Snails????

Sorry if I'm posting a lot of questions or threads
Inspecting my tank today are there are these tiny snails on the glass of my aquarium! I was really careful when I was inspecting the plants I got for my tank but I must have missed a rouge snail or eggs. I did not want snails, and my tank isn't ready for life other than plants yet. (Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate levels). Does anyone have an idea what kind of snails they might be, and what I should do?

Probably pond snails. It's tough to avoid them when adding live plants. There really isn't a fool proof way to screen for them. Best way to deal with them is to control their food sources. Control algae, watch the overfeeding, remove dead plant matter when you see it.

They're not harmful. They can actually help a tank by breaking down organic matter. I think they're a good bellwether. If you have a lot of them, then you are doing something wrong.

I was gutted when I saw snails in my cycling set up (I had added some live plants), but the consensus on here was not to worry about it, and no point trying too hard to eliminate them.

I smash them. I prefer to have snails of my choosing that will not overpopulate. I have mystery and nerite snails.

rebe said:

Sorry if I'm posting a lot of questions or threads
Inspecting my tank today are there are these tiny snails on the glass of my aquarium! I was really careful when I was inspecting the plants I got for my tank but I must have missed a rouge snail or eggs. I did not want snails, and my tank isn't ready for life other than plants yet. (Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate levels). Does anyone have an idea what kind of snails they might be, and what I should do?

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Hello. Rams Horn snails typically hitch a ride on aquatic plants. They're very good tank cleaners, but they also add to the waste load in the tank. If you don't want them, then take a large, wooden spoon and simply crush them. The dead material will sink to the bottom of the tank and dissolve. Then, you simply perform your regular water change to remove the dissolved nitrogen.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

As some have noted, these snails are your best friends in an aquarium because they get places and eat organics which break them down faster for the bacteria. They also eat algae from plant leaves. They will not eat healthy live plants, just dead organic matter. As for the numbers, they will multiply and remain according to the food they have; without food, they will not increase but the reverse. People may like snails or not like snails, fine, but their benefit is without question positive.

sharkweek178 said:

They're not harmful. They can actually help a tank by breaking down organic matter. I think they're a good bellwether. If you have a lot of them, then you are doing something wrong.

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Most of my tanks have baldder snails. They have never really become a big prob and they do as you say and help the tanks. Most also share space with mystery snails or nerite snails and/or red cherry shrimp. So perhaps a little mixture keeps the balance as well. My outdoor pond has many bladder snails but that is their main domain here.