Snails

[noobfish]

Picked up a bunch of plants today from lfs... wisteria, cabomba, java fern, val contortionist, etc. Looking at tank about an hour after planting I saw 3 snails on the glass. Small as in 1mm. I got 2, but the third fell behind some rocks. I'm sure there's more. Do I keep removing as I find them or leave em? So small I can't make out identifiers to look up what they are.

 

[Sgooosh]

Picked up a bunch of plants today from lfs... wisteria, cabomba, java fern, val contortionist, etc. Looking at tank about an hour after planting I saw 3 snails on the glass. Small as in 1mm. I got 2, but the third fell behind some rocks. I'm sure there's more. Do I keep removing as I find them or leave em? So small I can't make out identifiers to look up what they are.

Photo? If you havent put thwm in your tank you can dip it in bleach or something or you can use pea piffers and whatnot

 

[noobfish]

Photo? If you havent put thwm in your tank you can dip it in bleach or something or you can use pea piffers and whatnot

Next time I find one I'll try to get a decent picture.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

If the plants are already in the tank, then it’s to late. Remove them as you see them if you don’t want an infestation.

 

[noobfish]

If the plants are already in the tank, then it’s to late. Remove them as you see them if you don’t want an infestation.

Is it common with buying plants or should I consider a different supplier?

 

[noobfish]

Photo? If you havent put thwm in your tank you can dip it in bleach or something or you can use pea piffers and whatnot

Dip the plant in a bleach mixture then rinse prior to installing, correct? For future plants.

 

[Shiverz]

Is it common with buying plants or should I consider a different supplier?

It can be common, the nurseries where they are grown normally are snail free, it's generally at the LFS that the snails will come from.

Dip the plant in a bleach mixture then rinse prior to installing, correct? For future plants.

Yes and no. I don't have a whole lot of experience, but I'm pretty sure that some plants can be damaged by bleach and would require a "short dip" but snails can clam up and actually survive a "short dip".

Though at the same time yes, if the plant can survive the dip, then dip away and thoroughly rinse the plant.


You should also consider snail traps if you fear there is more then just the one snail still inside your tank. You can even make one at home out of everyday items.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Is it common with buying plants or should I consider a different supplier?

Yes, it’s very common. Some sellers may advertise their plants as being “snail free”, but 9 times out of 10, they have snails.

 

[Byron]

Do not dip plants in bleach or anything else, it just is not worth the risk.

Really, all this worry over a few harmless snails. Have a read of this recent thread which sets out the facts on these snails. And consider them your helpmates, not a negative.

"Nuisance" snails, the facts

The topic of "hitch-hiker" snails and how to control/eliminate them arises frequently on TFF. In one such thread yesterday, I was questioned with respect to my views on the matter, so I thought it was advisable to confer with my friend Neale Monks. I now have a much more accurate understanding...

www.fishforums.net

 

[noobfish]

Photo? If you havent put thwm in your tank you can dip it in bleach or something or you can use pea piffers and whatnot

Finally caught another one. Best pictures I could get, it's only 2mm. Safe to leave or remove?

 

[Colin_T]

Pond snails. You can keep them if you like but they breed and can transmit parasites to fish, if the snail has parasites. If the snail doesn't have parasites and you don't mind hundreds of baby snails, keep it. Otherwise take it out and let it die on the lawn or squish it on the driveway.

Ramshorn and pond snails that come from ponds with water birds can pick up intestinal worms and pass them onto fish. These are the main parasites they transmit.

 

[Sgooosh]

Pond snails. You can keep them if you like but they breed and can transmit parasites to fish, if the snail has parasites. If the snail doesn't have parasites and you don't mind hundreds of baby snails, keep it. Otherwise take it out and let it die on the lawn or squish it on the driveway.

Ramshorn and pond snails that come from ponds with water birds can pick up intestinal worms and pass them onto fish. These are the main parasites they transmit.

yep!
from many poeples experiences NOT reccomended

 

[Byron]

I wouldn't go so far as to say not recommended. It is true that snails collected in the local ecosystem might well carry "x" just as plants or fish collected can carry this or that. Snails arriving on plants from a fish store, as here, are far less likely to be problematic in that regard. I've had bladder snails for years, they arrived on plants more than a decade ago; they've never been a problem for me, I value their contribution to the aquarium's biology.

 

[Sgooosh]

I wouldn't go so far as to say not recommended. It is true that snails collected in the local ecosystem might well carry "x" just as plants or fish collected can carry this or that. Snails arriving on plants from a fish store, as here, are far less likely to be problematic in that regard. I've had bladder snails for years, they arrived on plants more than a decade ago; they've never been a problem for me, I value their contribution to the aquarium's biology.

To me they overrun my tank and make it look bad lol

 

[noobfish]

After the pics I dropped him in the hospital/quarantine tank. He can live in there by himself... for now.