Snails Multiplying?

[dinosore]

help please!

so a few weeks ago I purchased some live plants from my LFS.
a day or two later I noticed a teeny tiny snail; thought it must have come from the plants that I bought even though I rinsed them before I put them in the tank.

now; I find four of them in my tank that are much bigger than before. The biggest one is now about 1/2cm long.

can any one identify them? are they ok or should I get rid of them?

probably not the best pic but they wont stand still.

 

[the_lock_man]

Like any animal, they multiply in order to allow the species to survive. They don't do any harm, but if you overfeed the fish, they can and will multiply out of control. If you don't like them, there's a number of options - I introduced some assassin snails which will eat them (and I personally feel they bring an aesthetic appeal to the aquarium), or you can pick them out and squish them into the tank, giving the fish some free live food.

I boughbt a new plant for my small aquarium not long ago, and I too got some pest snails. I picked one out, and dropped it into my bigger tank, where I have a small population of assassin snails, to give them a treat. One of my peacock gobies grabbed, and was like a dog with a bone. He seemed to be trying to suck the snail out its shell (much like the assassins do). In the end he retreated into one of the caves, and I couldn't see what happened in the end.

 

[Fortitudo]

You only need one snail mate, then all of a sudden you have many!
As above use a snail eating snail, or crush them as a quick meal for other fish, or you can find a fish that eats them I found my snail population decreased with my pair of Angel fish around, also some loaches eat snails as well. (Clown Loach for larger tanks, Pakistan or Zebra loaches for smaller tanks)
Have a look into what fish eat them and if any suit your tank!
Also set a bait trap for them, put a piece of cucumber in a small bottle or under a small plate or alike so fish can't access it overnight, in the morning lift the cucumber out with plenty-o-snails on it and dispose of them!

Hope this helps!

 

[doresy]

They are commonly known as 'pest' snails and will multiply like crazy especially if you tend to over feed your fish

There are Pest Snail Control remedies but avoid them as they contain copper

Some people invest in Assassin Snails as they eat these pest snails but do not multiply as much and are more attractive.

Loaches love to eat snail too, my favorite are the Zebra Loach (see picture below.)

 

[jenjen_82]

Do Apple snails eat snails and also if they do would they get along with a zebra snail? Would an assassin snail also get along with my zebra snail as I also have snails but don't like the idea of killing then myself would much rather something do it for me lol

 

[the_lock_man]

Apple snails won't eat pest snails. Assassin snails will eat pest snails, and I would think a zebra snail is at risk.