tank?

They will not eat healthy plants at all. They will graze on the biofilm on leaves so it looks like theyre eating them but theyre not. Also if you keep your tank clean you will not get overrun.

 

They will not eat healthy plants at all. They will graze on the biofilm on leaves so it looks like theyre eating them but theyre not. Also if you keep your tank clean you will not get overrun.

I do not necessarily agree with this. I do no less than once a week water changes, clean off all the ornaments, wipe off any eggs I see, do not overfeed, and my tank was over run with them. It took about 2 months though for me to start seeing them.

I planted plants, but soaked first in Aquarium salt. Didn't see a single snail for 2 months. By that time, there were eggs all over everything, under every ornament there were clutches of these snails, woke up one morning there are over 100 on the sides of the tanks.

Ripped the tank apart, bleached every plant, ornament, went through the gravel over and over with my vacuum and my hands, and I did some good damage but am still seeing them.

Now, I pull them out, if I can catch them, and put them in my feeder tank for puffers. The puffer tank is full of coffee grinds right now and all the bigger ones have been fed to the puffers.

They over run tanks no matter what you do, IMO.

 

I do not necessarily agree with this. I do no less than once a week water changes, clean off all the ornaments, wipe off any eggs I see, do not overfeed, and my tank was over run with them. It took about 2 months though for me to start seeing them.

I planted plants, but soaked first in Aquarium salt. Didn't see a single snail for 2 months. By that time, there were eggs all over everything, under every ornament there were clutches of these snails, woke up one morning there are over 100 on the sides of the tanks.

Ripped the tank apart, bleached every plant, ornament, went through the gravel over and over with my vacuum and my hands, and I did some good damage but am still seeing them.

Now, I pull them out, if I can catch them, and put them in my feeder tank for puffers. The puffer tank is full of coffee grinds right now and all the bigger ones have been fed to the puffers.

They over run tanks no matter what you do, IMO.

Ramshorn and bladder snails are both prolific at breeding, but I have yet to actually see a ton of baby snails everywhere. My tank isn’t clean, I do water changes probably every 2 weeks, never gravel vac. Somedays I do overfeed and even feed the snails(they will chew on your healthy plants if they aren’t fed any greens).

 

Ramshorn and bladder snails are both prolific at breeding, but I have yet to actually see a ton of baby snails everywhere. My tank isn’t clean, I do water changes probably every 2 weeks, never gravel vac. Somedays I do overfeed and even feed the snails(they will chew on your healthy plants if they aren’t fed any greens).

I don't know. I don't think I am over exaggerating. Maybe I just really really hate them. Who knows, but 100 on the side of the tank is a lot.