Snail Pest Control?

[BlackestBambi]

About a month and a half ago, I purchased some Jungle Val and Crispus plants for my tank (I already had these plants and simply wanted a bigger quantity). Shortly thereafter, I began seeing "pest" snails pop up everywhere in my tank! Since then, I see a snail or two in my tank every couple days. I've killed as many as ten snails in my tank on a given day. What I usually do is remove them or squish them in the tank (and vacuum it out with my Python). But they keep coming back! I have taken out one or more egg sacs form these guys. They have been rarer lately, but they still come up. What is the best way to remove pest snails from my tank completely? Thank you!

 

[Lillefishy]

You'll never be able to completely eradicate them without using chemicals.
You can keep them under control by not overfeeding, & you can remove quite a few by placing a piece of cucumber in the tank overnight, in the morning it should have quite a few snails on it which you can remove. If you do that regularly it'll help keep the numbers down

 

[McCool]

Assassin snails. I've seen them clear a 55 in just a few weeks. They'll kill pretty much any snail they come across. If it's a small enough problem or tank you could just get one too avoid them breeding, but even if you have more then one they aren't going to populate your tank like the pest snails do.
You can also take a piece of lettuce or zucchini and put it in the tank, then pull it out when it's covered in snails. Just keep doing this until they start to lessen.

 

[FTM22]

Depending on how big your tank is and your stocking, you could consider adding any of a few loaches. Some options are clown loaches, yo yo loaches, dwarf chain loaches, and kuhli loaches (although only some kuhlis will eat snails). Keep in mind that clown loaches can grow up to 16 inches long, so go with one of the others unless you have a very large tank.

 

[BlackestBambi]

So far in my tank I only have a couple Platys. I plan to get some pygmy Corys and Dwarf Mexican Lobsters. Would either of these be a good choice for "snail duty?" 
I haven't seen snails in my tank as much as it used to be so I think they are dying out. Hopefully! 

 

[Lillefishy]

If you're in the Uk then the Mexican lobsters are out as they're illegal to keep here.
Corys won't help with any snail problem & I never recommend getting any fish just to do a job.
Just don't overfeed & do the cucumber thing every now & then & you'll be fine, a few snails are a useful part of the cuc

 

[McCool]

If you're in the Uk then the Mexican lobsters are out as they're illegal to keep here.
Corys won't help with any snail problem & I never recommend getting any fish just to do a job.
Just don't overfeed & do the cucumber thing every now & then & you'll be fine, a few snails are a useful part of the cuc

+1 on that. Not sure if any lobster will mix with your fish. As far as I'm aware they are likely to prey on fish, but I could be wrong... I say the lettuce/cucumber trick or assassin snails are your options.

 

[Meeresstille]

I had to get 2 assassin snails to help with the pest ramshorn snails that were just getting out of hand. My Kuhlis had absolutely no interest in eating any of them, I think the only loach that would eat snails is the clown loach. Pufferfish would eat snails as well, but they are not good tank mates with other fish, they best are for species-only-tanks. 
 
The assassin snails are doing a good job, it takes a bit of time, but they'll get the job done. Once there are no more snails the assassins will happily eat fish foods. As I was told, you need to make sure to feed sparingly while you want the assassins to help you with pest snails. If they can find the other foods, they won't be hungry enough to hunt for the pest snails.

 

[McCool]

Yoyo loaches are also great for snail control. They cleared my 55 gallon of snails. Unfortunately they are quite boisterous and need to be in groups. Assassins are always my first choice. They are great for cleanup and are always an interesting addition to a tank.

 

[Ch4rlie]

+1 on Assassin snails
 
As already mentioned, loaches tend to require large tanks and chemicals to eradicate snails can have affect on shrimps if you have them,
 
Even planning to have shrimps in same tank when these chemicals have been used can be lethal for shrimps. As a lot of these chemicals contain copper, and copper is lethal for shrimps and is extremely difficult to take out of tank water, even with carbon filter media.

 

[BlackestBambi]

If you're in the Uk then the Mexican lobsters are out as they're illegal to keep here.
Corys won't help with any snail problem & I never recommend getting any fish just to do a job.

 

+1 on that. Not sure if any lobster will mix with your fish. As far as I'm aware they are likely to prey on fish, but I could be wrong... I say the lettuce/cucumber trick or assassin snails are your options.
 

 
Firstly, I'm very sorry for this confusion. I selected the wrong area when signing up and it won't let me change it back yet! I'm actually located in the USA, and Dwarf Mexican Lobsters ARE legal here.
 
I've never been planning to "get a fish just to do a job" in my tank. every fish I plan to own was selected by me for personal reasons. I was just asking if these fish would also help with the snails. If so, an added bonus! Otherwise I will still enjoy the Pygmy Corys and Dwarf Mexican Lobsters. The Dwarf Mexican Lobsters should definitely mix with Platys and Corys. They are very small, and in my local aquarium specialty shop they are kept in tanks with shrimp and other small fish with no problems whatsoever. 
 
If Assassin Snails will work, will Nerite Snails? I thought about getting some of those as well, maybe. 
It seems as though many people are suggesting Assassin Snails. I will definitely have to consider them, because I sort of wanted snails anyway! I've also heard loaches can work for this but I won't have room for a group of them. I might also try the lettuce / cucumber idea. Thanks so much for the suggestions so far!

 

[Meeresstille]

Nerite snails are good algae eaters, but they don't eat other snails. Assassin snails have a "tooth" to bore into another snail's shell.....