bladder snails eating amano food

[finfayce]

hi
at first the bladder snails were good- helping clean glass. now there many little snails all over the sinking pellets for my amano shrimp!
i transferred some snails to my guppy tank. it’s hard to net the real tiny one so i use a long turkey baster kind of thing ( it’s for feeding coral ?)
but i can’t always be watching.
is there a way of feeding amanos that the snails can’t get or like the food? tonight i murdered a few squished. they are fast little things and go right for the sinking pellet. i have algae pellets that the amanos don’t eat. my shrimp like to eat sinking pellets that are intended for catfish/ plecos. help !

 

[mbsqw1d]

If the shrimps are hungry enough, they'll eat the pellets and not be bothered by the snails. Is your tank planted?

 

[GaryE]

They don't call them pest snails for no reason.

 

[finfayce]

If the shrimps are hungry enough, they'll eat the pellets and not be bothered by the snails. Is your tank planted?

hi- i have live java moss and i recently ordered more. i also have a few plastic plants. i put a couple pellets on top of the sponge filter. 2 shrimp found that. the thing that concerns me is that the shrimp seem to go right away for the food after i remove snails and put a new pellet in. like they are real hungry. my shrimp are young- and the snails literally cover an entire pellet- maybe eventually the shrimp will learn to get to the food before the snails!
thanks for the reply.

 

[finfayce]

They don't call them pest snails for no reason.

you are right!

 

[AbbeysDad]

They don't call them pest snails for no reason.

you are right!

It's a matter of perspective... I see snails as a valuable member of the clean-up crew, reducing organic waste so bacteria can more easily finish the job. See Mulm, and Algae, and Snails, Oh My!

 

[finfayce]

It's a matter of perspective... I see snails as a valuable member of the clean-up crew, reducing organic waste so bacteria can more easily finish the job. See Mulm, and Algae, and Snails, Oh My!

good article. i agree that the snails are good cleaners. but the really tiny ones can cover a whole pellet. i’ll continue to transfer the snails to other aquariums. and keep an eye on the situation. one question- can you tell if a shrimp has food in them? -they’re so transparent.