Trumpet Snails (melanoides Tuberculata)

[aitchvee]

Hello. I just got some of these off Ebay and now I've read about infestations of the critters.

I liked the idea of something that lives on food that drops top the bottom and eats algae, but I've been totally put off.

Should I just not put them in in the first place?

 

[afishdude]

do you have sand or gravel for a substrate?

if you have sand, they will dig into the sand during the day and you wont see them, then at night they will come out and eat leftover food and algae.
if you have gravel, they will sit on the gravel and you can always pick off the big ones, so they wont be over populated.

 

[aitchvee]

I have gravel, but it is natural colours so they may not be that easy to see on it. Would aquatic frogs (ADF's) be able to eat them?

 

[Rex740]

No. Certain loaches eat snails though.

 

[dizzied]

You could always just sell the extras if the population booms.

 

[aitchvee]

No. Certain loaches eat snails though.

I don't think my tank's large enough for loaches. plus there will be bettas in each tank.

 

[chrisdoesntmiss]

You will have hundreds if the conditions are right. At night they all come to the surface of the substratee and up the tank sides. You can always syphon them out or just pick them up and offer them for free to any aquarist as i do.

Chris

They are good for aerating the substrate and stopping pockets of gas forming. Only with compacting substrates however, sand, peat etc

 

[Essjay]

I have some in all my tanks and they have gravel substrates. I just pick them out when they get too many. I find the best time to remove them is at the same time as vacuuming the gravel as they are brought up to the surface. I find them quite easy to see even though they are almost the same colour as the gravel - for one thing, they move!