Snail questions!

[Neleono]

I currently own two tanks, a 29 gallon and a 10 gallon. Somehow, in both, at the same time, I've managed to get some (in my eyes) problems.

1. In the 29 gallon tank, I recently got some new plants, and on them were a few physid snails. This wasn't really a problem... until they began multiplying. It began with three, but now I've seen up to ten at a time. Will this multiplication stop? Is there something I need to do to help with population control? The snails aren't a problem, they have actually helped deal with a small algae problem, but I don't want my tank to be over run with them.

2. In the 10 gal tank, I have one betta and one nerite snail. The tank is well planted, and as far as I'm aware the tank is doing well. However, a few days ago, I woke up to see a little clutch of snail eggs on the glass, and then another, and then another. The next day, I saw another clutch, and as of today, there are at least 5 small clutches of about 7-10 eggs each, and a few stragglers. I know that nerite snail eggs can't survive in freshwater, so I'm not worried about that, but will this become a problem? I can scrape them off but for how long will she keep laying them? Will it ever stop? This is of course not a problem, except of course not looking the prettiest, but I would just like to know.

Of course please ask any questions you have, and any info is great! Thanks, Nele

 

[eatyourpeas]

The bladder snails will be happy to reproduce as long as there is food in the tank. You can put a leaf of lettuce or spinach and lift it after a little while and it will have snails attached to it. Do not overfeed.

The nerite snail eggs are just and eye sore, but won't hatch. They eventually disappear on their own. She will stop laying them at some point, but may resume.

 

[cdelly]

The bladder snails will be happy to reproduce as long as there is food in the tank. You can put a leaf of lettuce or spinach and lift it after a little while and it will have snails attached to it. Do not overfeed.

The nerite snail eggs are just and eye sore, but won't hatch. They eventually disappear on their own. She will stop laying them at some point, but may resume.

agree with this, the more leftover food the more snails. look at the tank after lights out and you will find you have more than 10

put the lettuce in just before or just after lights out and you will "catch" more snails

 

[NannaLou]

@cdelly - after you’ve got them out of the tank, what to you do with them then..? I’m getting to the point where I have far too many (not even a fish yet!) and some will need to go....but where...how..? ?

 

[Byron]

@cdelly - after you’ve got them out of the tank, what to you do with them then..? I’m getting to the point where I have far too many (not even a fish yet!) and some will need to go....but where...how..? ?

You must kill them, most aquarists probably crush them (but make sure they really are dead), or perhaps put them in a jar of something that will kill them, unless you think this is slower and inhumane.

Absolutely never allow them to get into the environment, i.e., do not flush them down the toilet, or toss them outside anywhere. Snails thus disposed of have been known to literally decimate the native snails, causing ecological problems.

I never worry about these harmless helpmates (bladder, pond or Malaysian Livebearing snails) because they are there for a good reason...eating organics like fish excrement, dead plant matter, etc. This is what they feed on, and provided you do not overfeed your fish, the snails will be at a level for the available food. They are beneficial in this because they can get everywhere and eat all the organic matter, breaking it down faster for the plants and bacteria. The high numbers we often see (certainly I was surprised initially) tells us there is a lot of organic matter in the tank, and we could never hope to remove it.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Will this multiplication stop

Lol, no. They will just keep going.

I used to have sympathy for them, but now I just see them as pests. I have exterminated most of them in my tanks, just by slowly removing them. I don’t suggest using chemicals like copper to kill them, especially if you have shrimp.

You can crush them or just throw them in a trash bag. (Most prefer to just crush them in a napkin, because it’s more humane)

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I squish them against the tank glass and let the fish eat them... But until you get fish do as above

 

[NannaLou]

Slightly confused...(nothing terribly new there though..?)
@Byron says they will breed to meet food levels, I.e. food reduces = less snails, but @PheonixKingZ says they just keep breeding...
if it’s the first option, I’ll leave them be, if it’s the second I might have to take action...

 

[Byron]

Slightly confused...(nothing terribly new there though..?)
@Byron says they will breed to meet food levels, I.e. food reduces = less snails, but @PheonixKingZ says they just keep breeding...
if it’s the first option, I’ll leave them be, if it’s the second I might have to take action...

Like any living creature, they can only exist and reproduce if there is food. With snails, they will take advantage of food and reproduce rapidly. But if there is no food beyond what can sustain "x" number of them, they will not be able to increase. Now, they may for a short while, but when the food is exhausted, which with snails means some of them but not all can get food, they will not be reproducing as rapidly but dying off. It is much the same as with nitrifying bacteria; these can only exist at the level supported by the food (ammonia initially). They will not continue to multiply if no additional ammonia is present.

To the second "option" issue...this reproduction rate only shows just how much "food" is available in most of our tanks. The snails cannot exist without food, so they are obviously getting it from somewhere. And they eat all organics...there is a lot of fish excrement produced in the average aquarium, and this is all food for them. If the aquarist then overfeeds the fish, as some do, that is just more food being added. But even if you feed the fish so sparingly, say once a week (they can manage on this), you would be surprised at how much organics occur, and this is their food.

 

[NannaLou]

@Byron - thank you for your further explanation.
I think I’ll leave them be, I don’t have much of a stomach for deliberately killing things ?.

I’m hoping to shortly have a Betta, I think they they may ‘snack’ on the tiny little ones on the basis that snails would probably be a food item in their natural habitat... Cherry shrimps have also been recommended so it sounds as it it may become a self-maintaining system ?

 

[SeaAngel]

My snails co-exist with cherry shrimp.

 

[NannaLou]

@SeaAngel - I thought (have been told) they would . I was hoping that the shrimp (also cleaners?) would reduce the food levels and therefore help control the number of snails?

 

[Byron]

@SeaAngel - I thought (have been told) they would . I was hoping that the shrimp (also cleaners?) would reduce the food levels and therefore help control the number of snails?

Shrimp also produce excrement, so they are providing food even though minimally. Shrimp and snails both break down organics faster so the plants/bacteria can more readily use them. I've no experience as to what occurs beyond this.

 

[SeaAngel]

I still have to remove snails from shrimp tank. They eat the shrimps food.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I still have to remove snails from shrimp tank. They eat the shrimps food.

Mine do as well, in fact, they eat any leftover food.

If you want to get rid of them (and this does work overtime, it just takes a while), you can make a “trap”. That trap just consists of a piece of lettuce. (Some prefer to blanch it, but I see no reason to)

Plop it in the tank and wait for the crows of snails. Once you get a ton on there, chuck that whole thing in the garbage.

The only way to be 100% all the snails are gone, is to dose copper or a similar chemical. (Don’t do this in your tank, because you have shrimp)