Snails and plants

[Snailguy101]

Why do my snails eat my plants Is there a way to prevent it?

 

[wwestar2000]

Why do cows eat grass?

 

[Snailguy101]

Um cause it's what they like to eat but that isnt answering my question is it?

 

[wwestar2000]

um it kinda is

 

[Snailguy101]

Well is there a way to prevent it?!

 

[Tiggs]

seperate the snails and plants (a lot easier than with cows due to the lower weight of a snail) although, equally as pointless!

T

ps- anyone know why my fish eat fish flakes?

 

[jimbooo]

now now girls.

play nice.

snailguy: depending on the plant species most will be eaten. the best plants for your tank would be Java Fern, anubias nana or other hard leathery leaved species. anything soft/lush will be a tasty lunch i'm afraid

 

[George Farmer]

snailguy - To answer your question as best I can (without sarcastic undertones); plant matter forms part of a snail's natural diet. They do however prefer uneaten fish food and other decaying matter.

They are normally introduced via eggs on plants. One way to prevent the introduction is to bleach dip your plants before planting. There are numerous fish that eat snails i.e. Botia species. These do however prefer normal dry food so need to be hungry enough to eat the snails.

One way to reduce the risk of overpopualtion is to reduce feeding, most people actually overfeed and this is the biggest contributor to boosting snail's population.

I have had great experiences with Botia striata, don't feed them for a few days and the snails disappear as quickly as they arrive.

Good luck.

 

[jimbooo]

gf225: did you look at his sig!! i dont think bleach dip will help here.....

 

[morgan]

If you want a nice snail to look at and your tank is big enough a Golden Apple Snail is a good choice. Make sure you get a Bridgesli, they don't eat plants. They need a good sized tank because they produce a lot of waste, although I have only seen it's waste once. You can tell it's a Bridgesli because it's breathing tube is on the left side of it's head. The ordinary snails which come in on plants are a pest if you get too many, I squash some twice a day when I feed the fish. You can look up Golden Apple Snails on google.

 

[George Farmer]

gf225: did you look at his sig!! i dont think bleach dip will help here.....

Whoops. Good point.

I was obviously answering from the "snails are pests" perspective. I should have at least registered snailguy's name! That's 2 hours sleep for you (my excuse for everything these days!)

I like your witty retort to the previous posts BTW.

 

[jimbooo]

no probs gf225, i was feeling sorry for the poor guy. he only wants his question answered after all.

 

[houndour]

I would have to agree with:

snailguy - To answer your question as best I can (without sarcastic undertones); plant matter forms part of a snail's natural diet. They do however prefer uneaten fish food and other decaying matter.

If they have other food to eat they might be less likely to munch on your plants.