Malaysian Trumpet Snails, keep or discard?

[mulletmcnasty]

Hi all, another ask for advice thread. I'm about to break down a tank due to skyrocketing electricity charges. I got all the fish out, but must have stirred up the substrate doing so.
Anyway I noticed there was MTS snails. I'm thinking of putting some in my main community tank. What's your experience with these? All help is appreciated.
M McM.

 

[kansas]

I like them, if I get too many, I siphon some out during water changes. I think they keep the dirt stirred up.

 

[Fishfur]

Personally, I like them and prefer to have rhem around. I nearly always have sand substrate and they spend most of their time buried and churning the sand eating detritus. I think that’s a valuable service. They don’t lay eggs - they brood them internally and birth fully formed young. They’re very good algae eaters though they are not good at keeping glass clear of it.

You don’t usually see them much excepting for the expecting females who will climb the glass at night to release a brood onto the surface of the water.

The little snails are so small at first they simply float around on the water tension until they run into something they can grab with a foot. I think that’s how they get past intake sponge covers to dig into filter sponges.

They are prolific but removing most of those that do climb the glass helps a lot to control numbers if they get too high. You’re taking out the mama snail and her latest brood so it has a greater effect than removing a single snail usually would. Only the females climb the glass to the top so far as I know.

 

[MasterPython]

Even if you drain the tank and let it dry up they might come back

 

[Redshark1]

Unless you absolutely love these snails I would avoid them if you can to be on the safe side. They were too prolific for me and beyond control for many years. They covered the glass and people visiting told me I was a bad fish keeper. They spread through all my tanks despite efforts to prevent this. It was nothing to do with overfeeding my fish or lack of effort trapping them on my part. All known methods failed until luckily one day my fish suddenly started eating them after living with them for many years and they were gone.

 

[mulletmcnasty]

Thanks for the advice everyone. At this stage I don't think that I will keep them, I'm already battling scuds, that's enough.

 

[Guppy777]

How much will you save by getting rid of this tank ?

 

[mulletmcnasty]

I can't say for sure just yet, but I can reveal that after the next bill. Light, heater, cannister filter and pump were running on that tank.