Suddenly, Snails??

[bivalvelover]

So in my tank I have a Chinese mystery snail who is quite large, and another mystery snail who wasn’t. I’ve never seen them interact.

Well, I noticed that my smaller one, the black one, “Scooby” had been hiding down under the sponge filter. Nbd, it’s a good hiding place. I noticed some… “things” on the log, but figured it was part of the driftwood. Yeah, so, today, scooby still hasn’t moved and is upside down. I’m like “okay, he might have died, let’s check.”

Then I notice something on the driftwood.
Baby snails??
But- I never saw any eggs? I’m at a total losses what do I do? Remove them? Please help. Are they parasitic? Could my bigger snail have made them? I saw scooby at the water line several times, never my big one. I’m so so confused.

 

[FranciscoB]

That is a ramshorn snail (Planorbidae). Unrelated to mystery snails. It came into your tank inadvertedly, either as a small snail or as an egg mass, even if you did not see it (easy to miss). They lay gelatinous egg masses attached to surfaces below the water surface (bottom, sides, decorations). Quite prolific but harmless.

 

[bivalvelover]

That is a ramshorn snail (Planorbidae). Unrelated to mystery snails. It came into your tank inadvertedly, either as a small snail or as an egg mass, even if you did not see it (easy to miss). They lay gelatinous egg masses attached to surfaces below the water surface (bottom, sides, decorations). Quite prolific but harmless.

Phew! Thank you! I have a planted tank so I assume they came home in a plant. Should I remove them now? Or wait until they’re bigger to keep from overwhelming the tank? Because I saw they breed quite heavily, and I don’t want to overpopulate the tank even if they are quite cute!

 

[FranciscoB]

What I would do is to remove any I see (unless desired, which I understand is not the case). The adults are easy to spot, the babies and egg masses much harder. You can also trap them using a jar and a piece of lettuce to other non-polluting food. Good luck!

 

[bivalvelover]

What I would do is to remove any I see (unless desired, which I understand is not the case). The adults are easy to spot, the babies and egg masses much harder. You can also trap them using a jar and a piece of lettuce to other non-polluting food. Good luck!

I wouldn’t mind one, I just don’t want them to overpopulate my tank and cause an imbalance. I’m not sure how big they get, and they’re so tiny I fear if one died I would never know what’s causing such an ammonia spike!

Are those fears validated or just paranoia?

 

[Essjay]

I have those tiny ramshorns and bladder/tadpole snails in both my tanks and they don't take over because I don't overfeed the fish/shrimps and I remove anything edible (eg bits of dead plant). Most people overfeed their fish but they need a lot less food than you'd think. Mammals need a lot of food to keep warm but fish get their temperature from the water so they don't need that extra food which mammals need.

 

[sharkweek178]

I have those tiny ramshorns and bladder/tadpole snails in both my tanks and they don't take over because I don't overfeed the fish/shrimps and I remove anything edible (eg bits of dead plant). Most people overfeed their fish but they need a lot less food than you'd think. Mammals need a lot of food to keep warm but fish get their temperature from the water so they don't need that extra food which mammals need.

Plus, the fishes' stomachs are very small. The old adage that it's only the size of one of their eyes isn't quite true. But that can be a good rule of thumb when feeding.

 

[bivalvelover]

Plus, the fishes' stomachs are very small. The old adage that it's only the size of one of their eyes isn't quite true. But that can be a good rule of thumb when feeding.

Would one dying cause a ammonia catastrophe? That was my biggest worry. They’re so tiny, and I’m visually impaired, if one died and I couldn’t see it I’d never be able to locate it without uprooting my entire tank.

 

[Essjay]

Small snails won't cause any ammonia (or nitrite) problems if there are lots of plants as "uprooting my entire tank" implies as the amount of ammonia will be small and plants will take it up quickly.

 

[bivalvelover]

Small snails won't cause any ammonia (or nitrite) problems if there are lots of plants as "uprooting my entire tank" implies as the amount of ammonia will be small and plants will take it up quickly.

Thank you so much! And yes I have a lot of plants!!