Hi, just recently set my tank up, about 3 weeks ago, with plants in first, then added a small amount of fish. During this time i have noticed a large increase in snails in my tank and would like to know what best for my tank. Are there any pros or cons and if they need to be removed whats the best way, can i get a type of fish to remove them. Cheers Dale.
Snails, Pros And Cons
- Thread starter n10lan
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nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
Depends on the tank and the snails.
Snails multiply when there is stuff for them to eat... rotting leaves, fish waste, and especially uneaten food. Without those things, they will not multiply.
Malayan livebearing snails (the long, point ones) are very useful scavengers in tanks with sand because they burrow and aerate the substrate, eating anything organic that they find. Some people find them unsightly, but they don't eat plants or fish, so are completely harmless.
Other snails will eat live plants. That's usually why snails are often considered a pest. Clown loaches, Botia spp., pufferfish, and many cichlids will eat snails. There are snail-killing potions, but I'd recommend against them. A bunch of dead snails in the gravel will do your aquarium no good at all. If you do need to cull the snails, try using a trap of some kind. You can make one yourself (think: lobsterpot) and bait it with catfish food, or else buy one from the shops, such as the JBL LimCollect.
However, unless you really have hundreds of the little blighters, don't worry too much about snails. Some aquarists get really concerned about them, but they do very little harm in unplanted aquarium, and if you make sure they don't get fed (by not overfeeding and siphoning off organic waste) the snail population won't go out of hand.
Cheers,
Neale
Snails multiply when there is stuff for them to eat... rotting leaves, fish waste, and especially uneaten food. Without those things, they will not multiply.
Malayan livebearing snails (the long, point ones) are very useful scavengers in tanks with sand because they burrow and aerate the substrate, eating anything organic that they find. Some people find them unsightly, but they don't eat plants or fish, so are completely harmless.
Other snails will eat live plants. That's usually why snails are often considered a pest. Clown loaches, Botia spp., pufferfish, and many cichlids will eat snails. There are snail-killing potions, but I'd recommend against them. A bunch of dead snails in the gravel will do your aquarium no good at all. If you do need to cull the snails, try using a trap of some kind. You can make one yourself (think: lobsterpot) and bait it with catfish food, or else buy one from the shops, such as the JBL LimCollect.
However, unless you really have hundreds of the little blighters, don't worry too much about snails. Some aquarists get really concerned about them, but they do very little harm in unplanted aquarium, and if you make sure they don't get fed (by not overfeeding and siphoning off organic waste) the snail population won't go out of hand.
Cheers,
Neale
They seem to be clinging onto my plants and eatting them. I do not have any waste food or at least try not to, but my water is also rather yellow in colour, does anyone else have this problem, or what to do, as i have just tried to do some what changes, but keeps going back slightly yellow, cheers dale.
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
Water usually turns yellow because of a high organic compound loading. In other words, there's some plant matter in your tank decaying away, releasing organics, and tinting the water. The fish won't mind at all, and in fact they quite like it. Some fish, notably neons and glowlights, look much nicer in yellow water than clean water. Regular water changes should keep the organic loading low. Bear in mind some things, like peat and bogwood, will turn the water yellow whatever you do.
Anyway, yes, the snails are eating your plants. That's bad. Some snails eat healthy plants, while others only take plants that are sick and starting to decay. If in doubt, start culling the snails. There are lots of tricky ways to do this, and rummaging around this forum will turn up some of the good ones.
A loach of some kind will eat the snails, but there are three factors. One, some loaches are aggressive, so pick your species carefully. Two, some loaches need to be in groups (clown loaches are the classic example). Finally, loaches only eat snails that are relatively small compared with the fish. So you will need to manually removed the big snails.
Cheers,
Neale
Anyway, yes, the snails are eating your plants. That's bad. Some snails eat healthy plants, while others only take plants that are sick and starting to decay. If in doubt, start culling the snails. There are lots of tricky ways to do this, and rummaging around this forum will turn up some of the good ones.
A loach of some kind will eat the snails, but there are three factors. One, some loaches are aggressive, so pick your species carefully. Two, some loaches need to be in groups (clown loaches are the classic example). Finally, loaches only eat snails that are relatively small compared with the fish. So you will need to manually removed the big snails.
Cheers,
Neale
demonmagus
spamming my way to the top...
also clowns get HUGE around 12" and many people think they are the best for the job, have you tried putting cucumber in there? in the morning it should be covered with em
Why will this then allow me to take them out?
Myuu
Fish Fanatic
So you can take out the cucumber, covered in the snails you don't want, and throw them in trash, or whatever you want to do with them.
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