Snail hitchhiker--- humane options

Okay, so I believe these guys are ramshorns (correct me if they aren't). I thought it was just the one, but this morning I found another. I was willing to let the one live in my tank, but now there's two (maybe more) and I'd really like to avoid a snail explosions (there are no predators in my tank). I hate to kill them and I certainly won't release them into the natural waterways. My logical brain says it's these two or tons more later... Guess I'm just looking for option three? Any suggestions.

 

It does look like a ramshorn to me.

I personally like them in my tank with trumpet snails. They are my glass and clean up crew.

A humane way to get rid of them? Don't know. Sorry.

 

You could get assassin snails that will eat them unless you also have nerites and mysteries.

I usually just leave a veggie in the tank overnight and the next day, I'll find a few stuck to it. Then I just toss them in the trash. I'll also pick them out as I see them in the tank. I honestly don't know any other "humane" way to rid of them.

 

you could get a fish bowl and throw them in there with a plant or two, make a little snail bowl. could also just leave them in the tank, I don't have experience with them but ive heard if you don't over-feed the population won't explode.

 

Yeah assassin snails definitely the most natural way to rid yourself of them but, I don't really know of a humane way to off snails.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

You can also squish them. Unpleasant, yes, but I'd consider it humane as it's a fast death for them.

 

You can also squish them. Unpleasant, yes, but I'd consider it humane as it's a fast death for them.

That's actually what I ended up doing . Hated it but it was either that or more deaths later

But thank y'all for your input, I just hate killing something solely on the basis that I find them inconvenient.... I was having an internal debate about the whole thing.

 

But thank y'all for your input, I just hate killing something solely on the basis that I find them inconvenient.... I was having an internal debate about the whole thing.

In my tanks, they eat my plants and take away food from my mystery snails. That's enough of a reason for me!

 

But thank y'all for your input, I just hate killing something solely on the basis that I find them inconvenient.... I was having an internal debate about the whole thing.

I get this. In my experience, even the 'pest' snails have a part to play in the ecosystem of your tank. If you don't overfeed, they will not overtake the tank. A clean tank will equate with a healthy 'pest' snail environment. If something goes wrong, an explosion in the 'pest' snail population is a key in early identification that something may not be right. If you see a lot of them all of a sudden, something has changed in your tank environment that might need your attention. Jdufreche, what fish/invertebrates do you have in your tank?

 

I get this. In my experience, even the 'pest' snails have a part to play in the ecosystem of your tank. If you don't overfeed, they will not overtake the tank. A clean tank will equate with a healthy 'pest' snail environment. If something goes wrong, an explosion in the 'pest' snail population is a key in early identification that something may not be right. If you see a lot of them all of a sudden, something has changed in your tank environment that might need your attention. @, what fish/invertebrates do you have in your tank?

I don't overfeed, but they still exploded - they feast on the algae and plants (and not just the dying ones - they're eating holes in some of my Hygrophila species).

 

I agree with TD. I don't overfeed either and while I've managed to keep the population to a minimum by regularly picking them out, they still manage to ruin my s. repens! They're absolutely shredded!!

 

Assassin snails! They will get every one of them. Problem solved.

 

Assassin snails! They will get every one of them. Problem solved.

Unless you have other snails that you want to keep in the tank...

 

But for a population explosion to occur, conditions for that explosion would need to be there. What is needed in the environment for the trigger? I will agree that maybe it is not food necessarily, but what else might it be? Definitely something for discussion, as it could benefit us all. I've had a recent "pest snail" population explosion, but have traced it back to feeding a new smaller pellet food, and in retrospect might have overdone it the first few times. Got extra ghost shrimp for each tank, and wow the snail population is decreasing, LOL. While it might not always be the case, sometimes when we take the entire environment into context we can find a pattern and solution.

 

Annie424 I have netrite and mystery snails already... I love snails, just don't want to be overrun with them. dcutl002 that's why assassins wouldn't be a good choice for me

 

Oh OK. Sorry. No Ninja snails then.

 

But thank y'all for your input, I just hate killing something solely on the basis that I find them inconvenient.... I was having an internal debate about the whole thing.

That's hard for me too. I have been removing them into a container just for snails. They are in my daughter's room. She considers them pets.

 

Don't know if anyone said it yet but a swift accurate blow from a hammer is about as humane as I can think

 

I agree with TD. I don't overfeed either and while I've managed to keep the population to a minimum by regularly picking them out, they still manage to ruin my s. repens! They're absolutely shredded!!

I just started noticing holes in some of my plants, the ludwigia repens, primarily. I recently added a gold mystery snail. Will assassin snails kill those as well as the little ones? How exactly do they kill?

 

I think they can so I wouldn't risk putting one in there. I'm not exactly sure how they kill as I've never owned them.

 

For the mysteries and nerites, I've heard the assassins gang up and kill them. I'd remove any mysteries and nerites that you have from that tank.

 

I just started noticing holes in some of my plants, the ludwigia repens, primarily. I recently added a gold mystery snail. Will assassin snails kill those as well as the little ones? How exactly do they kill?

 

That was rather fascinating! This is a very informative video that popped up after that one finished:

At about 2:35 she explains how they attack and feed. I didn't catch how often they kill and eat, though. Anyone know what their kill rate is on an average day or week?

 

Crush their shell with fingers (or chop it with a knife so you don't get a bloody thumb like me), put them in one of those ice cube makers, freeze them over night, them feed them to your fish