Malasian Trumpet Snails

[DaveA76]

a while back i purchased some mts's and was advised that they are slow breeding, in the last few months they have had a population boom and ive gone from having 15 is to god knows how many, after feeding time there are loads that come to the surface of the substrate, is this because im overfeeding the fish? what is the best way to feed the fish so i know they have had the correct amount ?
and is their an easy way to collect the unwanted mts's so i can discard of them without picking them out individually ?

 

[three-fingers]

Maybe, but you can end up with loads in a tank if you have no natural control for them. The numbers seem to balance out eventually once you reach a certain density of them?

How much are you feeding the fish now?


If you have sand you can 'sift' fr them using an aquarium net. If not, put a bit of blanched lettuce in and remove it in the middle of the night (when most of them will be out and about).

If you don't like seeing that many of them, I would recommend chain loaches, yo-yo loaches or clown loaches depending on how big your tank is.
MTS are pretty tough, so the loaches wont completely eradicate them like they would with common 'pest' species of snail.

 

[DaveA76]

Maybe, but you can end up with loads in a tank if you have no natural control for them. The numbers seem to balance out eventually once you reach a certain density of them?

How much are you feeding the fish now?


If you have sand you can 'sift' fr them using an aquarium net. If not, put a bit of blanched lettuce in and remove it in the middle of the night (when most of them will be out and about).

If you don't like seeing that many of them, I would recommend chain loaches, yo-yo loaches or clown loaches depending on how big your tank is.
MTS are pretty tough, so the loaches wont completely eradicate them like they would with common 'pest' species of snail.

re the feed i just feed them once per day and they seem to clear it all up
thanks for the tip with the lettuce leaf, could this be the reason my plants have stopped growing ?

 

[Davo86]

weigh down a lettuce leaf in the tank overnight, next morning you should find the leaf covered with snails which can simply be removed.

 

[Troutlips]

Is it common for English men to keep snails as pets ?