snail takeover!!

[ellarev]

a few months ago, instead of going to a chain pet store to buy some plants, i decided to go to my local pet store to support a small family owned business. I only bought about five plants so I decided to be lazy and not bleach dip all of them(big mistake ). i rinsed the plants and put them in my tank. i only noticed the snails about a month after. i tried taking them out by hand but they just kept re appearing. (i think they are pond snails because they are pretty small and a brown ish color) now there are hundreds of them in my 10 gallon tank. i don’t want to use chemicals in my tank but I’m not sure what to do. I wanted to get some assassin snails but no pet stores near me carry them. I tried looking for them online but as I said my tank is only 10 gallons so i would Only need one or two. online they only sell them in groups of 10 plus. I even tried looking on eBay for them but they are $30 plus for only 1-2 and during these times i don’t have that kind of money to be spending on only 1snail. if anybody has ideas on what I could do to make these pest snails go away, plz let me know

 

[Guppy10]

Firstly, they are not pests, they are close to the bottom of the food chain.
Second, they must be thriving due to abundance of food so cut that down.
Third, if you really want to eradicate them add a copper chemical tho I would go with option 2.
They do a good job.
Hope this helps.

 

[Byron]

I agree, with one caveat...never use chemicals in a fish tank to deal with snails (or algae). These are all detrimental to fish, regardless of what manufacturers may say about "safe"...their idea of safe is not mine.

Assassin snails are dangerous should one get released into the local ecosystem as has occurred in some areas of the US, and there was talk of making them illegal. They will decimate native snail populations.

Snails are your friend. They benefit any tank. They eat organics (like fish excrement) which breaks it down faster for the many bacteria. They will reproduce to a level that can be sustained by the food (waste) they find to eat.

 

[Retired Viking]

I agree with @Guppy10 but using copper will mean you can not have shrimp, snails or crabs in your tank pretty much forever, it sticks around that much. It can also affect the fish. I have had "pest snails" in my tanks too. #1 reduce how much you feed your fish that is the big one. Do your weekly water changes only make sure you vacuum the gravel really good. This will control their numbers. A few are good to help keep your tank clean. Good luck

 

[Retired Viking]

@Byron Beat me by a second or two. Obviously I also agree with him.

 

[cupofjoel]

As stated by the members above they are thriving on something (uneaten food, fish waste, etc.) Once their food supply is gone you will see a reduction in their numbers. Snails are welcome in my tank anytime...I consider them free maintenance workers!

By the way, any dwarf puffer owner would love to take your snails off your hands

 

[Retired Viking]

Oh, I forgot to say "Welcome to the forum"