Help Please

[Nick Bramley]

my tank has all of a sudden exploded with snails and is now looking a real mess, ive been given this little bottle of liquid that kills them but im pretty sure it would kill my shrimp too, would it, and if yes is there any other way i can get rid of them, apart from buying a few of the gold and black striped fish (sorry cant remember there name) as they were quite aggressive

Thanks, Nick

 

[mr williams]

I think you can build a snail trap by putting something the snail will like to eat (some salad like stuff) into a jar in the tank. Wait for them to all crawl in overnight then take it out.

Wash rinse repeat. There would seem to be little danger to your fish this way.

I would ask an expert however. Not me

 

[Nick Bramley]

thanks mr williams.

is anyone sure if the snail killer will definitely kill my amano shrimp though?

Nick

 

[SuperColey1]

thanks mr williams.

is anyone sure if the snail killer will definitely kill my amano shrimp though?

Nick

If it is a copper based substance then yes, it is dangerous to all invertebrates.

As Mr Williams says, either do the snail trap, or remove them by hand, or invest in a few loaches, preferably ones that will be the right size for your tank. I like Botia Dario (Queen Loach), currently £2.75 each from Tri-mar.

A group of loaches will keep the snails down forever.

 

[Underwurlde]

And roll out the bog standard useless crappy methods of getting rid of snails.

Try this - it works:
Get some 'Flubenol 15' from here:
http/www.flubenol.co.uk/ - the chap who runs that site is very responsive to any e-mails and is a forum member.

It does NOT contain copper.
It should NOT harm your inverts or crusts, hence your shrimp should be OK.
You can NOT overdose this stuff.
But, never UNDER dose.

I chose to dose weekly because it does NOT kill snail eggs (I think). So dose the recommened amount for your tank size once a week for 4 weeks minimum.

£4.75 will buy you 4g of the stuff that is a ONE off treatment for 100 UK Gallons, so it's not 'cheap', but as an effective measure instead of wasting money on 'snake oil' remedies does makes it cost effective in my mind.

Andy

 

[Nick Bramley]

thank you very much Andy, big help!!

Nick

 

[Glod]

thank you very much Andy, big help!!

Nick

I'm sure Andy's advice is sound, but if the medication has an anti invert effect it may still be a risk to shrimp. Looking at the website it doesn't make things clear. I'd suggest email them first and tell them you have shrimp to make 100% sure it's safe.

 

[Underwurlde]

Other people have used it with shrimp (me included)....

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=142441

hope this puts your mind at rest - it is a concern but a minor one in my mind. Far safer than any copper based products, shrimps or no shrimps..

Andy

PS
Your snails won't just drop down dead - it takes time for them to die off. I think they end up starving to death...

 

[Glod]

Was just being cautious since the shrimp were a concern It seems at least one person has used it with no ill effects on hi shrimp.

 

[Nick Bramley]

Thanks guys

 

[Nina]

Once you have got rid of the snails, you will want to keep them down.

The easiest way to do this is to watch the amount of food you are feeding as the quickest way to make snails multiple is to over feed. By reducing the amount you feed you should ensure that there is not excess food in the tank and therefore the snails should not multiple.

 

[Underwurlde]

Hopefully I have described a method that will TOTALLY eliminate ALL snails from the tank. The 4 week dosing regime should also take care of any remaining eggs, i.e. the hatchlings.

Once gone, they are GONE.

Therefpre in the future, make sure no more snails THEN get into your tank by sterlizing any new plants BEFORE they go in the tank. I have a thread here that describes how this may be done:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=167686

Andy

 

[tomo9]

add some clown loach to your tank if it is big enough snails are there favorite food