MTS invasion. Problem?

[Guppy10]

Hi all, I came home the other morning and turned the lights on, and every log was covered in hundreds of baby Mts . It's not long since I was wondering what had happened to them , so imagine my suprise to see all them ! After my recent troubles the fish are barely fed so this maybe a result of previous over feeding ? This is not a problem to me , but is it a problem for the tank ecosystem ? The photo is not as bad as I saw that morning, but you get the idea.

 

[Colin_T]

That is normal for Malaysian livebearing snails. They breed uncontrollably and it has nothing to do with food or anything else. The fact is they are a pest snail with no predators and breed prolifically in aquariums.

The only way to control them is to remove the fish and plants. Wash the plants in a bucket of water with copper. Boil the gravel and flush the tank and filter out. Then set it all up again.

 

[mbsqw1d]

That is normal for Malaysian livebearing snails. They breed uncontrollably and it has nothing to do with food or anything else. The fact is they are a pest snail with no predators and breed prolifically in aquariums.

The only way to control them is to remove the fish and plants. Wash the plants in a bucket of water with copper. Boil the gravel and flush the tank and filter out. Then set it all up again.

Will assassin snails eat them?

 

[Irksome]

Ye

Will assassin snails eat them?

Yes! I had three mts that I added to my tank, they lasted less then 20 minuits as a surprisingly coordinated attack happened. Assassins have some amazing hunting skills.

 

[seangee]

Are you trying to control them or eradicate them? Colin explained how to eradicate them but he hates them . I happen to like MTS in my tanks. On Assasin snails it doesn't make sense to buy a problem to deal with a problem.

It is true that in warm weather MTS do breed like crazy even in a clean tank. When there are a lot put down a saucer with an algae wafer (or weighted down veggies) into the tank an hour before lights out. Go back an hour after lights out and remove the saucer. Alternatively an hour after dark put a bowl / saucer on the substrate and catch any you see and drop them into the bowl, using your fingers or tweezers.

Stop reading now if you are squeamish
Drop them into a jug and fill it with boiling water. Don't flush them down the sink or anywhere they can get into waterways.

 

[Guppy10]

BUT no will they eat my nerites ???

 

[Guppy10]

I do like the life, but was asking if it was a problem to the ecosystem.
Thanks for the extra knowledge tho guys.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I DON'T see Malaysian Trumpet Snails as a pest, but rather an asset! Snail populations rise and fall based on conditions and MTS are great as members of the cleanup crew. Since you rarely ever see them in daylight hours, they are silent night shift workers in the aqua eco system. I've had MTS in my 60g display for the last 8+ years and just let them be.

Mulm, and Algae, and Snails, Oh My! – MJV Aquatics

mjvaquatics.com

 

[Guppy10]

So just let them be ? Or are the vaste amounts a threat to my ecosystem. Which was and is my original question. Iv had no answer so far on this subject apart from eradication.

 

[seangee]

No, not a threat to the ecosystem.

 

[dmpfishlover]

I had a huge population explosion of MTS in a 30 gallon tank years ago. I didn't even put MTS in my tank, they must have been hitch hikers with some fish I added to the tank. I didn't even add the bag water when adding new fish, so there must have been some eggs or something in the little bit of water on the fish when I added them or something? Anyway, at first, before the population explosion, I didn't mind having them in the tank because they were an excellent little clean up crew. They burrow through the substrate and feed on detritus that most snails and bottom feeders can't get to. Then their population exploded and they covered almost every surface in my tank and were a little unsightly... I used the plate/saucer method over a period of several days and was able to get quite a few of them out of the tank. I left the remaining ones as I appreciated their ability to clean the tank. Their presence in my tank had no effect on the ecosystem within the tank other than cleaning algae and detritus. They had no effect on my fish or the water chemistry. I think they get a bad rap because they are such prolific breeders and a lot of people don't like large numbers of snails in their tank. I would recommend you leave the little guys alone and let them clean away, and control their population with the plate method. That is my personal opinion. I like having snails in my tanks because they are a natural part of every aquatic ecosystem.

 

[AquaBarb]

So just let them be ? Or are the vaste amounts a threat to my ecosystem. Which was and is my original question. Iv had no answer so far on this subject apart from eradication.

Just leave them be they arent a threat. Ive got them in all my tanks.

Assassins do work in keeping the numbers down and dont breed like rabbits. I have these in my 29g/55g but i had them because i liked them also.

 

[Irksome]

BUT no will they eat my nerites ???

Apparently they do sometimes. They never go near mine despite eradicating every other snail completely. I can’t really tell long term, the nerites and assassins have lived together for nearly a year now.

 

[AbbeysDad]

So just let them be ? Or are the vaste amounts a threat to my ecosystem. Which was and is my original question. Iv had no answer so far on this subject apart from eradication.

I believe I answered your question in both my post and the blog link. Like beneficial bacteria, populations are self regulating based on resources (in this case waste).

 

[Retired Viking]

This is a good MTS post, since changing over to sand I have been thinking about adding MTS to my 55 gallon tank. I have a few nerite snails in the tank already. This is helpful info, thanks everybody. Now I just have to find some MTS . The LFS are out of snails except apple snails.