Would releasing "pest snails" outside cause environmental damage?

I'm dismantling a 20 gallon tank which was infested with BBA. Getting rid of every single thing from the inside, and breaking the glass so no one so much as takes it from the garbage to use. I wish this on no one!

All fish have been moved to my 40 gallon, very overstocked tank. I bought a new 29 gallon today.

Here's the problem: a gravel substrate loaded with pond, bladder, and especially Malaysian trumpet snails. There are approx 5 Assassin snails in there, maybe more babies when I start digging around, which I will save.

If I'd take this outside and dump it on our property, and bury it, would the snails live and cause problems with local environment?

Or what if I spread it all out, maybe (or maybe not) they would dry out and die?

I don't have the time or patience to pick all these out.

 

If I'd take this outside and dump it on our property, and bury it, would the snails live and cause problems with local environment?

If it's dry ground, no.

In general: The possibility of them becoming invasive is always there, so please abstain from just releasing them into the wild near water, even if you have local populations (likely with the bladder snails), because your specimens might have parasites or diseases that the wild cousins have no immunity against.

You could instead try and sell them as fish food to puffer or loach owners.

There is sadly no patent solution for overpopulation in the aquarium.
Best course of action: Remove as many as possible at once and try to find the food source that made them become that numerous in the first place.

 

The only thing i for sure wouldn't do is take them to a body of water. A lot of public ponds/lakes have enough problems with invasive species already.

 

There is definitely always a risk, and species like MTS could establish themselves somewhere very quickly. Even if dumped on dry ground they could get washed into a drain or waterway, picked up by a bird etc...

If you have to dump the substrate, I'd recommend submerging it in something like boiling water first to kill the snails. Also if you thoroughly rinse out the tank I wouldn't smash the glass. Seems a shame to waste a tank, even if you've had a bad experience.

 

Lol what why smash it? But yea don't dump the snails outside.

 

Since you're not keeping the tank anyway, why not dump bleach in it to kill everything inside before you smash and get rid of everything? Basically disinfecting your garbage

The LFS can't even sell moss balls anymore due to the Zebra Mussel issue up here by the lake.

 

Hi Marlene327
I read your post and see you have a new tank.

bba is that black beard algae ? . If so 3% hydrogen peroxide will kill it . You don’t even really need to dry out the tank . You can use hydrogen peroxide under water with a hypodermic syringe at point blank range. When added to water hydrogen peroxide turns to oxygen and water.

 

bba is that black beard algae ? . If so 3% hydrogen peroxide will kill it . You don’t even really need to dry out the tank . You can use hydrogen peroxide under water with a hypodermic syringe at point blank range. When added to water hydrogen peroxide turns to oxygen and water.

It really is that easy. Kills it good.

 

The only thing i for sure wouldn't do is take them to a body of water. A lot of public ponds/lakes have enough problems with invasive species already.

Right, I would NEVER do that!

Since you're not keeping the tank anyway, why not dump bleach in it to kill everything inside before you smash and get rid of everything? Basically disinfecting your garbage

The LFS can't even sell moss balls anymore due to the Zebra Mussel issue up here by the lake.Yes

This is why I asked for some thoughts, opinions, expertise. We also have a problem with local lakes where people tossed their goldfish, who are now eating everything and the ecosystem is very messed up. Things out there that don't belong cause so much damage. Didn't know what snails would do, if anything, to the soil or to insects, etc in the ground. BLEACH - great idea!!

If it's dry ground, no.

In general: The possibility of them becoming invasive is always there, so please abstain from just releasing them into the wild near water, even if you have local populations (likely with the bladder snails), because your specimens might have parasites or diseases that the wild cousins have no immunity against.

You could instead try and sell them as fish food to puffer or loach owners.

There is sadly no patent solution for overpopulation in the aquarium.
Best course of action: Remove as many as possible at once and try to find the food source that made them become that numerous in the first place.

I would never release near water! I'm going to take a couple days to work this out. I've been working in super slow motion for 3 months, not getting in a hurry with this, want to do it right. I'll ask on our buy sale trade board if anyone is interested in them, first of all. And the food source was - first, I ran out of food for my assassins and put a few in from my other tank, and I'm guilty of being an overfeeder, apparently. Snails love to be overfed. Hope with my new tank that I don't bring more snails over to it, might bleach my plants. But also have these assassins and if they stay, they need food. I'd like mystery snails in the new one, but assassins kill mine... Hmmm so many decisions. Those assassins are a good/bad thing, I loved them when overrun with pests, but hated that they control what I put in my tank.

If it's dry ground, no.

In general: The possibility of them becoming invasive is always there, so please abstain from just releasing them into the wild near water, even if you have local populations (likely with the bladder snails), because your specimens might have parasites or diseases that the wild cousins have no immunity against.

You could instead try and sell them as fish food to puffer or loach owners.

There is sadly no patent solution for overpopulation in the aquarium.
Best course of action: Remove as many as possible at once and try to find the food source that made them become that numerous in the first place.

Hi Marlene327
I read your post and see you have a new tank.

bba is that black beard algae ? . If so 3% hydrogen peroxide will kill it . You don’t even really need to dry out the tank . You can use hydrogen peroxide under water with a hypodermic syringe at point blank range. When added to water hydrogen peroxide turns to oxygen and water.

Yes, the dreaded black beard algae, and I was too stupid about that stuff to realize what I had for a long time - should've asked on here 3 months sooner, but was recovering from knee surgery and my pain and my pain meds just blurred everything in life for awhile. I've heard different stories on peroxide. It could kill it, but if 1 little molecule remains, it will grow again, sounds like cancer to me in that respect. Right now everything except the substrate is removed - plants and decorations were thrown away, and I'm also destroying the heater - it had covered it, as well as the electric cord. I'm considering what to do with the filter - if I decide to keep it, I'm going to soak it in a bleach solution. I think when I tear it down, bleach will permeate every nook and cranny. But I may also be upgrading to a larger filter - decisions!!