Something is eating my plants!

[ChriX]

I went away for a week and now my tank is overrun with snails and these things:

It's pretty obvious that whatever they are came in on the plants but how can I get rid of them before I don't have any plants left! My tank looks awful!

 

[gadazobe]

A few snails are good, but getting overrun with them isn't. There are a couple of options with the snails
1) trap them on a lettuce leaf overnight - if they're already eating your plants then I doubt if they'll go for the lettuce
2) use a snail killer chemical - I'm not too keen on using chemicals in a tank
3) get rid of them by hand - this is hard but it works
4) get a couple of snail eating fish - if you have the room, then clown loaches do a great job, but you need a big well established tank that can comfortabley hold 3 of them.

Regards the other, I'll have to look it up - I've no idea what it is.

 

[ChriX]

Well i'm not certain that it is the snails eating the plants but something is, my vallis is like completely gone except for a few leaves. Some are just stalks (bacopa monneri or something I think it's called), and some are relatively untouched.

My tank has only been running nearly 4 weeks so I don't think i'm ready for a clown loach, currently it houses only a single Platy (could he have caused all this destruction in 72 hrs? I'm not feeding him much).

 

[gadazobe]

I doubt that it's your platty - are you sure that the plants are being eaten and not just shedding their leaves. If your tank is new and not yet producing nitrate, then the plants have very little to nourish them and they might just be showing signs of this.

 

[ChriX]

Nope, I can see half eaten leaves still on some plants. The plants have previously been growing well.

I'm just annoyed as I was expecting to come home and find a nice lot of new growth, but instead I found this!

Thanks for your help so far by the way.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Aw, I am sorry to read what's happened to your lovely plants. I will make sure I sock mine in a strong salt solution before planting them.

I'd suggest the lettuce thing or some maybe a glass bottle.

Do you know what they are?

I'll have some nice java moss for you soon, for when you are sorted

 

[gadazobe]

Get a lettuce leaf in a bottle with not too big an opening and leave it in the tank overnight. First thing in the morning, (with a little bit of luck) a lot of the snails and "thingies" will still be munching on the lettuce. Take out the bottle with the snails and whatnots and bobs your uncle (hopefully)

 

[ChriX]

Aw, I am sorry to read what's happened to your lovely plants. I will make sure I sock mine in a strong salt solution before planting them.

Good idea! You don't want this lol.

Will try the lettuce and bottle tomorrow as I can't find any lettuce at the mo, hopefully they won't get eaten too much more in that time.

Looking forward to the moss CS, will give you some cuttings of mine too if they recover!

 

[ChriX]

Got up this morning and there were a load of bits of leaves on the surface, netted them out and most had more of the caterpillar things inside, got a better pic:

 

[gadazobe]

How big are these "things" - maybe mosquito larva - it would be interesting to see what they metamorphis into.

 

[my_fallen_angel]

that thing looks scary!!

i think you should get them out asap or find a fish that will eat them!!

They do look like catapillars, maybe yoiu should take all your plants out and soak them in salt or something like Cheese Specialist suggested!

 

[my_fallen_angel]

opps came up twice )

 

[Jimmy927]

hi

these fish are pretty rare but if you can get one make sure you do!
get a dwarf puffer (no more than 2 if you can help it as they will fight)
they will eat whatever is small enough to get into there mouth and if it is too big they still have a go at them they realy do keep the snails down i have got 1 in a two foot tank and there must be no more than 6 snails in it.

hope this helps.

james

p.s sorry i do not know what those things are all i could say is try the drarf puffers on them?