Unwanted snails in a planted tank!

Jillianne · 10-06-2006, 08:38 AM

Ok, this is for all you guys with the planted tanks. How do you control the population of the snails that seem to come in on the plants? I quarantined mine for about a month, didn't see any and was thrilled

! Moved the plants into my larger tank and about 2 weeks later they started showing up

. Now the question is how to get rid of them safely so my fish will not suffer and how to prevent this from happening again?

Jill

thewebpop · 10-06-2006, 10:03 AM

Is there a reason you do not want snails? I guess it is an individual choice. I do not believe they hurt anything and will help clean your tank in a small way.

Maybe someone will post and correct me if I am wrong about possible problems. I have many plants and the snails do not seem to harm them in anyway. I will be checking to see if anyone has other thoughts on this.
Later, Pop's

Jillianne · 10-06-2006, 10:45 AM

It's not that I don't mind a few here and there, but there is a point when it gets a bit much. They seem to be everywhere now and I am worried that if they keep multiplying at this rate they will throw the balance of my tank off.

Jay · 10-06-2006, 11:44 AM

Probably will not throw your tank off, but if you want to get rid of them look into the loach family. A pair of clown loaches, for instance will, wipe them out in no time at all.

Problem is the clown loaches will get big eventually. Someone can probably suggest a smaller loach that eats snails.

I have snails (common ramshorn) in my tank, I like them as part of my cleanup crew.

Jay

Jillianne · 10-06-2006, 12:24 PM

I had read that clown loaches would help keep them from overpopulating but was concerned about their eventual size (have a pleco that grew exponentially, didn't have the heart to trade him in when he outgrew the tank, bought a larger tank just to give him more room) didn't want to run into a similar problem. Can someone suggest a smaller loach that would be as effective?

Thanks,
Jill

Tommy Gun · 10-09-2006, 08:00 PM

Jillianne,

From my experiences, clown loaches are by far the best 'control' factor for snails. It is true that they grow to be big, getting to be about a foot long or so, but it takes soooooooooooooooo long for them to reach these sizes that many people get away with keeping them for long, long times. They can live for over 20 years, just to give you an idea of how long it takes. One person I talked to has a 10 year old clown loach that is only in the 6 to 7 inch range.

Clown loaches do much better in groups as well. I keep four of them in my 55 gallon tank. Groups will help them become more active and less shy. Kind of a 'power in numbers' way of thinking.

IMHO, I think you could get away with a few clown loaches, especially if you are just wanting to get rid of some snails. You can always return them to a LFS later on. The bigger they get, their prices go up pretty quickly so you could get some good store credit or even make money.

I have heard of many ways to get rid of snails from your plants, none of which I can remember right now though....yea, my mind is blank. I do not keep any planted tanks yet, so what I know about plants is just from what I pick up while browsing forums. I do now that snails are crazy as far as how often and how much they can breed. I once had 2 apple snails which led to about a million babies. I now have one apple snail and four clown loaches. No babies at all. The snails can be bad for your filters as well and you should check to see if they are not building up in any hoses or media and blocking it off.

Hope this helps a bit and good luck!

P.S. Many people have the same trouble with buying a pleco without knowing what type it is exactly. I have a bristlenose pleco now and it will only get into the 6 or 7 inch range at adulthood.

MikeToo · 10-10-2006, 09:32 AM

Somebody told me the other day that she got rid of unwanted snails by burying 10 pennies in her substrate. Just enough copper to kill the snails, not enough to bother the plants.

Not a recommendation, just something I heard.

Mike

Tommy Gun · 10-10-2006, 04:53 PM

One more suggestion for you as well....

You could buy yourself a small glass jar of some sort (those green olive jars come to mind first for me) and actually bait the snails with food in the jar. You would just need to place the jar with food in it where your other fish cannot get it. I know there are some options as to what foods to use to attract the snails, but I cannot remember exactly what they are other than the algea tablets. Anyways, each morning, just before you turn on the lights, take the jar out and get rid of the snails that are inside.

From a chemistry point of veiw, pennies have VERY little copper in them these days and are almost 97% zinc and other metals. If copper was used today, the penny would be worth a lot more than....well, a penny. Same for nickels, dimes, quarters with silver and gold dollars would be worth a fortune! Just some more of my unlimited amounts of useless knowledge for you all!

Jay · 10-10-2006, 05:28 PM

Good point on the coins Tommy!

A thought, why don't you make a deal with her to take them off her hands and start a farm for them to feed to your puffer? They would be good for its teeth.

I just have to say it...Copper in elevated levels (above trace amounts) is toxic to LIFE. Once introduced it is in the tank and critters forever, be very cautious adding it to your aquarium.

Jay

Tommy Gun · 10-10-2006, 07:20 PM

Jay,

That would be a great idea with the snails but I had asked some people this same question (about feeding FW snails such as apple snails to a SW fish) and was told that live food in general is a really bad thing. Up to this date, I have not feed him anything 'hard' other than some krill with just a few shells left on them.

I had asked in the saltwater forum about feeding store bought clams/crabs/shrimp and got no answer about how to keep them safe. If you have any ideas and an extra minute Jay, could you pop over there and let me know (I dont want to take away from Jill's questions).

ANYWAYS....I did some more research on the snail trapping idea (asked my wife) and now remember that cucumber was the food used to bait the snails! I tell you, my memory is like an elephant's!

Also, another word of caution, many people may suggest that you 'smash' the snails with your hand. This is effective on some or most snails, but other snails can hurt you and definately give you an infection if you get cut by them.

There is also a medicine out there called "Had-a-snail" which will wipe out your snails but not harm your fish supposedly. I have not used this (I went with the loaches) and IME, I tend to shy away from meds and the like. However, this does not seem like a true medicine in the way that overdosing can hurt, but I would read the directions and ingredients BEFORE I bought it to make sure it does not contain copper or other chemicals that will change your water chemistry (particularily in the Ph department).

Hope this helps a bit more!