Snails from nowhere + a mystery ??

[Davey Boy]

My tank is now 5 weeks old and the neon tet's are doing well, so's the flying fox.

I bought some additional plants recently, a week or so later I saw a miniature snail with a gold coloured shell...then another...and another.

I now have 4 getting bigger all the time. Is it possible these came in on the plants ?

I also have an unidentified creature. It's about 3 mm with a cornet shaped rear end, possibly a shell ? Under my magnifying glass I can see these chaps cleaning the side of the tank !

Any thoughts ?

Cheers

Daveyboy

 

[Arfie]

Hi Davey Boy,

Yes it is highly likely that the snails came in on your plants and they sound like ramshorn snails like these.

Good points:

• They will clean the algae from your tank
• They will eat any uneaten food from the bottom of your tank

Bad points:

• They may breed like crazy, this will only happen if there is food in abundance, so ensure you do not overfeed your fish.
• They may eat or damage your plants.

The cornet shaped critters sound like trumpet snail like this one

Arfie

 

[Jen]

At my LFS you can see the snails crawling on the plants in the plant tanks. I always wash the plant throughly before putting them in my tank... I have Seymore my apple snail, and that's the only 1 I do want.

 

[Davey Boy]

Thanks folks.

Are those pics lifesize ?

WOW !

I'll remember to wash the plants BEFORE in future. I feel a snail cull may now be required.

Cheers

Davey

 

[Jen]

The trumptes are not life size. they are very small... sometimes lost in gravel. I think the ramshorn one stays pretty small too.

 

[FrAnK3333]

Yep they come on the plants. But I have none, loaches and betta took care of it. They do breed like crazy, just give it time and you will have hundreds.