Not quite sure how to explain

Paser00 · 08-19-2007, 07:50 PM

I was doing my monthly canister filer cleaning. This is the first time i have done it since I have added eco complete plant and my fresh water plants. (most cambomba) As I was cleaning out the filter I found what looked like to be a snail. It was small and black. Also while cleaning out the second set of trays in the tank, I found what looked to be a worm entgaagled in my filter floss. Is it normal to have stuff living inside of a canister filter?

Since I found the snail in the canister filter I did a closer inspection of the inside of my tank. I found one small snail crawling around on the bottom of the tank. It has an almost clear, amber colored shell. I have no idea what kind it is since I have never added any snails to my tank.

Tommy Gun · 08-19-2007, 10:36 PM

Hey Paser00!

Not that I am the expert on plants or anything, but IME and from what I have read/heard, snails are often 'hitchikers' that come on plants...in fact, to me it sounds as if that is more of the rule than the exception. In fact, I have a lot of snails in my formerly planted tank (one which I havent been able to ID yet) and too add to that, I once placed a newly purchased plant in my 10 gallon tank for less than 15 -20 minutes and I have a huge population of what looks to be tiny mystery snails.

With that in mind, I also noticed that a lot of my snails...in fact, even my saltwater snails as well...do find their way onto a filter or powerhead intake, only to get stuck until I help them escape. Hence, if that is as common as it is in my tank, I wouldn't be surprise to find that a few of them were small enough to fit between the intake 'screen' and wind up in my filter. However, that is an assumption and I have never found any snails in my filter...yet...but then again, I havent really been looking for them either. By the way, those tiny mystery snails I told you about...they look exactly like your description of the snail in your tank.

Regarding the worm, I have no idea what that might be but I am sure someone will come along to help you out. However, I bet a worm would easily fit between an intake 'screen' (cant think of the right term for some reason) since they dont have a handy shell to stop them.

twood63 · 08-20-2007, 11:36 AM

I was told once that Frozen fish food sometimes have worms that come back. I had little wigglers in the bottom of my cannister and took some to my local fish store and thats what they said it could be.