Snails...everyyywhere

[RobberyinCSharp]

So this thread title is obviously self-explanatory. I have a 10gallon freshwater tank with a few live plants that obviously brought home some snails. But no matter how much I pull them out, they just won't go away!!
God - they're even making babies as we speak!

How on EARTH do I get rid of these gross pests?!

 

[gatorsean]

copper kills ivertabrates like snails and shrimp pretty quickly

 

[moochy13]

put a bit of lettuce in and they should all go onto it overnight, because they love it, then remove the lettuce in the morning. i would also reduce feeding to see if it helps. snails are a sign of overfeeding, hopefully once you remove a load on the lettuce, there wont be many left.

 

[Liquid skills]

Or a third suggestion ( the most despret opsion) is get a clown loach they love snails but they get 18"+ long or get another type of snail eating loach but try all other opsions first

 

[eaglesaquarium]

This is a 10 gallon tank, so getting a loach to deal with the snail issue is a BAD idea.


Second, adding chemicals like copper to kill off all the snails is also a poor idea. All those snails dying at once will lead to an ammonia spike. In fact, the only reason you don't have one right now is probably because of the snails. You are OVERFEEDING. That's why your snail population is getting out of control. How much do you feed them? They should only get as much as they can in about 30-45 seconds. They should be fasted once a week as well. Its just a really easy way to keep your amount of feeding in check.

I second the lettuce idea. Place it in the tank just before the lights go out, and then come back after the tank has been dark for a few hours... remove the lettuce and discard. The snails will cling to this. Repeat this procedure as necessary until the snail population is where you are comfortable with it. Snails in a tank aren't really a bad thing. The only thing I would suggest that you could add to your tank to deal with the population would be an assassin snail. These, as their name would denote, will prey on the pest snails, and they won't out grow your tank.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I have assassin snails in two of my tanks and they work wonders!

 

[Brett_dale]

Had a similar problem myself which re-occurs every now and then, overfeeding is one cause. I used to be of the mindset that it was a bad thing now i think of them in similar terms as to a cleanup crew, they feed on left over food and decomposing plant matter, i added a few assasin snails to keep the population under check, but not enough to wipe them out.

 

[soybean]

Or a third suggestion ( the most despret opsion) is get a clown loach they love snails but they get 18"+ long or get another type of snail eating loach but try all other opsions first

There are no suitable snail eating loaches for a 10 gallon. Not even as a 'desperate option'.

I would do a very thorough gravel vac and then not feed the tank at all for three days, but sink a bit of lettuce in every night - prop up a saucer over it with a pebble or something to protect it from fish - and remove it in the morning with snails on. Then add an assassin snail to get any stragglers if you're still having problems. But as already said, a snail explosion means you're feeding too much. Feed every other day until it's under control.

 

[Liquid skills]

The loach was just a suggestion and i didnt see it was a 10g tank

Its not always a bad idea granted it is not the best idea for the tank of tht size but a larger tank my loach eats them hes max size 4" ill get the name of his species later but hes fine n happy my tanks 130L n hes fine with the snail infact i dnt have any snails anymore

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Try getting some assassin snails They will get your problem under control. Oh, and did I mention that they are just a neat looking snail? Even after your snail problem is dealt with, you have some really cool looking snails in your tank that will eat leftover food as well

 

[soybean]

The loach was just a suggestion and i didnt see it was a 10g tank

Its not always a bad idea granted it is not the best idea for the tank of tht size but a larger tank my loach eats them hes max size 4" ill get the name of his species later but hes fine n happy my tanks 130L n hes fine with the snail infact i dnt have any snails anymore

Most loaches also need to be in groups.

So for your average group of clown loaches you're looking at a 6ft+ tank. Not your average tank, so they're very rarely a solution for snails.

Yours is likely lonely, whatever the species.

 

[RobberyinCSharp]

Darn.
I really thought I wasn't over feeding them. I had noticed one of my fish getting chubby and having digestive issues with food so I started feeding them once every other day.
Just regular flakes and veggie wafers and stuff.
Do you know where I can find assassin snails? My lfs doesn't sell them to my knowledge....

 

[This Old Spouse]

I wish that winter hadn't claimed the northern USA or I'd send you some of mine. I have plenty! But honestly, the batch I originally got came from a vendor on ebay. I paid for 3 of them and he sent me 9, so a good deal. And that was in January, when it was below zero here. Just google them, look for the closest place and make sure they use heat packs, and order on a Monday.

 

[RobberyinCSharp]

I wish that winter hadn't claimed the northern USA or I'd send you some of mine. I have plenty! But honestly, the batch I originally got came from a vendor on ebay. I paid for 3 of them and he sent me 9, so a good deal. And that was in January, when it was below zero here. Just google them, look for the closest place and make sure they use heat packs, and order on a Monday.

Wow that is so nice of you to offer! I'll definitely look on eBay. There is also one lfs that has over 100 tanks and over 50 species of fish and then some, so maaaaaybe I would have luck with them! Doing a good 'ol fashioned water change seems to be helping. Got some of them out on lettuce and now I'm down to 3 or 4 snails (that I can see). Let's hope for no more!