Snails In My 10 Gallon

[sic0198]

I'm infested with little snails. How can I best get rid of them? Dwarf Loaches are not sold around here (perhaps I can order one) so for the time being a fish is not an option, other than a new fish what can I do?

 

[Mikaila31]

You could try the cucumber method, or you could try a copper based medication.

 

[Inchworm]

You could try the cucumber method, or you could try a copper based medication.

No!!! Whatever you do, don't use any product to kill them all at once. The last thing you need is a lot of dead and decaying snails in your tank.

An excess of snails is usually caused by overfeeding. Try feeding your fish a little less so there is nothing left for the snails and their population explosion will gradually slow down and stop. During that time, try reducing their numbers by adding a slice of cucumber, zucchini, or lettuce in the evening and leaving it in the tank overnight. It will attract snails which can then be lifted out in the morning. Also be sure to clean away any patches of snail eggs you see on the glass or on other places in the tank.

 

[jennybugs]

Agreed...the cucumber method usually works well, just keep repeating til you get the majority of the blighters. Also have a rethink on how much you're feeding your fish...a snail explosion can occur if you're overfeeding

 

[ShoC]

Cucumber method is useless if you want to have rid of them.
Copper treatment is a BIG no no.

Best method to have rid of snails Permanently is to use a flubenol based product.
i.e Flubenol 15 or Discus wormer.
use it as a treatment over a month or so and it will slowly starve them.
but wont kill the eggs so have to keep treating untill all eggs hatch then starve etc...

ofcourse treating them will cause Ammonia spike when they decay.

NEVER USE COPPER

if you want more information about flubenol Ask Underwurlde he knows alot about it.

I have used discus wormer from Aqua essentials with great sucess 90% are gone and a few remain.

p.s To all if the poster has Lake limpets about 1-5mm snails then cucumber is totally pointless (I tried)

 

[sic0198]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give the cucumber trick a try/

Can I use discus wormer from Aqua Essentials in my 10 gallon, safely. My stock in it is 2 dwarf gouramis (a male and a female, 2 smal cories (pandas I think, they'te little) 3 scissortails and 1 endler.

 

[NickT24]

How can snails just appear?

 

[catxx]

snails can get shipped in on plants, second hand decor or gravel.

the most proven way isn't instant but is thorough, and thats to pick them out by hand. when i had an invasion of red ramshorns i picked them all out, and studied every inch of the tank every water change (or at least 3 times a week) for the jelly-like egg sacks, these and any tiny babies would get squished and munched by the fish. after a month i was snail free.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Do you have gravel or sand substrate? It can be more difficult to deal with snails on gravel substrates since gravel substrates tend to trap more waste in them and so trap more food for the snails to live off.

 

[severum boy]

Why do you want to get rid of them?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Why do you want to get rid of them?

Snails can sometimes infest tanks, their population becomming uncontrollable, and in large enough numbers they can add a lot to the bioload of the tank and make it look bad.

Usually there's a reason for snail infestations, although sometimes they are just very difficult to get rid of it and seem to increase in numbers no matter what one does.

 

[Inchworm]

Can I use discus wormer from Aqua Essentials in my 10 gallon, safely. My stock in it is 2 dwarf gouramis (a male and a female, 2 smal cories (pandas I think, they'te little) 3 scissortails and 1 endler.

Of course you can. But then you will have a lot of dead snails that will rot in the water, and breed harmful bacteria. Are you prepared to take the tank apart, replace the substrate and try to get your cycle back to normal after such a treatment? If so, why not just do that in the first place instead of needlessly dosing the fish with potentially harmful medication?

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

I heard place a piece of leatuce in the tank. The next morning they will be all over it. Lift up throw away.

 

[Mikaila31]

If the infestation isn't terrible and you want to treat with copper. You will have to remove all the fish from the tank and treat the tank for about a month. This method isn't the best. Any live plants my die, you will probably have a algae problems. And if you gravel is deep enough some snails my be able to survive in it. When you stop treating the snails may come back.

You could also try adding something that competes with the snails like cherry shrimp. Aid the cherries in their multiplying and try to remove as many snails as you can.

 

[sic0198]

What I am gonna do is put a piece of cucumber in the tank overnight.

Then if that doesn't work I'll take my fish out of the tank, take everything out water, gravel andplants. Clean my filter out, and rebuy plants, gravel and put new water in. It'll have to recycle but I'll be snail-less.