Ramshorn Snail Infestation Out Of Control

What can I do to reduce the ramshorn snail population in my 29 gallon community tank? There's hundreds of them.

It's nice to always have snails available to grab a few to feed to my puffer tank, but they're out of control and they just killed a filter.

Should I start selling my snails? Should I get a few assassin snails? I have kuhlI loaches and they're not eating the snails.

 

What can I do to reduce the ramshorn snail population in my 29 gallon community tank? There's hundreds of them.

It's nice to always have snails available to grab a few to feed to my puffer tank, but they're out of control and they just killed a filter.

Should I start selling my snails? Should I get a few assassin snails? I have kuhlI loaches and they're not eating the snails.

That's rough; my 29 gallon was overrun at one point too. You can take a plastic soda bottle, cut off the top and invert it so it's like a funnel pointing into the bottle, then put some food inside. the snails can can climb in, but will not usually climb out. However, I also lost an ember tetra that way and so I no longer use that method in tanks with small fish.

In tanks with small fish, I just place a small terracotta flowerpot in there right-side up and sink a piece of cucumber inside it. Check it a couple times a day and you can usually remove dozens at a time from the pot. It's not as efficient as the bottle, but is safer for small fish.

Good Luck!

 

I might try that, catching them in bulk like that. That’s a neat idea worth the clay pots. Is there a market for ramshorn snails though? Will people want me to send them some of my snails? Or should I find a way to dispose of them? I feel bad just killing hundreds of snails just for existing.

 

You can sell them on craiglist or similar. People buy them as feeders. You might get 20 cents each or something.

Try putting a piece of lettuce or spinach in there before bed and pulling out in the morning when it's covered in snails.

 

Get all your fish out to a new 29. And then introduce some puffer. Problem solved Hahahahah.

 

Get all your fish out to a new 29. And then introduce some puffer. Problem solved Hahahahah.

I actually have a puffer tank, too, and I’ve been using these snails as feeders. But my sadistic puffers always leave one survivor each meal, and now there’s about a dozen snails living in the puffer tank too.

 

I actually have a puffer tank, too, and I’ve been using these snails as feeders. But my sadistic puffers always leave one survivor each meal, and now there’s about a dozen snails living in the puffer tank too.

You should be able to take them into your lfs or sell them on craigslist. I'm pretty sure my betta is keeping them under control in my main tank--I was letting them get a nice population up before getting the kuhlI loaches, but my little girl is always fat and in hunting mode...and that tank hasn't had an explosion like my others have...

 

I actually have a puffer tank, too, and I’ve been using these snails as feeders. But my sadistic puffers always leave one survivor each meal, and now there’s about a dozen snails living in the puffer tank too.

Hahahahaha. I guess endless food supply is not a bad thing on one hand. Hahahaha.

I would use a snail trap and dump them in a mason jar or something. Keep the colony going and feed your puffer.

 

I have ramshorns and ghost shrimp together in a tank, and the ghost shrimp don't let any of the eggs hatch before eating them. It's kinda funny because I actually WANT more ramshorns in that tank lol