Snail Investation

[MissClaire]

Just done my weekly 25% water change and Ive noticed that 90 percent of my gravel is baby snails! ARK!

So Im going about this the al-a-natural way and going to feed those suckers some cucumber.

Now...what is the procedure?

Chuck in the sliced cucumber? or do I need to boil it first? And how long do you leave it there etc etc.

Wish me luck

 

[breezer40]

No need to boil just put it in as it is although I gave up trying to get rid of snails this way and purchased loaches which works a treat!

 

[MissClaire]

Ive had a bad run of loaches in the past and lost them all due to major major ich.....and it's put me off getting them again, perhaps it was the lot I got from the fish shop at the time, I really loved them and wouldnt mind trying again but I dont want to go through loosing them or affecting my other fish by introducing.

Lets try this cucumber first

 

[pica_nuttalli]

what shape are the snails? if they're round, yeah, pull them out, they'll just munch on your plants/algae/leftover food/fish waste. little pointy or trumpet shaped ones are actually pretty beneficial. trumpet snails are the least likely of all to eat plants and actually work kinda like little aquatic earthworms.

one great thing about snails is they redigest fish waste, so if you have inefficient fish like plecos or puffers, snails will help out significantly with poo management (really enhances the look of a tank).

 

[MissClaire]

Blackish trumpet types....Ah I see...so these guys arn't destructive? Thats why I only find them when I gravel vac or only see them mixing in with the gravel.
How big do they get? are they always tiny, or grow larger?

Ive heard rumours of when a snail dies they pollute your entire tank and effect the water....is this true?

I also thought these small snails were offspring of my two monsterous apple snails...but they do seem different.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Blackish trumpet types....Ah I see...so these guys arn't destructive? Thats why I only find them when I gravel vac or only see them mixing in with the gravel.
How big do they get? are they always tiny, or grow larger?

Ive heard rumours of when a snail dies they pollute your entire tank and effect the water....is this true?

I also thought these small snails were offspring of my two monsterous apple snails...but they do seem different.

malaysian trumpet snails rarely exceed 1.5 inches. in my experience, the only thing that happens when a snail dies is that the other snails eat the carcass. giant apple snails are probably an exception, however .

now if they're really dark, they might be trapdoor snails i don't have any experience with those; i think they're similar to pond snails.

malaysian trumpets have shells almost like one might find on a beach. they're typically a soft taupe with white bands/speckles.

baby snails look exactly like tiny versions of whatever they'll grow to be. if it doesn't look like an itty-bitty apple snail, then it isn't. you'll notice if your apples reproduce. some apple snails lay hard, calcareous eggs at or above the water-line. the others lay large white eggs in a clump inside the tank. either way, its noticeable.

my favortie website on snails is here. take a looksee.

 

[MissClaire]

Thanks for the website.....
They seem to be trumpet snails...the exact description matches and only the odd one comes out at night and the rest blend in with gravel.
Thanks for that! Now I sort of feel mean getting rid of a few the other day...when all they do is clean up fish poo!
But if I my apple snails start breeding its bye bye baby apple snails! The two I have already have demolished every plant Ive got!