snail in tank

[fergie]

hi i noticed i had a snail about 5mms big the other day and i just wundering how it got in the tank or how it was produced.

 

[Annastasia]

Well, snails aren't Livebearers, so you may be better off in the Invertebrates, Amphibians & Aquatic Reptiles Forum

But usually snails hitch a ride on plants. Do you have live plants in your tank, or have you added any recently?

 

[magicallydelicious]

snails that hitch a ride on plants are little buggers and hard to remove. if you ahve any live plants in your tank you should always give them a bleach batch before putting them into your tank to get rid of diseases that might be on them. if you start to see alot fo them in your tank ina few weeks you can do a few things to remove them. oranda's work best which are the goldfish with brain things on there head. they will eat the snails. after they are gone you can return the fish to the store . salt can also kill the snails but this is a messy process. because then youa hev to remove them from your tank and if you dont see them then they will rot and cause disease in your tank. becareful with salt as some palnts dont take too kindly to it.you can also manually remove them from the tank which will take forever. there arte also meds which will kill the snails but i am not sure what kind there is for it. but i never recomend use meds unless you absolutly have to as meds can damamge your biological filteration.

 

[Annastasia]

oranda's work best which are the goldfish with brain things on there head. they will eat the snails. after they are gone you can return the fish to the store .

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Never heard of orandas being snail eaters...but, hey, learn something new everyday.

The only problem is, goldfish need cooler water, and they can be very messy, plus your tank would have to be pretty big. If you want to get rid of snails in your tropical community, the best thing to do would be to get Loaches. They love snails, and they can be great community fish (some species are nippy and/or aggressive though). Very amusing to watch, especially when they are in a small school. There are also some small species, like the Dwarf or Chain Loach. What size tank are we talking?

 

[magicallydelicious]

yeah i didnt knwo they were either till i saw a petstore use trhem in the tanks. if you are only going to use them for a few weeks tog et rid of the snails then they should be fine in the tank with htem. unless you ahve rather small fish in it then they will turn on your fish once the snailsa re gone. thats why i recomend taking the fish back once you are done with it.....<--- like itsd a piece of meat lol... gold fish can tolerate higher temps but are more happy in lower ones... almost any fish can adapt to what ever your tank settings are.. they will not just die because its not the water they "like" this si why the temporary use of them in your tank will be ok if.... yes i ahev heard of some loaches that eat snails but i wasnt sure which ones so i didnt want to mention it.... but i cant imagine if theya re big ones that the loaches would eat them ?

 

[Annastasia]

Most Loaches will eat any snail, big or small! They can even devour an Apple snail by eating the breathing tube and suffocating it, then eating the rest of it. Disgusting though.

But depending on the size tank, I'd reccomend Angelicus Loaches, as mine totally cleaned a tank full of snails in a matter of days. If you have a smaller tank, My Dwarf Loaches seem to have done a good job too. Avoid Yoyos and Clowns if you have a small tank though, as both can reach 8" and over. If you want your Loach to be a long time member (Can't think of why you wouldn't, but hey) then Clowns and Yoyos are a no. Also, stay away from Skunks as they can be very aggressive. I could go on about the ones NOT to get for a while, but you may not even see these at your fish store. Best thing to do would be to go there, look at what Loaches they have, then post back. And research them.

I suppose a Goldfish could be okay....but I'd personally still be wary. And you'd have to deal with the quarantine of them for a couple of weeks before you could even put them in your tank. Though I suppose it'd be the same for the Loaches.

And actually, some fish can be sensitive to water temperature...they can keel over and die. I've had Platies die because my heater broke when I was on vacation and the water went down to 65. I agree though, most fish should be able to handle some temperature difference. These ones very also very close to giving birth, so it may have been stress and birthing troubles.

If you do get the goldfish for your tank, and they are kept in coldwater at your fish store, make sure to acclimate them slowly to higher temperatures. You don't want them to be very shocked and stressed, and get ich, or another disease, or just plain die.

I just realized, we are going on about how to clear the tank of snails and the original poster hasn't even said it's a problem yet. Oops. Though chances are, if you have one snail, you'll get more. Snails breed like crazy, and even though you only see one, more may be lurking around in the substrate, or hiding in plants. Also, you could have gotten eggs on your plant, so you'll have lots of little snail babies. Some snails are okay, as some kinds will turn over sand, and eat alage, but some are just pains. If you don't want snails, then take this one out, or get one of the fish suggested.

Anyway, I'll shut up now....tell me if this post makes no sense, because I'm just kind of blabbering. Heh...really am going to shut up now. )

 

[wwestar2000]

orange finned louches only grow up to 4 inches and eat snails

 

[Annastasia]

orange finned louches only grow up to 4 inches and eat snails

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The only trouble is, they are highly territorial. They will defend their territory aggressively , and you can't really keep them with smaller fish...

Cute, though.

 

[wwestar2000]

orange finned louches only grow up to 4 inches and eat snails

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The only trouble is, they are highly territorial. They will defend their territory aggressively , and you can't really keep them with smaller fish...

Cute, though.

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I always thought they were only territorial towards other loaches.