Snails -goodies or baddies

[rowdyates]

Ok during the course of reading goodness knows how many posts I have formed the impression that snails in your tank can be a bit of a pest and people generally seem to want to get rid of them.

However looking through the latest Practical Fishkeeping there is a website which specialises in snails and says they are ideal for aquariums.

So I'm a bit confused (easily done) are snails good or bad for the aquarium?

Thanks,

Keith

 

[emma12321]

Apple snails are goodies as they need a male and female to reproduce and lay eggs above the water line so they can easily be removed. They also don't eat plants unless you get the cana variety

Trumpet snails are also goodies as they aeriate the gravel / sand and also don't eat plants.

The little brown pond snails which often come free with live plants are not so good as they breed like mad and look unsightly in the tank, they get in the filter and every where and are a pain to get rid of. They will also eat plants.

Some people love them others hate them

Heres a good site showing lots af snails available http/www.snailshop.co.uk/

Emma

 

[dwarfgourami]

Well...ever heard the saying that you can have too much of a good thing.

Basically, snails have a very useful role in nature (and in the aquarium) as they clean up rubbish and eat algae that might otherwise smother plants. BUT they breed like rabbits.

They are in my good books at the moment as they have done a wonderful job of cleaning up the brown algae in my catfish tank- I came back from holiday and had a job finding my plants under their furry coats, then I remembered that I had pond snails in my other tank. At least I believe they are pond snails (I think they're pretty though), came in with the plants and very useful they've been. I shall feel quite bad about the forthcoming campaign of extermination.

Other snails breed less readily, so buying snails is probably preferable. They do poo though, just like fish, so that also has to be cleaned up.

 

[Slyspy]

Trumpet snails are useful critters and it is great to see them burrowing in the substrate. If you have them then keep them.

Pond snails are the ones that breed like rabbits and that will eat plants if no other food is available. However as my tanks have matured I have had fewer of these. I guess that the population eventually stabilizes according for the availability of food. Maybe they don't like the taste of my plants lol. If you have too many (if you have some you'll never be totally clear) then leave some cucumber in the tank overnight and pull it out, covered in snails, in the morning.

 

[rowdyates]

Hmm, had a look at the trumpet snails and I might add a couple, do these breed quickly and as pointed out they poo as well, will having snails reduce the amount of fish I can have?

Cheers,

Keith