Problem with Snails

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Doggler

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I have now watched my minor snail issue blossom into an infestation and I am wondering how I can (1) attack and control the issue and (2) keep it under control in the future.

I have read about lettuce traps, hand-picking, and other techniques for getting the population under control and will continue use those, but I am hoping there is a more efficient and permanent (natural) solution. Are there any other methods that you have found helpful in more efficiently getting rid of pest snails? And any methods for keeping it under control in the future?

I also have a couple assassin snails in there and they've helped, but it's not enough. I have also been considering getting a yo-yo loach (or another fish that eats snails), but I'd prefer to get only one. Would getting a snail-eating fish be a good idea? If so, which ones would you suggest if I only want to get one or two. I have 6 rummynose, 2 apistogramma trifasciata, some shrimp, and a longfin bristlenose.

Thanks!
 
Buying a fish just to solve a problem is always a bad idea. In the case of snail eating fish, most of these are botine loaches which grow large and need to be in a group, so are unsuitable for any but large tanks. And personally I would not keep them with apistos.


Snails themselves are not a problem; it is only when the population gets out of control that something needs to be done. Snails are actually an important past of the tank's ecosystem. The simplest way of controlling snails is to reduce the amount of fish food that goes into a tank. The usual cause of a snail population explosion is too much food.
 
I concur completely with essjay.

These "pest" snails really are not pests, they are your best friends in any aquarium because they eat organics (fish excrement, uneaten food, dying plant matter, algae) which breaks it down faster for the various bacteria to deal with. The organics will be there with or without the snails, and the snails add nothing to the bioload because they are only eating what is already in the bioload (unless one specifically feeds certain snails, not the issue here). So the snails are doing you a favour.

As to their numbers, they will exist at the level according to the available food. Even if you are careful not to overfeed the fish, the number of snails indicates just how much organics can accumulate in an aquarium, and this must be kept under control.

I am not suggesting any of these factors are applicable here, but just for information...organics occur from the fish being fed so the more fish, the larger the fish, or the more they are fed, all contributes to the organic level. As well as frequency of water changes (the more water changed, the fewer dissolved organics), and filter cleaning (all that brown/black gunk in the filter is organic matter). Plants, especially floating plants, help reduce organics.
 
I have now watched my minor snail issue blossom into an infestation and I am wondering how I can (1) attack and control the issue and (2) keep it under control in the future.

I have read about lettuce traps, hand-picking, and other techniques for getting the population under control and will continue use those, but I am hoping there is a more efficient and permanent (natural) solution. Are there any other methods that you have found helpful in more efficiently getting rid of pest snails? And any methods for keeping it under control in the future?

I also have a couple assassin snails in there and they've helped, but it's not enough. I have also been considering getting a yo-yo loach (or another fish that eats snails), but I'd prefer to get only one. Would getting a snail-eating fish be a good idea? If so, which ones would you suggest if I only want to get one or two. I have 6 rummynose, 2 apistogramma trifasciata, some shrimp, and a longfin bristlenose.

Thanks!
A dwarf puffers diet consists mainly of snails. But I have learnt that this fish should be kept only with other of its species, other than maybe a couple of larger shrimp and big snails. You would have to get a tank for this fish though and it’s probably too much work just to stop a small infestation of snails. You could try to cut down your food to a minimum and destroy any eggs you see.
 
I concur. Never get a fish to solve infestation problems. if you truly want them all gone, remove your shrimp and pour the recommended amout of copper to kill your snails. Or, stop feeding them.
 
Copper sulfate would also harm fish. Fish have a much lower tolerance for copper than humans, which is why new copper plumbing can kill a tank of fish yet be safe for drinking. Aside from that, one should absolutely never add a substance to an aquarium that is going to harm something that lives, aside of course from essential medications for identified fish disease. And any fish intended to "solve" something brings its own requirements and, as has been noted with every fish so far mentioned here, unsuitability to the aquarium, only causing even worse problems.
 
I agree with the less food, also i dont understand with the getting snails to kill a snail problem. It like buying another bunny to get rid of bunnies. Once all the ' pest " snails are gone one will have an explosion if assassin snails filling up your tank. Personally id get rid of the assasins and get some nerite snails. Nerites cant propagate in fresh water and will out compete your other snails for food.
 
Don't get a fish or snail to eat them possibly. If you don't want them then treat n kill them off. Your choice really.
 
I concur completely with essjay.

These "pest" snails really are not pests, they are your best friends in any aquarium because they eat organics (fish excrement, uneaten food, dying plant matter, algae) which breaks it down faster for the various bacteria to deal with. The organics will be there with or without the snails, and the snails add nothing to the bioload because they are only eating what is already in the bioload (unless one specifically feeds certain snails, not the issue here). So the snails are doing you a favour.

As to their numbers, they will exist at the level according to the available food. Even if you are careful not to overfeed the fish, the number of snails indicates just how much organics can accumulate in an aquarium, and this must be kept under control.

I am not suggesting any of these factors are applicable here, but just for information...organics occur from the fish being fed so the more fish, the larger the fish, or the more they are fed, all contributes to the organic level. As well as frequency of water changes (the more water changed, the fewer dissolved organics), and filter cleaning (all that brown/black gunk in the filter is organic matter). Plants, especially floating plants, help reduce organics.
I concur completely with essjay.

These "pest" snails really are not pests, they are your best friends in any aquarium because they eat organics (fish excrement, uneaten food, dying plant matter, algae) which breaks it down faster for the various bacteria to deal with. The organics will be there with or without the snails, and the snails add nothing to the bioload because they are only eating what is already in the bioload (unless one specifically feeds certain snails, not the issue here). So the snails are doing you a favour.

As to their numbers, they will exist at the level according to the available food. Even if you are careful not to overfeed the fish, the number of snails indicates just how much organics can accumulate in an aquarium, and this must be kept under control.

I am not suggesting any of these factors are applicable here, but just for information...organics occur from the fish being fed so the more fish, the larger the fish, or the more they are fed, all contributes to the organic level. As well as frequency of water changes (the more water changed, the fewer dissolved organics), and filter cleaning (all that brown/black gunk in the filter is organic matter). Plants, especially floating plants, help reduce organics.
Hi Byron, here’s my problem in my 30 gallon fully planted tank into It’s second week of a fishless cycle, am seeing what I believe to be tadpole snails. I have been trying to be rid of them by physically removing them, but they’re continuing to multiply even though there’s no fish feeding happening, I would really like to be rid of them, any suggestions?
 

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