Unwelcome Guests (Snails)

mark4785 said:

The rock wool disintergrates over time so it's not stopping the roots burrowing into the substrate.

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Your plants may well be rooting and the rock wool disintegrating, however the plants are together in clumps, their root growth will be limited to that single area where they are planted. I think were off topic here, i'll have a read on your algae post!

+1 to MEBGW1D's comment on spreading the plants.

Fact 1
The snails will only increase in population with sufficient food to support the new larger population

Fact 2
You have an unusually high population of snails

Fact 3
To correct this population imbalance you need to change a variable in your tank because you fert your tank the number of variables are increased

Fact 4
Assassin snails and loaches do not change your tank parameters therefore they do not solve the problem

Fact 5
Snails fulfil a niche in your biosphere by removing them without replacing them with a biological, mechanical or chemical solution that niche will be left unchecked and may be filled by a less desirable solution.

Subjective:
I introduce "pest snails" to all my tanks as I like to have a complete biosphere and I have never had unpleasant explosion of snails that everyone else seems to complain about.

I've had three assassins snails in a 20 gallon tank for about a week and a half now, and I've seen no reduction in the pest snail population. I didn't start out with a large population to begin with, so I'm worried my assassins aren't finding them and may not be getting enough to eat (I actually like the assassins quite a bit and want to keep them even if I don't have snails in the tank). The lettuce trick didn't net a single snail.

What snail are they? If its MTS then the assassins struggle to eat them due to their ability to close their shells. If you don't know what they are there is a pinned topic in the invert section http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/75554-snail-species/]here that will help you identify them. Lettuce isn't normally effective what you want to use is courgette it gets much better results.

I will add a pic later of what they look like hunting my photobucket is currently playing up. pic here (click to enlarge):



See the snorkel extended is to pick up the scent of their prey these 2 were hunting in a pack as they were going for a large pouch snail

saltynay said:

What snail are they? If its MTS then the assassins struggle to eat them due to their ability to close their shells. If you don't know what they are there is a pinned topic in the invert section http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/75554-snail-species/]here that will help you identify them. Lettuce isn't normally effective what you want to use is courgette it gets much better results.

I will add a pic later of what they look like hunting my photobucket is currently playing up. pic here (click to enlarge):



See the snorkel extended is to pick up the scent of their prey these 2 were hunting in a pack as they were going for a large pouch snail

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They aren't the MTS- from the pictures I'd say common pond or bladder snails. I do see my snails going around with their snorkels out, but I've also seen them go right around snails that they easily have gotten. So far I haven't seen them eat anything, and I've actually put snails and shrimp pellets right in their path. Getting kind of worried...

This explosion of MTS is because of the constant supply of zucchini I provide for my bristlenose plecos. They seem to come out of the substrate at night and many of them return to it during the day. Assassin snails will search for them by digging themselves in too.

I've put six of them in this tank about a week ago so it's too soon to see how well they do with them. Here's a picture of what ten of them did with a similar (but smaller) type snail in a 55 gallon tank. The brown spots are empty snail shells. You can see an assassin snail partially buried, just above the center, on the right side.

If you find the ultimate solution..... Please let me know.... I am desperate!!

Ludwig Venter said:

If you find the ultimate solution..... Please let me know.... I am desperate!!

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as this image been photoshop-ed!?

Inchworm said:

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This explosion of MTS is because of the constant supply of zucchini I provide for my bristlenose plecos. They seem to come out of the substrate at night and many of them return to it during the day. Assassin snails will search for them by digging themselves in too.

I've put six of them in this tank about a week ago so it's too soon to see how well they do with them. Here's a picture of what ten of them did with a similar (but smaller) type snail in a 55 gallon tank. The brown spots are empty snail shells. You can see an assassin snail partially buried, just above the center, on the right side.

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Wow...how long it take them for to clear it out like that? It's really impressive! Do you think 3 is enough for a 20 gallon tank? It seems like every morning I see more pest snails instead of less.

Assassins don't really hunt pest snails at a rapid rate hence why they are bad at trying to get rid of pests and not finding the cause of the pests and stopping them that way. 1 assassin will eat 1 medium snail every 2 days, 1-2 small snails every day or 1 large snail every 4 days. The time spent not eating they are digesting and don't really move much as they usually bury themselves in to the substrate.

Wow...how long it take them for to clear it out like that? It's really impressive! Do you think 3 is enough for a 20 gallon tank? It seems like every morning I see more pest snails instead of less.

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It surprised me how quickly they polished off these little snails. I don't know if they can eliminate a heavy infestation but if they will eat the young ones, and let me pick the older and bigger ones out, I think the situation would at least be under control.

They will take down the big ones in teams I saw 3 take down a 2cm pond snail, the one that actually started my love for snails when it hitchhiked on a plant when I set up the tank. Well I assume it was the original as it was by far the largest.

saltynay said:

They will take down the big ones in teams I saw 3 take down a 2cm pond snail, the one that actually started my love for snails when it hitchhiked on a plant when I set up the tank. Well I assume it was the original as it was by far the largest.

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really? that would have been cool to see do you have it on video by chance? (probably not but I thought i ask)

My snail problem is under control at the moment, thanks to the clown loachs i added. although it would be nice to have assassin snails. Do they also eat algae or do they only eat snail?