Best Snails?

[Andreeuh]

What are the best type of snails that help clean up a tank? I have a 10g tank & I would like to get one tonight but I'm not sure which type is the best.

Any opinions?

 

[Dwarfs]

Malaysian trumpet snails by far They will eat left over food and decaying plant/animal matter, and they usually only come out at night

 

[Andreeuh]

Thanks! Do they mate a lot? Would it be safe to get more than 1?

 

[qwikimpss]

As far as I know Malaysan trumpets are asexual and one can quickly turn into many. I'm not sure and someone else can either confirm or deny that.

 

[Teelie]

I don't know about asexuality but they bear live young which makes for a faster reproductive rate (no eggs for other snails or fish to eat) and left uncontrolled or overfed, will overpopulate.

 

[Andreeuh]

Hmm. So is this not the best choice? Any other types of snails that are good?

 

[qwikimpss]

Malaysian trumpets are definately the best bet for the tank. They eat leftover food and fish waste (gross) and burrow thru the substrate which helps aerate it and keep from growing Anaerobic bacteria.

 

[Andreeuh]

So if I get these little snails then I can also get sand for the tank? Would this keep me TOTALLY safe from Anaerobic pockets? I have beads and rocks in there right now and I'm not too fond of them. I think sand would be more fish friendly.

 

[Teelie]

Hmm. So is this not the best choice? Any other types of snails that are good?

They are a good choice, especially if you want plants as they don't eat live plants. They are also a good indicator of over feeding or bad water quality if you see a lot of them coming out during the day time.

edit: They are good at reducing the anerobic pockets but they won't totally eliminate them. The good news is you don't have to worry about these pockets unless the sand depth is more than 2" deep. Any shallower, and the pockets don't normally form.

 

[Andreeuh]

Do they sell these snails at big petshops like PetSmart or PetCo? Also.. what type of sand is the best?

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[qwikimpss]

Usually you will bring them home by accident but you may need to find a place that has some in their tanks and ask to have some bagged up for you....and you may get some weird looks.

 

[Teelie]

Do they sell these snails at big petshops like PetSmart or PetCo? Also.. what type of sand is the best?

Thanks for the help everyone.

I got mine for free from an LFS. The big chains often have them in their plants so you could look for them there. They'll be cone shaped. Almost like a trumpet, like the name. Sand is largely a personal choice but pool filter sand and play sand are the two top choices. Both are cheap and easy to find. Pool filter sand is found at any pool shop and some chain stores like WalMart, Home Depot, etc. will carry it. Playsand is usually found at the same places.

 

[Arfie]

I have MTS in all my tanks and they do a good job, they do breed like mad especially if (like me) you overfeed Another bonus is that they eat pest snails that like to eat plants I got mine sent to me for free by someone on another forum.

I also have some Bumblebee Nerite Snails like these:

Which are out above the substrate on the glass, decor etc, they are awesome at getting really tough algae off, I have a coconut chell covered in this green algae, neither otto's nor bristlenose plecs shifted it, the snails left it spotless They do not eat live plants, they don't even seem to care about lettuce, courgette or cucumber and they grow to about 1.25". They do not breed in the aquarium.

You could also go for good old apple snails (Pomacea bridgesii) which come in various beautiful colours including, blue, ivory, pink, purple and various striped colour variations. They grow to about 1.5" and also do not eat live plants Warning, do not get a brown one like this :

They are Pomacea canaliculata (Giant apple snail) and they grow upto 3.5" and they eat plants As I found out with mine, he's even eaten a mossball

Arfie

 

[Teelie]

Mmmm, Bumblebee Nerite Snails. Have to get some of them. I knew some Nerites were freshwater, but I'd never seen these guys before. Now to find a place/person who sells them in the US. I found a UK shop easily but that's not an option.

 

[Andreeuh]

Are the apple snails and bumble nerite snails low maintenance? Any feeding required? I'm scared if I get the MTS that I'll end up with a million of them and they're not too cute either.