Are Snails Good Or Bad In A Tank?

[plecostomus-mad]

since i placed my plants in the tank i noticed 3 very small snails, a week laterthey have quadrupled in size. will they add to the bio load? and are they good or bad for the tank?

mark

 

[aly_starh]

If they are the common pest snails then they are quite messy and will carry on reproducing. They also do add to the bio-load though im not sure how much.

If there is anything bad about them, id just say they make the tank look un-appealing.

They are mulit-plying in size becaues you are giving them extra food to do so. It may be beneficial to fast the fish for 1 day a weel

 

[fishnovice]

I don't know why people hate snails and say they are pests. Snails are harmless and can be useful. Personally I like snails and have deliberately introduced various sized apple and Malaysian trumpets to my sand bottom community tank. They keep sand spotlesa eating up all fish food flakes plus leftover veg I feed to my mollies and baby bristlenoses. If snails multiply rapidly it's a sign you are overfeeding the fish. Otherwise they are harmless scavengers, unless you have plants they like to eat. Most of my plants are fake, so no problem with snails.

 

[ian]

i was thinking of employing a snail, for my algae problem. I do have real plants, i have heard mixed views on whether apple snails eat live plants?

 

[mr130gallon]

i have snails in my planted, they came with them plants, and some bigger fish eat them, or so i hear. plus occasionally i crush one or two so my smaller fish can get the meat.

 

[OldMan47]

Asking if snails are bad is like asking if the color blue is good or bad. It really depends on whether or not you like them. I have some snails in most of my tanks and just remove them when I think their population has gotten too high. They are quite effective at eating algae on the glass but not good enough at it that I don't need to clean the glass myself. They are, in my opinion, a natural part of my planted fish holding container, just as much as the fish or plants are. Some are more attractive than others in my view, but my taste in fish or plants probably doesn't match yours either. If you like snails they are nice to have. If you don't like snails, they have very few redeeming values.