What type of snail?

[cmhassinger]

So I have a tiny tank I have been wanting to shut down since it’s empty but I did notice a snail in it so I let it run. I don’t see any other snails and it’s been in there at least 2-3 weeks and it’s grown fast I think. Does anyone know if it’s a good or bad snail? If it’s good I’ll save it and move to a better tank. Thanks guys

 

[Colin_T]

Lymnaea pond snail, breeds prolifically but easy to kill

 

[Barry Tetra]

They are not dangerous.

 

[CryptFan]

In my opinion, Every snail is a good snail.(Excluding mystery snails) snails will help your tank out so much! I have hundreds In all my tanks!

 

[Colin_T]

Snails eat fish eggs and add to the bioload in the aquarium. If you have lots of snails the water quality will deteriorate faster and the fish will suffer. Snails can also spread parasites (mainly worms) to fish and the Lymnaea pond snails are an intermediate host for tapeworm that affect fish.

 

[CryptFan]

I’ve had hundreds of pins snails, bladder, rams horn and mts for years in my tanks and the fish could not be happier, the snails actually clean up any uneaten food or fish poop, whole they do also add waste, they clean more waste than they create.

 

[Essjay]

I'm not sure it's a lymnaeid, it could be a physid. They look very similar, the main difference being the water the shell spirals.
There is a description in this thread showing how to tell which is which https://www.fishforums.net/threads/freshwater-snail-species-in-the-hobby.424364/ As you have the snails, you can compare them to the diagram.


I have physids in my tanks. And those tiny ramshorns, Malaysian trumpet snails and nerites. They only become pests when there are too many of them. If you take care not to over feed the fish, the snails won't take over.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Not dangerous, it looks like a common pond snail.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Snails add very little to the bio load of the tank and are very beneficial. @Byron is better at explaining this but snails should be welcomed to your tank.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I must warn you though, pond snails reproduce very fast. You may find your self in a big pile of snails at the end of this.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Snails control their rate of reproduction depending on how much food is available and how crowded the tank gets ( obviously because food is less available).

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Really? That is cool! Apparently my snails aren’t getting the memo.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Maybe their teens and prefer something else over food.

 

[Colin_T]

Snails control their rate of reproduction depending on how much food is available and how crowded the tank gets ( obviously because food is less available).

Snails breed uncontrollably in an aquarium because there is plenty of food and no predators. I have seen tanks that have thousands of snails in and the tanks weren't overfed. The snails simply ate all the plants and algae and were producing huge amounts of poop (more than the fish).

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Bigger snails that don't breed as readily are better options because they are easier to control.

 

[CryptFan]

I say leave the snails, I have hundreds and have no problems whatsoever, there have been hundreds for years and they keep their population in check.