Declaring War On Snails

[Primous]

It would seem that more than a few of us have had them at one point or another and it would seem that the general consensus is to control their numbers. The snail trap or overnight food approach, which I was content to use until a chance pm conversation on another forum about my apisto's eating problems (My SA passed yesterday, RIP)

The initial pm asked a simple question. "I've been reading your thread. Do you have pest snails?" From there he explained that SA's and pest snail is a bad combination because some/most carry diseases and because of the way apistos are ie will try to eat them (sucking them up and spitting them out.) Something I saw both my apistos do the day they arrived. I googled 'aqarium pest snails diseases' and found that the amount of nasties they can introduce throughout all stages of their life were more than I care to mention. So reluctantly I've decided to take a chemical approach.

I mean, bar dechlor I detest adding chemicals! I haven't added a fert to my aquarium in almost a year and as long as I'm in the hobby I'll always stick with the soil and soil alone for plant growth.

To be clear I don't over feed or have uneaten food in the aquarium. In fact I feed in what may seem a peculiar way. I wet the food (so that it sinks) turn of filter and drop the food at the same spot at the front of my aquarium. I only feed enough to be eaten with 2 mins. Anything over, and to me I have overfed. The snails were flourishing because they were eating the build up on the glass which is invisable but you can feel with your finger tips.

This is a quick pic of my 180

The culprits! I removed 30 over the past two nights and hey were the ones I could see so I'm assuming there could be at least 60 more...

To use the treatment I've had to remove all the bee shrimp I could find. I started with two and have never fed my shrimp so was a tiny bit surprised by their numbers and color being almost neon-ish?

I'll be using gastropex once I get my amano shrimp out. Wish me luck or better yet success, because if even one of these asexual beasties survives...

*Edit* My params are triple 0. But It'll be interesting to see how my bacs handle the increase if the product works as advertised and there is a mass die off...

 

[pablothebetta]

Snail killer and removing the shrimp in order to use it is fine, but how will you ensure it is 100% out of the tank system before reintroducing the shrimp? Just a thought. It was what prevented me from using snail killer in my tank - if you have a solution I would be glad to hear it

Great looking plants though - they seem really healthy

 

[Primous]

Good point!

I'm using this stuff

I plan on 80% water changes but more conveniently esha labs state that this particular product can be muted by dechlor? So I guess a combination of the two is my best bet.

 

[Crossfire]

I plan on 80% water changes but more conveniently esha labs state that this particular product can be muted by dechlor? So I guess a combination of the two is my best bet.

Big water canges over the course of a few days and running some carbon through the filter should be ok for the shrimp

 

[reignofcheese]

I had a bad snail outbreak of pond snails in my 29, and already had plenty of trumpet snails which I purposely introduced, I added 2 assassin snails and within a month their was a very noticable difference, and within half a year all traces of snails were gone. Now there is only one snail in the tank left, which is one of the assasin snails. I would rather put up with the snails then use chemicals to get rid of them, but I'm glad the assassins worked so well.

 

[Mikaila31]

I'll just keep loving my snails

@V

I personally think these kindas of treatments do more harm then good. Snails IMO are beneficial.

 

[Primous]

I'll just keep loving my snails

@V

I personally think these kindas of treatments do more harm then good. Snails IMO are beneficial.

You do realize that the research out there regarding 'pest snails' suggests otherwise right? Chemical treatment isn't something I'd do on a whim but the evidence advocating action is compelling and tonight I'm going to pour/drip this stuff in with a slightly heavy heart.

Plus I have soil and despite putting it off for a day to research I can't find anyone or anything that can give me an idea of how this chemical treatment will impact my soil substrate

 

[Mikaila31]

I'll just keep loving my snails

@V

I personally think these kindas of treatments do more harm then good. Snails IMO are beneficial.

You do realize that the research out there regarding 'pest snails' suggests otherwise right? Chemical treatment isn't something I'd do on a whim but the evidence advocating action is compelling and tonight I'm going to pour/drip this stuff in with a slightly heavy heart.

Plus I have soil and despite putting it off for a day to research I can't find anyone or anything that can give me an idea of how this chemical treatment will impact my soil substrate

I love my pest snails and I have had the same kind in you pic, some kinda pond snail. I have 2-3 different kinds of snails I'm not sure if I still have that kind or not. 'Pest snails' I view as beneficial and have no desire to be rid of mine to me they are not pests at all and provide a valuable service. I'm well aware they can be intermediate hosts to many parasites, but usually any invertebrate can that includes your shrimp and many microorganisms in your tank. I've had 'pest' snails for a long long time and they have never caused a problem.

 

[Primous]

I love my pest snails

And I detest mine...

While we are on this forum to share our experiences and give advice in truth, this hobby of ours is a very selfish undertaking. And ultimately I/you/we have got to go with what works for us as individuals. I'm glad that your "pest snails" haven't had a negative affect on your tank but they are the lead suspect in my apisto death. So again, I've got to go with what works for me.

 

[onidrase]

drop some explosives in the tank and take cover, that'll be a pretty quick and effective way to kill off all the snails

of course, you may need to buy a new tank afterwards.

 

[MBOU]

I'm with you on this one primous!! though have never even considered it with the SAs though!

For the last 4 years I've been saying snails are bad! Especially to people who come in asking for snails for their puffer! Over and over i see problem puffers thanks to snails! People should get q grip and stop assuming the puffer is 'addicted' to snails, train them to eat something else, it's not difficult. Loaches too!

If it's any help Primous, I would treat with flubendazole, kusuri discus wormer. Nukes snails better than gastropex, treats the fish that's been eating snails and in trace announce doesnt seem to bother the shrimp. Treat our system weekl and the cherry and bee shrimp are reaching plague proportions!

*amounts (stoopid phone!)

That said.... Gorgeous shrimp you have there!!

 

[Primous]

Thanks MOBU. I too don't agree with adding stock to deal with a problem. I was going to add a couple of assassin snails but it turns out that assassins need their prey above a certain size in order to eat them.

I added the gastropex earlier and they seem to be convulsing. They are dropping off the plants and i counted 16 on the gravel. I'm hoping my bacs keep up with the decomposition because I can't do a wc for the next few days with this treatment...

 

[Mikaila31]

You do realize though that your crustaceans pose just as big a risk as the snails do. Crustaceans are also an intermediate host to a number of parasites. Specifically the copepods present in practically every fish tank. These are cyclops, rotifers, and similar you sometimes see but are normally always present. Copepods are a major intermediate host for camallanus worms. I've dealt with these worms twice in my fish. First was years ago then again a couple months ago. Both times it was new fish that brought the disease in. This last time the fish in question looked to be in the essence of health, but their behavior was weird =/. I did not worry about the snails in the tank, but along with deworming the fish I ran copper through the tank to wipe out the copepods. It was in my main heavily planted tank making treatment more difficult. The copepods have rebounded now and the tank seems to be back in good health. I usually enjoy all life in my tank except those that are directly harmful to the fish. The snails, copepods, planaria, and harmless nematodes I would rather have then not have. Some appear then seem to get naturally wiped out, other have been around for a long time. As far as snails go I have MTS, ramshorn, and bladder snails.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

The only problem with pest snails is the looks of hundreds in the tank. BUT I do not have algae issues in my tanks and I contribute that to the pest snails I have. I have had them in the tank for a long time and never had disease. I do agree with Mikaila on this one, especially with the use of a chemical additive. I really hope you are doing this without fish in your tank. I would be more worried about the chemical killing the fish than the snails.

Squish the snails and feed em to the fish. The snail is then dead and the fish get a tasty treat.

 

[bae1994]

Assasin snails are best I treated my live plants with that medicine and it did nothing I got pest snails on the plants still so got some assasin snails and that took care of them

Atb bae