Getting Rid Of Tiny Snails?

[Erik2806]

I've got a lot of tiny snails that have multiplied in my tank, and was wondering if there was a good predator to get rid of these that i could introduce? i have a 20 gallon tank withs 4 black neon tetra, 1 albino algae eater, and 2 catfish. iv heard a yoyo or clown loaches might be good, but are there any others? thanks!

 

[blesser13]

Assassin snails get few and don't overfeed

 

[Erik2806]

Assassin snails get few and don't overfeed

are these common at pet stores? ill have to look around, thanks.

 

[phishyphil]

I have had these assasin snails, and although they killed off a good proportion of them, they never eradicated the problem, in fact half the times, the pest snails would crawl/slither over the top of the assasin snail and they wouldnt even budge

Then i found a real bunch of menaces which decimated those pesty snails, there names? The Pakistani Loach crew

Serious though, this loaches, also known as YoYo loaches becahuse of their markings, took down like 12 snails in 20 minutes in my tank, after a day there were all gone, and the best thing is about these chaps is they that they dont eat assasin snails. WIN WIN situation.

Some information here for you
http/www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-almorhae

These guys are very active, and funny to watch, flipping upside to eat, love them, i have 4 of these guys and never looked back, Peacefull in my community set up

 

[Tizer]

Its also pretty daft to introduce fish to solve a snail infestation. Unless you have a very big tank, dont introduce clown loaches as they grow to a huge size, they also need to be kept in numbers (6+).

Feed less and the snails will die off. You can also leave some veg in the tank over night and remove it in the morning along with the snails that are feeding on it. Do several times and you should be good.

 

[phishyphil]

Indeed, also a viable solution, i just used the snails as an excuse for more fish

 

[micko]

Why would you want rid of them? These snails are a good indication that something is wrong in your tank. Probably over-feeding. Remove the snails and the food that is rotting will put your water stats off.

I don't know why so many people would rather cover up the problem rather than solve the problem.
These snails at present are your friends, not an pest.

 

[phishyphil]

Why would you want rid of them? These snails are a good indication that something is wrong in your tank. Probably over-feeding. Remove the snails and the food that is rotting will put your water stats off.

I don't know why so many people would rather cover up the problem rather than solve the problem.
These snails at present are your friends, not an pest.

Indeed the snails could indicate a problem with excessive feeding, however i lnow when i have purchassed new plants, i have a mini outbreak of these "tiny" snails, and i lknow its nothing to do with the water quality, as my stats are perfect, its a general cause if external administration of the snails, But yes is see where people do tend to Feed Everyday (sometimes twice a day ) and wonder why there snails are thriving? reason, you giving them an all you can eat buffet

 

[phishyphil]

Why would you want rid of them? These snails are a good indication that something is wrong in your tank. Probably over-feeding. Remove the snails and the food that is rotting will put your water stats off.

I don't know why so many people would rather cover up the problem rather than solve the problem.
These snails at present are your friends, not an pest.

Granted, some people tend to be there own worst enemy with the excessive feeding, If this is you Erik2806 then this should be addressed, How much are you feeding and how often?

We also know that snails can be externally added to the tank via the introduction of new plants, Im sure im not the only one to add new plants to the tank and have a mini boom in "tiny" snails, and i know my water parameters are perfect. The lettuce isn ot always a proven way to remove the little critters, it doesnt seem to work for me which is why i rely on my loaches to keep the snails at bay.

Some dont like snails in the tank, which is personal choice, so if you do not like them, find a solution mentioned in this thread that works for you. However you will find if less food is added, the snail population with "slow down" in terms of how fast they reproduce, possibly giving enough time for your assasins to finish them off

 

[the_lock_man]

Erik, assassin snails are great at getting rid of pest snails, my experience is that they slowly but surely got rid of my pest snail problem - it wasn't overnight by any stretch, it took about 6 weeks. Whereabouts in the world are you? If you're vaguely near the south coast of the UK, you can get some from me.

 

[soybean]

+1 to assassin snails, I have three. I look at them as population control rather than a total eradication program. I still see the occasional tiny snail but they never get chance to grow very large before an assassin gets them.

Definitely start underfeeding especially if/when you introduce some assassins - mine love sinking tablet food way too much to actually hunt. And once you run out of snails they will need to find some meaty foods in the tank, like bloodworm.

 

[fluttermoth]

Then i found a real bunch of menaces which decimated those pesty snails, there names? The Pakistani Loach crew

Yeah, this is a 20 gallon tank though, it's far too small for yoyo loaches.

In all honesty, you should never add a fish to a tank to do a 'job' for you, it's your job, as a fishkeeper, to clean up waste food, control snails and get rid of algae and poo