Snail Discovery

[Fintastic!]

I found a little snail in the tank yesterday and I removed it but am I right in saying they're harmless? I think I read here that they're a sign of overfeeding though I thought it had come in on my plants. I feed my lot once a day, no food once a week and twice a week they get an extra treat. What do you guys think? Thanks.

 

[cynic]

I've got one in my tank too, tiny thing. I can say it deffinately came in on plants, i quaranteened them in a small tank for 24 hours and had 8 really small snails in there. I thought i'd got em all.

Wifey saw it but i havent found it yet in the big tank, don't think its any real harm. I believe they can breed pretty rapid though.

 

[soybean]

Theyll only become a problem if they find excess food to eat. You might want to cut back the daily feed and replace with whatever treat you're offering.

Snails are easily controlled by reducing feeds and by manually removing them from the tank as you see them. Never use snail killing chemicals as they'll rot and pollute the tank, and never listen to anyone who suggests you get a fish to control the population. Assassin snails eat pest snails though, so if you want a natural population control a few of these will help.

They're not harmful, just infuriating in large numbers.

 

[cynic]

They're not harmful, just infuriating in large numbers.

Isn't the biggest danger one of them dying and turning into an ammonia bomb.

 

[StandbySetting]

Unlikely really unless you over feed quite dramatically, the only real risk is copper poisoning, otherwise the decline will be gradual.

 

[HayzH]

depends on what snails they are? i found small brown pond snails in my 3rd tank, but i have no plants..i can only assume they came hidden in the substrate. They do breed like wildfire..but are harmless.

 

[soybean]

They're not harmful, just infuriating in large numbers.

Isn't the biggest danger one of them dying and turning into an ammonia bomb.

One dead pest snail = a fish snack or something to be vacuumed up. 100 dead snails = ammonia bomb.

 

[cynic]

 

[Fintastic!]

Thanks a million for the replies guys. Helpful as always!

 

[Mowbz]

They're not harmful, just infuriating in large numbers.

Isn't the biggest danger one of them dying and turning into an ammonia bomb.

I think there is a little story about Apple snails dying, and if you dont get to them fast enough they can wipe out a tank. Not sure on how true this is, never kept them myself.

I too have recently found a single tiny snail, most likely from the swords i bought from P@H the other day, or some Anubias from someone on here. There litterally appears to be one, and he stays on the same line of silicone on the edge of the tank, so ive been keeping an eye on him/her. If i dount see anymore, ill let him be, if i find more, ill start squishing them on sight, as there cant be many!