Help! I'm Being Over Run By Snails!

I bought live plants a few weeks ago and now I've got like 30 tiny bladder snails. I've got 2 honey gourami and 1 nerite tiger snail in there. How can I get rid of the bladder snails without hurting my gourami and nerite snail? They're everywhere ! Any fish ? I can add that will eat them but not hurt my gourami ? I have a 12 gallon tank

 

Move the nerite somewhere and get some assasian snails. They will kill any snail you have, including the nerite so you will have to move him.

 

Hmmm. Okay, thanks for the advice! I might just do that.

Question on another thought I had. If I bought a bigger tank, and moved my gourami and nerite, and bought all new decorations would I be able to use the water in my current tank ? Or would I most likely get snails in the water and then have 2 tanks with a huge problem ?

 

I second assassin snails. Loaches will eat them but your tank is too small unfortunately. You could use the water as snails don't typically swim lol, but I don't see why you would want to.

 

i've read some gourami will eat snails.

suggest you fast for 2-3 days. then use your fingers and crush some of the pest snails. the gourami will be hungry and they just might enjoy some escargot.

 

I would get some spinach, blanch it and drop it in there at night and then in the morning when its covered with snails remove it. Another thing that would help is control your feeding, leftover food is what gives the snail populations those big booms

 

I would get some spinach, blanch it and drop it in there at night and then in the morning when its covered with snails remove it. Another thing that would help is control your feeding, leftover food is what gives the snail populations those big booms

Thanks so much! I will try that!

I second assassin snails. Loaches will eat them but your tank is too small unfortunately. You could use the water as snails don't typically swim lol, but I don't see why you would want to.

Just to be able to move them quickly rather than wait for a new tank to fully cycle. I also don't have anywhere to move my nerite to to add the assassin's but I could probably work something out.

If I bought juvenile kuhlI loaches would they be okay for a while, if I eventually upgraded to a bigger tank. I ask because they actually were towards the top of my list when I did get a bigger tank.

i've read some gourami will eat snails.

suggest you fast for 2-3 days. then use your fingers and crush some of the pest snails. the gourami will be hungry and they just might enjoy some escargot.

I'm fairly new to fish keeping. I assume 2 or 3 days with no food won't be a major issue for the gourami ? And I sort of feel bad crushing the snails but I've taken out like 10 already so I guess I can do it if I have too. Would much rather a fish do all the dirty work for me haha

 

Just to be able to move them quickly rather than wait for a new tank to fully cycle. I also don't have anywhere to move my nerite to to add the assassin's but I could probably work something out.

If I bought juvenile kuhlI loaches would they be okay for a while, if I eventually upgraded to a bigger tank. I ask because they actually were towards the top of my list when I did get a bigger tank.

KulI loaches are one of the few loaches that don’t particularly have a taste for snails, if your gonna get a loach get some yoyo’s. They will take care of them real quick. They will get to big for a 10 but they can live in a 20 gallon.

 

KulI loaches are one of the few loaches that don’t particularly have a taste for snails, if your gonna get a loach get some yoyo’s. They will take care of them real quick. They will get to big for a 10 but they can live in a 20 gallon.

Got it, thanks for all the advice!

 

Got it, thanks for all the advice!

Your welcome

 

Tank water won't cycle a new tank. Your filter would but you would run the risk of adding snails to your new tank. I was very careful with mine and tried so hard to clean my plants and everything before I added them to my tank and still managed to get some in it.