Snails, Good Or Evil?

[ebo100]

I've just started re-scaping my tank and ordered an 80 plant collection from Plants Alive. Should I be quarantine the plants in a second tank before introducing them to the large tank to avoid/reduce snail infestation?

 

[LankyLettuce]

I've also seen a lot of tiny white dandruff type stuff floating and sitting in my tank! Does this have anything to do with the snails?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I've also seen a lot of tiny white dandruff type stuff floating and sitting in my tank! Does this have anything to do with the snails?

Hard to say without pics but snail eggs look like white pin heads and they will be encased in what look a jelly blob

 

[LankyLettuce]

I'll try to take a picture but bit sure I have a good enough camera I've seen the snail eggs, they were in a cluster on the tank glass in a jelly blob but this stuff is floating around too!

 

[AnimalHouse36]

I bought a few assassin snails on ebay when my tank was overrun. All of them lived, and I din't use overnight shipping. Just do a quick search on ebay, it should come up with some sellers!

 

[LankyLettuce]

Yea I just bought two off eBay for £6!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

If you put salt on snails, it kills them.

 

[LankyLettuce]

In the tank?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

In the tank?

I would not add salt, salt will kill garden snails, and Aquarium Salt is very useful in aquariums and ponds. Small snails that infest aquariums can tolerate a high concentration of Aquarium Salt. So Aquarium Salt is not going to help you get rid of your snails.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

These snails are neither good nor evil. They are just kind of there. If their numbers go up, they can indicate over feeding. If their numbers stay down, they indicate that feeding is just right.


As a side note, my BN plec has drastically cut down on my snail numbers. I used to suck about 10 out of my tank every week during a regular water change and I would actually see little egg pouches around here and there. Since I've introduced the BN (and a dwarf gourami) I've not seen nearly as many snails (maybe one or two when I really search) and never see egg pouches. I have read that BNs will eat tiny invertebrates... which the pest snail egg pouches would qualify as.