Snails - Where Did It Come From And Is It Bad?

I found a very small snail in my tank this morning, I think it might be a baby. It was on one of the rocks in my tank, then later on I couldn't find it, it was so small! (It's probably camouflaged in the gravel).

I was just wondering,
               1)    How might it have got there?
and          2)    Are snails a good thing or a bad thing?

Thanks.

Gwenz

 

Snails in moderation are good things. They clean up uneaten food and keep your substrate loose. You generally won't have a snail explosion unless you are over feeding your fish.
Carol

 

Thanks, I thought they were a good thing. How could it have got in my tank?

Gwenz

 

Sometimes the eggs will sneak in on a plant or in the water with your fish. Even if you don't put the water from the lfs in your tank the eggs could stick to your fish until they get in the tank. They are sneaky little critters
Carol

 

Hey, I found another one!!

They are really really tiny!!! They are litteraly about this big( O ) The size of this O!!

How do I know what kind they are?

Gwenz

 

check this article out. It should help you ID your snail
Carol

 

Thanks Carol, this helped a lot, an dI learnt that snails arn't all that bad!!

Gwenz

 

Glad you were able to use the information Now if they continue to multiple you may have to take a look at how much your feeding your fish and cut down some.
Carol

 

Mine are multiplying like mad, but I'm not overfeeding the fish- I feed only once a day and everything is gone! (I like to sit and watch them eat, not only for the enjoyment, but to make sure I'm not overfeeding) The corys generally eat whatever is left....I have read that some snails are livebearing and will multiply in the right water conditions.

 

THanks, I've been away over the weekend and found a few more today when I got back. Like vin, I like to watch my fish eat their food to make sure I'm not overfeeding. From time to time, I do feed a little to much, but I always take any food that is left over or floating out of the tank after a few minutes when I know they've had enough. Is this the right thing to do? ??? so why are they still multiplying?

Thanks,
Gwenz

 

Snails are prolific breeders, so if you have a couple you will soon have a handful... In other words, things like overfeeding will help them multiply faster, but just because they are breeding doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. A lot of people consider snails pests, but they really don't do any harm with the exception of some eating plants. They help clean up and can give a nice extra component to your tank.

 

Ok, thanks. I think I heard somwhere that snails help keep the glass clean. I was just wondering if this was true.

Thanks again
Gwenz

 

Well, some snails do eat algae [off the glass], but I don't think that many do. Let's see what someone else says...

 

hehe I just asked the very same question on my new post and have now just read all of this lol, I thought I had a fast moving snail, it turned out to be 5 snails, looked like 2 were mating yesterday, I could be in trouble! my husband wants them in the new tank, but I wasn't sure til I read all this. thanks :-*

 

Well, some snails do eat algae [off the glass], but I don't think that many do.  Let's see what someone else says...

Some snails will compete with your algae eaters for the algae in the tank....Can't remember which ones though......

 

Thanks, this has all been a great help.

Gwenz

 

They also get down in your substrate andkeep it loosened up while eating algae and fallen food.
Carol

 

hey just a quick question...

I am wanting to have a planted tank and fish so I think I ll have snails (though I still clean plants and stuff)... I was looking into crabs and shrimp b/c they look so cool.... my tank is a 20 gal long so thers enough to roam so I figured several shrimp and a few crabs.... won't the crabs eat snails? certain types anyways: there it mentions crabs and crayfish eat em so that's cool (I like snails but I think its cool to see crab eat some too lol that's mean eh)

Cool quetsions (I'm buying a book today at petsmart on fishes so I'm getting CLOSER!!!!)

lol
-luper

 

Yes, the crabs will eat the snails......

 

Depending on the type of snail, they generally are hermaphrodites and are egg-laying; the egg packets look like little jelly blobs with white dots in them, usually under plant leaves or some other obscure type area. I started with 3 snails and can't keep track of exact numbers now (maybe 15?); they all have stayed pretty small. I have 3 ghost shrimp that I have seen eat the smaller snails, so that helps (plus they are so cool to watch!). I don't mind the snails, I have noticed them clean up the tank some, but they do poo alot, so I do have to clean more often. I also suck some up whenever I clean (population control) and put them in my yard to either get eaten by something out there or to help fertilize my garden (although I can't imagine that they do much!).