Malaysian Trumpet Snails

[DaveA76]

i bought 15 of them off ebay just after starting my tank up and they have been going well, however i have noticed tonight that there are loads of little mts in the tank, the reason i got them is because clown loaches dont kill them and intend on getting some in the future, what im wondering is what is the reproduction rate of the mts and will i be over run with them in the future ?

 

[Corleone]

They don't breed as fast as some snails. Keep up gravel vacs and you shouldn't get overrun by them - you'll suck up excess food that they would otherwise use to fuel population growth and also get some of the young snails.

When you first add snails to a tank, there's probably some accumulation of dead plant matter or uneaten food that will let them reproduce more quickly at first. Remove any that you actually see during the day (most of them will burrow when the lights are on) and you should get them in control in no time.

 

[rdd1952]

If you over feed, you will be overrun with them. I had them so bad that I finally had to take the tank down and replace all the substrate. And I never bought any at all. I guess they came in on plants. I hope I never see another one. If you have live plants, the roots will keep the sand loose and unpacked just as well as the snails do.