SOOO many snails!!!

[Tazmiche]

Since buying new plants we are being overrun with snails. Have removed lots and keep finding eggs everywhere.
We have bought a snail control treatment but haven't used it yet as not keen on chemicals.
Any advice? Help? Info? They are in my all male guppy tank, what should i do? ???

 

[atmmachine816]

Usually if you stop feedint so much the popluation wiill diminish as they eat leftover food, just femove empty shells.

 

[griffin]

a preventative measure would also be to quarantine the plants to see if there are snails before putting them in your main tank.

like atmmachine said, monitoring food and removing snails are two ways for getting rid of current snails. another way might be to get a fish that will eat the snails (puffers/loaches, but make sure you have good conditions for these fish

 

[Isabella]

Tazmiche, what kind of snails do you think they are? Any type from this article: ?

 

[Tazmiche]

Having looked at the plant geek artical i'd say pond snails. Today i have hoovered bottom and washed the plants which has removed many but we can still have at least 10 of various growth on glass etc at anytime. I feel bad killing them but they are taking over the tank!

 

[Isabella]

I think my snails are pond snails too ! They're still small but they're beginning to look more like pond snails now! I must have about 10 of them. Should I be removing them? One person on Plant Geek has them too but he said his fish keep these snails in check (don't let their colony grow too large by eating them). Maybe my Angelfish and Rams will eat them? I mean ... I REALLY DON'T want to kill them even though I don't want snails in my tank. If they didn't multiply fast and a lot, I could have some, but not hundreds! How many do you think you have?

 

[ChiLady]

I have the pond snails too I think, and there is around 10 in the tank that I can see. I bet more where I can't see them. So I take it these would be good for my tank though right? How big do they get, any one know? Will they eat the left over food that floats to the bottom? I never seem to be able to feed my fish the right amount. They always seem to have something left over. Plus my Platys seem to be taking care of the problem of over infestation. So it seems to be OK for now. But I am keeping an eye on it.


Francine

 

[Isabella]

ChiLady, here is a good article about snails with photos, where you can compare your snails to the snails on the photos, and see which ones you have:

I've been told on PlantGeek.net that Pond Snails don't eat plants, only the decaying plant and fish food matter, which is good. They're not bad for a planted tank, but a large population of them my look unsightly. This is what I don't want: A large snail population crawling all over my tank!

 

[griffin]

don't overfeed, and you should be fine. those snails are a good super cheap cleanup crew. they'll eat leftover food and such, but too much overfeeding ---> explosion!

 

[Isabella]

Hmm, I really have such mixed feelings about those snails. On one hand, I really don't want to have a lot of them, but on the other hand, I don't want to kill them either! I guess I could handle a snail-eating fish ... as long as I wouldn't have to look at it eating the snails. I don't like seeing anything being eaten alive. Not to mention, I myself would never have the guts to kill anything that's living. I know that it may seem "paranoid" to some people, lol.

 

[Gunnie]

Loaches are a great way to rid your tank of snails. I got 4 yo yo's for my 20 gal. long, which is really a small tank for these fish, but I am careful to give them plenty of hiding places and swimming room. They got rid of my snail problem within 2 weeks, and are a great addition to the tank. They play tag constantly.

 

[Tazmiche]

At one point i looked into tank, counted 28 on glass, loads on plants and eggs. Most were very tiny, looked awful!
I too can't kill but my mum hoovered lots out! We still have 2 large ones, both about the size of my thumbnail and a few growing that will stay but we are keeping a very close eye on the tank for eggs and have removed these.We have had to do this as it's only a 10.5 UK gallon tank, with 6 male guppies and the snail population exploded after planting 2 new plants.

 

[ChiLady]

Some one said to put in a piece of cucumber under a rock. And let it sit over night, in the morning the snails will be on the cucumber and you can toss that out. Wont take care of them all, but should help the over population. I am going to try it tonight.

 

[Isabella]

I've heard the same thing only with lettuce, lol

 

[zeddy]

All you need is something that eats snails. my sister-in-law has snail problams to but it helps me because i have fish that eat snails so i get free food. it is kind of nice. good luck with your problem. if you use that chemical please post results

 

[roshan123]

Just buy a clown loach and put in the tank. dont feed it, and in 2 weeks your snail problem will be gone. make sure you buy a loach that is atleast 4 in. long. otherwise it wont eat the snails. tell me if it works

 

[Isabella]

I didn't throw my snails away. But I don't overfeed my fish and there are not that many of the snails. They seem to grow to a certain size and then die away (I never find any snails bigger than a fingernail), as I am finding snail shells all over my tank. I keep them for now (feed them with lettuce, cucumbers, spinach and fish food) because I still don't have algae eaters. And let me tell you, they do a great job with algae and they don't eat plants When I get algae eaters, I'll transfer all of my snails to my small tank and when my father goes fishing, he'll release them in a pond. I can't just kill them ... :-\

 

[atmmachine816]

All you need is something that eats snails. my sister-in-law has snail problams to but it helps me because i have fish that eat snails so i get free food. it is kind of nice. good luck with your problem. if you use that chemical please post results

I've used had-a-snail and it didn't work for me, though chemicals like these contain copper and if added in large neough amounts they kill other invertebrates.

Just buy a clown loach and put in the tank. dont feed it, and in 2 weeks your snail problem will be gone. make sure you buy a loach that is atleast 4 in. long. otherwise it wont eat the snails. tell me if it works

Clown loaches get 12+", just take awhile so if you buy one, make sure you tanks big enough or you know somebody who can take it in.

 

[Isabella]

Atm, good to see you again Missed Fish Lore a lot!