an unwanted snail

[IKeepAngels]

also if you don't overfeed your fish, the snail population won't grow too quickly...they feed on excess food that the fish don't eat first.

that's a problem, my "slow-sinking" granules apparently aren't that slow as they say. they sink right away. How do you suggest i don't overfeed? thanks for the answers BTW

 

[NickAu]

Maybe you can get some assassin snails if the methods Collin posted don't fit into your schedule; they eat pest snails but leave other inverts/fish/plants alone.

Assassin snails will eat shrimp when the opportunity is there.

 

[Byron]

that's a problem, my "slow-sinking" granules apparently aren't that slow as they say. they sink right away. How do you suggest i don't overfeed? thanks for the answers BTW

I know what you mean about the granule foods sinking. Two suggestions.

First, fish do not need very much food, and chances are those you have will get one granule, and that is really all that matters if they are smallish fish. Overfeeding is something we should always want to avoid.

Second, use different foods in rotation from day to day so there is a variety. I use two different flake foods and one granule for upper fish, and three different sinking foods for the substrate feeders. So on three consecutive days the fish are getting a different food each day. Then I repeat. Miss one or even two days is also OK, or feed "treats" like frozen foods one day as week.

 

[Vorpal]

This seems to have become a snail thread

As above, I rotate foods. We have five different foods, though one is mosquito larvae that I only feed a couple of times per month.

As for the snails, I like them. We got ours (rams head & bladder snails) on plants bought from a pet shop. The aquarium was a few months old then, and the snails mutliplied rapidly. I had to do some... culling. I did it when my son was not there because he liked *all* the snails, but I feared them taking over hte universe.

Anyway, it wasn't too long before we reached an equilibrium and a few snails seem to thrive, along with the other aquatic life, without getting out of hand. I have not had to do anything to control the population recently. Maybe our fish have learned to eat the eggs.

p.s. it's always a good idea to quaratine plants for a while before introducing them to your aquarium, anyway.

 

[BeckyCats]

Don't sweat the snails. Their population will self-regulate according to how much food they get. If you don't overfeed the fish, there won't be much for the snails to eat and you'll only have a few here and there. If you end up seeing large numbers of them, you are over feeding. Over time their population will stabilize and honestly, you will probably get used to them. Just do NOT release them into natural waterways or they could become invasive. Best of luck!

 

[Guppylover3x]

Not to worry these snails are very common and have more than likely entered your tank through live plants. You won’t be the first and certainly not the last to experience these pests in your aquarium. As stated in previous comments it is quite easily missed as the eggs can’t always be seen on the plants. Assassin snails are an option you have. I was also advised a few years back when I encountered the same problem as you to place a small piece of cucumber in the tank. Once the snails have made their way onto this it can be taken out of the tank and disposed of. I suppose this would be one way of avoiding chemicals if that is an option you’d rather not take. Good luck and I hope you manage to get sorted!

 

[IKeepAngels]

i kind of found a solution by putting juvenile yoyo loaches but the snails are still there (the snails are the tiny , transparent-shelled ones) do juvenile yoyo loach (1 inch) eat snails?

 

[Byron]

i kind of found a solution by putting juvenile yoyo loaches but the snails are still there (the snails are the tiny , transparent-shelled ones) do juvenile yoyo loach (1 inch) eat snails?

This is generally not the solution, adding this or that fish to deal with what you perceive as a problem whether or not it actually is a problem. Fish have their own requirements, and unless you can provide these and really want that fish species in your aquarium, it is not a good option.

Loaches are highly social fish that must be in a group; five is minimum, a few more is better but five will work. As the Yo Yo loach (Botia almorhae is the species) attains six inches, a group of five or six requires a 4-foot tank minimum. And obviously they must be compatible with the other fish in the tank. They need a sand or fine smooth gravel substrate as they like to dig, and they must have several chunks of wood. They will individually select one for their "home." Loaches are very territorial, so this is a critical aspect of their health.

Loaches are generally (but not always) effective at eating small snails. They sometimes also chew holes in plants like sword plants. But unless you want this species, and have the space, not a good idea.

 

[Maria hughes]

I have had a problem with snails in my tank which came from my purchasing live plants. There were snails in the plant which by the time I noticed them found signs they were breeding. It got ridiculous I didn’t know what to do. I was told about Assassin Snails. I bought 2 at first then added 2 more and am almost free of the smaller snails. I have been told they also eat waste at bottom of tank.

 

[IKeepAngels]

I have had a problem with snails in my tank which came from my purchasing live plants. There were snails in the plant which by the time I noticed them found signs they were breeding. It got ridiculous I didn’t know what to do. I was told about Assassin Snails. I bought 2 at first then added 2 more and am almost free of the smaller snails. I have been told they also eat waste at bottom of tank.

ok thanks