Snails!

[titusmighty]

Snails have managed to invade all three of my tanks and they are driving me nuts. Is there anything I can do about them?

They are very small and translucent.

I think when I took a cutting from a friend they invaded the community tank and as I transferred out the fake plants to various tanks they hopped a ride.

 

[FoamLess]

You can take a look at this link.

http/www.justbajan.com/pets/fish/article...nails/index.htm


Good luck

-Foameh

 

[loachman]

as a quick and non-thorough summary, you have...

copper or other invertibrate meds to kill them. Generally, you should try other methods first since this will surely pollute the water with meds and rotting snails.

Fish to eat them. Botine loaches will happily devour them. Note that clown loaches are inappropriate for most tanks and all botine loaches require shoals of 3-4+. Puffers also are good, but are aggressive. Goldfish are said to be decent at it. Alot of other fish will eat eggs, but aren't very efficient at eating snails.

Cucumber at night. Place a slice of cucumber in the tank at night and remove it and the snails in the morning. Takes time but is fairly good at keeping numbers in check. You can also put the cucumber in a 20oz. soda bottle and remove the entire bottle each day and clean it out.

 

[Lynda B]

Don't forget to check your filter, too. I just did a complete substrate change and 100% water change, plus had to change out my 2 filters and borrow one of my husband's cycled filters. All that because one little snail rode in on a new plant. They're everywhere you look and in most places you won't think to look. You have to be really diligent.

Good luck!!! *been there, done that, got the damn t-shirt*

 

[dioremma]

Loaches will deffinately sort out this problem if your willing to buy loaches for your tank.

 

[titusmighty]

as a quick and non-thorough summary, you have...

copper or other invertibrate meds to kill them. Generally, you should try other methods first since this will surely pollute the water with meds and rotting snails.

Fish to eat them. Botine loaches will happily devour them. Note that clown loaches are inappropriate for most tanks and all botine loaches require shoals of 3-4+. Puffers also are good, but are aggressive. Goldfish are said to be decent at it. Alot of other fish will eat eggs, but aren't very efficient at eating snails.

Cucumber at night. Place a slice of cucumber in the tank at night and remove it and the snails in the morning. Takes time but is fairly good at keeping numbers in check. You can also put the cucumber in a 20oz. soda bottle and remove the entire bottle each day and clean it out.

I have clown loaches in my planted tank (where the problem originated) - I suppose this explains why they have all but disappeared in there. Do you think it would stress them out to put them in the other tank to take care of the snail problem?

 

[Meds081603]

I was just going to suggest putting a pair of clown loaches in the tank and move them around until your problem is gone. I would have suggested just buying a pair at your lfs and ask them if they would take them back when your done with them, most lfs would not hav ea problem with that. But yeah I'd just move your guys around