Excessive Snail Problem

[Frank77]

HI!
 
So...a friend has moved away, and left me a 20 gallon, and some guppies. All male, so I don't have to worry about breeding. And a couple of Long Fin Albino Plecos which I am hoping to breed.
 
My problem is that after a week, there are literally over 100 tiny snails. All over the glass...and many more on the gravel. There are eggs on the glass as well.
 
I really hate the thought of disposing of a living creature, but it looks terrible to me. What can I do, what is humane?

 

[Gruntle]

Unfortunately there's not much "humane" you can do. Either catch the snails by using a lettuce leaf (when the snails are feeding it, take the leaf and snails away) or manually, then dispose of them.
 
Or get something such as an Assassin Snail that will take care of your pest snails.

 

[StevenF]

I consider them an occasional snack for the fish.  When they are on the glass I vocationally crush them with my finger and   Occasionally that destroys enough of the shell that the fish can eat it  Which is what they quickly do.  

 

[Frank77]

OK, thanks for the response.

I don't think I'd be able to do that.

 

[jag51186]

Assassin snails would be a good solution! They should take care of the problem in no time!

 

[AmtotheBurr]

What kind of snail are they? I had a similar problem with my mystery snails. I eventually got rid of one of the adults and my local owned fish store will take my baby snails. I've also given them away

 

[NickAu]

I consider snails free tank cleaners and free fresh fish food, My fish love it when I crush a few snails for them to eat. Tanks with snails in them are cleaner than without, Snails eat any food the fish don't. 
 
One way of putting them down is catch them put them in some sort of container with a lid and stick them in the freezer overnight.

 

[Far_King]

Also be careful not to overfeed.  The more leftover food there is in the tank the more snails you'll get as they have a food source.  If you can perhaps a couple of smaller feeds a day is better.
 
What do you feed the plecos?

 

[NickAu]

 
What do you feed the plecos?

Contrary to popular opinion in some LFS, Plecos are omnivores and will eat just about anything they find, including dead tank mates,  My BN's are also quite happy to eat any snail eggs they find.
 
My BN's eat.
Sinking Carnivore Pellets - Hikari USA
 
Hikari info : Hikari Tropical ALGAE WAFERS
 
Zucchini, cucumber, sweet potato, broccoli stems, peas and beans ( steamed)
They also love fleshy fruit like Papaya, cantaloupe/honeydew mellon etc.
 
They will also happily eat any left over fish food they find.
 

 
And a couple of Long Fin Albino Plecos which I am hoping to breed.

Get a cave if you dont already have 1.
Something like this is cheap looks good in the tank.
http/www.thetechden.com.au/Catfish_Breeding_Log_p/l4.htm

 

[Far_King]

I know what to feed Plecos, I was wondering if he has an over-abundance of algae wafers in the tank or something similar that would help drive an overpopulation of snails
 
My pleco gets algae wafers, cucumber and prawns to nibble on.  I try to avoid feeding him erstwhile tank mates

 

[Frank77]

What kind of snail are they? I had a similar problem with my mystery snails. I eventually got rid of one of the adults and my local owned fish store will take my baby snails. I've also given them away

 
I think she said they were pond snails. They are no bigger than a few millimeters.
 
 

Also be careful not to overfeed.  The more leftover food there is in the tank the more snails you'll get as they have a food source.  If you can perhaps a couple of smaller feeds a day is better.
 
What do you feed the plecos?

 
I am careful not to over feed. Besides a pinch of flake food for the guppies, I drop 2 shrimp pellets for the lonely Ghost Shrimp in there (hoping to get more soon).
 
I drop one algae wafer twice a day for the plecos.
 
I suppose I am going to be stuck with some amount of snails. I am going to try the lettuce trick every day, until I have a much smaller population.
 
I will get a nice cave for the plecos.
 

 

[Frank77]

I've sourced some Assassin Snails near by, by a private breeder. I tried the local pet stores, but no one carries them.
 
 
Besides, I've heard bad things about the large pet store chains. Apparently they die often, and sometimes carry disease, as some don't quarantine new fish and just dump them into their showroom tanks. And that most have a central filtration system, making diseases easily spread.
 
I feel better letting the AS's eat them....it's only natural right? lol

 

[Baccus]

Assassin snails can be a good option, but they are generally slow to reduce pest snail populations, and the assassin snails will in turn breed. The good thing is if you end up with too many assassin snails you can always sell the excess on.
 
When ever my pest snails are really bothering me I have a couple of modes of attack.
1. Remove manually all the snails I can see
2. Put some food in I know the snails can not resist and then  net out the snails that come to the feast
3. Set traps for the snails. There are commercially made snail traps which can be good, but I found not so intelligent endlers also got into the trap and stuck until I rescued them. Other wise I make my own trap using a small container with holes drilled in  it and baited with the snails favourite foods. Shrimp will also get into my home made traps, but they are easily removed before disposing of the snails.
 
Never ever with shrimp or the hope of having desirable snails at a later date consider using any of the chemical snail rid products. These are almost all copper based, at doses that are lethal to inverts and copper is really hard to remove completely from an aquarium.

 

[Byron]

Following up on Nick's comment about snails being tank cleaners...this is something many forget or do not realize.  Snails eat any organic matter, which includes uneaten fish food obviously, but also fish excrement, any dead plant or fish matter, etc.  This is in fact very beneficial, as it breaks this organic matter down faster so the bacteria can get at it sooner.  Plus the fact that snails get everywhere in the tank, cleaning where the aquarist would likely never venture without tearing the tank down.
 
So keeping in mind that the snail population will be roughly in proportion to the available food, if you see a lot of snails, there must be a lot of organics.  Increasing the vacuuming of the substrate, cleaning the filter, or doing larger or more frequent water changes can affect organics.  But also the fish load, and the type and size of fish.
 
Which brings me to the two plecos.  This fish is a waste factory.  A 20g is small space, and I don't know how large the two plecos are now, but even the smaller species attaining 4-5 inches will be too large for a 20g.  That may or may not be part of the issue here.
 
Rather than try to eliminate the existing snails, I would ensure the organic load is kept within reason considering the tank, and then remove the snail egg clusters as you find them.  Pond snails will lay eggs on any surface; the underside of leaves are frequently selected, so keep a lookout for them.
 
Personally I weould not consider Assasin Snails here; as I said, the pond snails are beneficial, plus the addition of more critters will only add to the bioload, even though minimally perhaps.
 
Byron.

 

[Frank77]

Byron,
 
I would like some snails, I just find their current numbers bothersome.
 
The friend who gave me this tank used to breed guppies, and plecos in this tank. At one point she had over 100 guppies in this tank. The plecos are essentially fully grown, and they seem happy in there.
 
I was told, with proper maintenance it should be OK. I am also looking to sell off, or even give away many of the guppies, so I can have other species in there. I have done some research, and will be sure to get tank mates that are suitable for my current fish.
 
I was hoping to get a couple of Angel fish, but have heard they can attack the plecos.