recommend a couple snails to help clean up excess dead plant material

[Magnum Man]

I've got a couple tanks that have excess plant matter in them... I'm looking for a natural source of clean up... I have a pest snail problem in one of the tanks, and the other doesn't appear to have any snails currently both are soft to neutral warm water tanks, and both have excess pothos vine leaves, and other dead plant matter that have died and fallen into the tanks both originally had both plecos and Oto's, over the years those have died out... I had some albino mystery snails, for quite awhile long ago, pre RO, never had them breed, and always found them interesting.... I tried blueberry snails a while back, but they didn't thrive, but were not placed in tanks with excess matter but they likely would thrive in the 2 tanks that have excess plant matter, unless the water is too soft... so what is your favorite snails???

 

[Magnum Man]

I've been reading about snails that tolerate softer water, and this one came up, but I believe is not allowed to be imported anymore???

Spixi Snail – Detailed Guide: Care, Diet, and Breeding - Shrimp and Snail Breeder

Spixi snails are not the best algae-eaters, however, they have another superpower - Spixi snails can eat pests like a hydra.

aquariumbreeder.com

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I like "pest snails" and encourage them into all my tanks. The only ones I've ever had get out of control were Malaysian trumpet snails; I doubt I'll try those again. But ramshorns, pond snails, bladder snails, mystery snails, even assassin snails are all good ones to have.

If you're worried about over population, try assassins. They're easy to find, and they'll graze on biofilm, algae, and plant matter when they can't get sashimi. They also look really cool, and they're easy to spot and remove if you get too many.

The bigger snails like mystery snails and apple snails can be fun. They feel more like pets, and some even have something close to personality. I've heard some species will eat live plants, but I've never had a problem with them. Unlike pest snails, they're easy to give away if they breed and you end up with too many.

I don't personally like nerites. Actually, I like nerites a lot. What I don't like is the conspicuous, long-lasting white specks they leave all over the hardscape. They are brackish breeders, so their eggs don't hatch, but they are highly visible and don't break down for a long time.

I'm a little wary of all the "new" species like blueberries and spixi. I don't want snails that I have to care for.

 

[connorlindeman]

Pest snails are the way to go. I don't understand the hate.

 

[Colin_T]

gravel cleaner?

mystery snails are less likely to breed out of control and they lay eggs on the underside of the coverglass so are easy to control in that respect.