Snails.... and how!

ok, so now I could do with some help. I have a serious problem with pond snails in one of my tanks. All the previously successful methods have failed with these little critters and I've tried a few!

I put my botias in to cure the problem, but for every one they dispose of, another ten appear! I've tried zuccinI and they won't play the game, I've tried removing them by hand, but there are just too many of them, and snail away will polute the tank for weeks with rotting bodies!

The water parameters are fine and the nicely planted tank isn't so nice now, with most of the plants badly eaten and looking very miserable. Nothing I do seems to have any affect on them.

I have an idea though and would like to run it by you all. plants can be bathed in bleach to kill the snails before they enter the aquarium, so could the same be done with the aquarium itself?

I am thinking that if I remove the fish and the filters, I could put a mild bleach solution into the tank and let it run for a while before stripping and rebuilding. The plants that are left aren't worth trying to save, I might just as well put new ones in, but is this a pheasable solution to the problem?

Even if I strip the tank and wash everything there is always the chance that something will get through, but if I treat the tank first, nothing should survive at all, at least, that's the theory.

The main question is this:

How much bleach is safe?
Will a mild solution be enough?
Is there an alternative option?

Come on guys, help me out!

 

I could loan you He-Who-Eats-Snails, but he'd do a number on your plants as well.
I had the exact same problem, and when I put my goldfish (who did not have a name at that point) in the tank, a week later, they couldn't get on the sides/plants, or they'd be eaten.

 

Taking your advice, I moved my 6" coi into the tank this morning and within an hour, there wasn't a snail in sight!

He's still in there now, rooting amongst the gravel getting the ones that are hiding away. I was very wary with black neons in the tank, but they are fully grown and so far he has left them alone. I think they may be too big to interest him now.

It's quite funny really, since he started working in the tank, the botias have come out to help. They have recently shown no real interest at all in the snails, which is why the problem got so bad. Let's hope they learn from him!

As for the plants, he can munch on them if he likes, I have new ones lined up anyway! I have also moved my gibby in there, and he is busy removing any trace of algae that the snails may have been feeding on. With luck, by the end of the day the problem will have been removed. Between them they make one heck of a cleaning crew! (Have to remember this one for the future).

Thanks again, I was really getting quite worried by these little blighters, but speckle is sorting them out without any major damage.

 

Awesome! I thought that it was an anomaly that my koi and goldfish liked to eat snails. Cool that it worked out for you. I'm sure you know this, but want to say it anyway, in case you don't; Watch your waste levels in that tank. Koi are worth many times more than their length in gallons as far as bioload goes, especially if they're eating well.
Have fun with your new snail-free tank.

 

yep and the Gibby will add to that bio-load significantly
Carol

 

Thanks for the reminder on the parameters, I am aware of the potential there. I have taken most of the other fish out of this tank prior to putting the koi in, the only ones I couldn't get hold of were the neons and the botias, so the bio-load has not been adversely affected.

I will be removing both cleaners tomorrow am and putting them back into the big tank again, as they have now done the job. A quick cleanup of the tank, new plants and it should be good as new!

I haven't seen any signs of snails all afternoon and speckle has been clearing the gravel all day. This evening I shall remove the old plants and rocks so that there is no-where for them to hide. By the morning there shouldn't be a snail left!

 

wow!! I need to rent a goldfish!! I still have major snail problems!
lucky you having a goldfish to hand! I never knew they were snail eaters! shame I can't train one of my fish to eat snails!

 

That makes two of us! I've kept goldfish for years and had snail problems before with them and they never touched them. Maybe it was because they never got as big as these are now!

 

I knew that my He-Who-Eats-Snails and Miyamoto both had pestered a mystery snail until it starved to death, but I didn't think that they'd actually eat the pond snails.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I'm very happy about this. I'm even ok with losing the shrimp, as long as the snails stay gone.

 

Just to follow up this little thread, after removing the cleaners and re-building the tank decor, changing the water and vacuuming the gravel, we left it overnight to see how well they had done.

You can imagine our surprise in the morning when we spotted fry swimming around! The platty had given birth overnight. Talk about good timing!

that's not the end either. When I put speckle into the tank, I removed all the small fish I could catch into the next tank for safety, not knowing what he would do. Yesterday, I returned all the fish to the live-bearers tank and thought that was it. But no, the guppy gave birth to fry while she was in the other tank!

Put that with the gourami fry that I also discovered today and I have now got somewhere near 300 new fish today! (And only a few snails!)

 

lol congratulations!!! :;hb to all the little fry!

 

HI timg! Great to hear you found a solution to your problem, better than having to tear down the whole tank! I have a question, how long have you kept your koi in your aquarium? What temperature do you keep them at? and Do they REALLY produce so much waste? More than a large pleco?

The reason I ask is that there are two lovely platinum koi at the LFS. I was looking at this new 125 tank and thinking of how long I could keep them in there. Eventually I am going to build a greenhouse out in our town, and want a pond, so eventually could move them, but for now would love a couple to go with my balas. The sparkling white would look so nice!

Looking for your advice.

April

 

Wow 300 fry! The cuteness must be completely overwhelming, let alone the wonder of how much room they will all need once they are grown!

Congratulations!

--R

 

The koi has been with us for about a year now, and has been living in temperate water at 27C for the last 9 months. He now resides in the 8' with his friends and is about 6" in length.

The waste they produce isn't excessive, so long as you restrict their food, and the growth is also controlled that way. They are very greedy and when feeding time comes along, I have to feed in several different places to ensure that the other tank mates get a share. I have two balas, two small clowns, two chinese algae eaters and two plecs living with them now and all are very happy. The water parameters are fine with this level of stocking, but that may be due to the aquaponics garden filtering system controlling the nitrate levels.

I have a suspicion that one of the goldfish is getting ready to sporn too, as it has suddenly grown around the belly area, so that could be interesting too!

With reference to the fry, boy, is it giving me a headache! Over the coming months I am going to have to move these on to the lfs, because there is no way I can find enough tank space for all of them! I already have around 150 mollies, platties and guppies that are nearly ready to go, so hopefully that will make enough room for the new arrivals to grow out a bit.

 

Thanks for you koi insight. l I may go for it. Do they disturb your plants? This tank is suppose to be planted, so that would weigh in heavily when making the decision on stocking.

Thanks for your input.

Fish in the Frozen North

 

Do you know if the platinum koi you're seeing are butterfly or not? If they're butterfly koi, they won't grow to be as large. 125 gallons should be a good size for them to live in for quite awhile.
As far as waste goes, I've had a bit of a different experience than timg. My koi and goldfish each were fed only a few pellets (about half the size of their eyes, total, going by the whole "their stomach is as big as their eyes" idea), and the second vacuuming after I removed them from the tank, I was amazed at how little waste I got. Usually, the water was nearly opaque. This time, there was hardly anything.
And yes, they will eat your plants. First, they will uproot them and eat the roots, because those are the most tender parts. Then they will strip the leaves off one by one. Floating plants like myrmio will do well as a snack for them (this probably added to the waste issue, though it started before I put plants in), and java fern doesn't interest them.
They also prefer cooler temperatures than other fish (just like goldfish), but will survive in a heated tank. Just probably would be happier in a cooler tank.

 

Unless you are looking to breed them of course.

Carp and goldfish sporn in the spring, and this is one reason very few are bred in tanks. Most tanks, warm water or cold water, remain at the same temperature all year round. The fish will only sporn after a cold spell, which they take as winter. When the temperature rises, they will breed. I simulated the winter when I loaded the 8' tank, by filling it with warm water, putting the fish in, then letting it cool down for about two weeks, before turning the heaters on. This has produced the desired results with one of the females now heavy with eggs. I anticipate that she will sporn very soon now, although I would be very surprised if any of the eggs hatch and reach maturity, unless I go fishing and pull them straight out to a breeder.

sirdarksol is correct about waste. I get far more waste from the plecs! The goldfish are excellent cleaners and will spend all day vacuuming the gravel. It is not very often that I have to clean the gravel myself, as they eat any waste food, or anything else that lands on the bottom. Their trails break up and are absorbed by the UGF, so nothing goes to waste. Every 6 months, I vacuum the UGF and that's about it! Water changes are not needed either, due to the aquaponics garden and the UGF combination. All the parameters are fine, including the nitrates which are always below 10.

plants are a must, but not in this tank! Silk or plastic work best! (My garden sorts the nitrates out without the fish eating it!)

I have learned not to give them the opportunity to eat plants, by only using fake in their tank.

 

yeah, goldfish, orfs and koi spawn very easily in uk ponds with no effort at all! its getting them to stop that's the problem! and believe me, uk ponds aren't warm!! def a coldwater fish!!! even in spring, the uk ponds are cold!!

 

hey Tan, have you seen the latest vids of the dwarf gourami fry? They are really special since they are not easy to breed and we broke the rules, (again), when they bred!

 

no.....can you post a link for me pls? sounds fab!

 

Wow, so I take a look at my tank today and there is 3 tiny little snails. The tank is still cycling and there a no fish in it yet, nor has there been any in there yet. I have one plant in there, and the tank has been cycling for about 9 days.

Are the snails bad? should I keep them? Where did they come from? What should I do?

 

Those are common pond snails and they came in on your plant. They may multiply faster than You want them to.
Carol

 

Darn, well I took out the ones I could see. I found about 6 total , should I clean out the tank? throw out the plant?

 

Just keep digging the snails out there are several ways to prevent snails coming in on your plants.
Heres a whole list of ways to disinfect plants.

Carol

 

The snails will become a pest, unfortunately. It's a good idea to try and get rid of them. If you want cleaners you can get apple snails or whatever at the LFS. I have a pair of mystery snails I put in my betta tank about a week ago and I have seen vast improvements in the cleanliness of the gravel and glass.

 

Those are common pond snails and they came in on your plant. They may multiply faster than You want them to.
Carol

It's tru...I had the same experience. if you don't do something soon you might have hundreds!

 

The snails will become a pest, unfortunately. It's a good idea to try and get rid of them. If you want cleaners you can get apple snails or whatever at the LFS. I have a pair of mystery snails I put in my betta tank about a week ago and I have seen vast improvements in the cleanliness of the gravel and glass.

Actually devon, apple snails are 5 galons of bioload each. they might get rid of the visible stuff in your tank, but they are heavy pollutants. I wouldnt even recommend one snail in a betta tank.

 

Actually devon, apple snails are 5 galons of bioload each. they might get rid of the visible stuff in your tank, but they are heavy pollutants. I wouldnt even recommend one snail in a betta tank.

I plan to take them out and put them in the 35 gal. as soon as the mess is under control... I know they are messy little things so I am doing daily water changes for him in the meantime. I had his tank in the window (no background in the tank), and even though I keep the blinds shut the algae just went crazy in there.

Edit: they are Ivory mystery snails, not Apple Snails... not sure that it makes a difference though.

 

Yep 2.5 is a Betta only tank better still Pretty plants, a snail and a bigger tank for the betta LOL

 

Aw well thank you guys, Ill just keep removing them when I see them

still I wonder, should I vacuum my rocks? Incase of eggs? or will that mess up my bacteria>?

 

Vacuum 1/2 the tank then in a day or so vacuum the other half. What are you using for an ammonia source to cycle your tank?
Carol

 

well, just fish food for now, and a little bit of decomposing plant.

 

well, just fish food for now, and a little bit of decomposing plant.

That's cool, Just that the snails will love it so be sure to get all the snail and snail eggs you can out.
Carol

 

Edit: they are Ivory mystery snails, not Apple Snails... not sure that it makes a difference though.

yes, it is the same thing I learned that the hard way!

 

Sorry right off the bat everyone...I'm sure I'm in the wrong place.....I have tried everywhere...I am looking for small snails (sorry way in advance) for my puffers...all my stores haven't really been even able to aquire them for me...I've tried for months to get my own population going ..but no luck...if anybody has any (or really lots of them...lol) they need taken off their hands I'd really appriciate it......(I did try to post this in buy,sell,trade) but it wouldnt allow me...thanks everyone

 

Aquabid.com

You'll get aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall you want!!!! I did and Beetle Juice (fig 8 puffer) is in snail heaven

 

The WalMart near me has tons of little tadpole snails in their tanks that would be perfect for puffers...it might be worth taking a look

-M189-

 

thanks MizRamzi...now why didnt I think of that!!!!!! dudh!!!!!I'm gonna check it out right now...thanks again

 

thanks MizRamzi...now why didnt I think of that!!!!!! dudh!!!!!I'm gonna check it out right now...thanks again

;D Aquabid addict here

 

ok ...now maybe a little direction.... I have no idea which ones...lol there's way to many to choose....I do know I need small ones...any suggestions????...