Snails In Tank

[Shaun]

Hi,

My newist tank (22g) is in the 8th day of a fishless cycle and recently i have seen some tiny snails in the tank. All that is present in the tank is a sand substrate, 3 live plants and a large piece of bogwood. i just want to know how they got there in the first place and how do i get rid of them? I thought it may have been from the plants but in my other tank i have exsactly the same plants but never seen any snails before.

Many thanks,

Shaun

 

[erk628]

Hi,

My newist tank (22g) is in the 8th day of a fishless cycle and recently i have seen some tiny snails in the tank. All that is present in the tank is a sand substrate, 3 live plants and a large piece of bogwood. i just want to know how they got there in the first place and how do i get rid of them? I thought it may have been from the plants but in my other tank i have exsactly the same plants but never seen any snails before.

Many thanks,

Shaun

Well seeing how they don't just magically appear, I would say they came from the plants. In your other tank is there fish if so then if there were snails they have probaly been eating thats why you didn't see them. Getting rid of them you could try netting them or seeing if there is a chemical that will kill them seeing how theres no fish in there yet.

 

[Shaun]

Thanks for the reply, the other tank is stocked so maybe they are just eating them. im netting out all the ones i see but every time i look again another 2-3 appear. Il have a look for a chemical (if there is one) that kills snails.

Thanks again,

Shaun

 

[Torrean]

are you sure you want to get rid of them? I have "pest" snails in all of my tanks and I love the little guys. At first I was dead set against them but now I don't mind them at all. Hmm one concern is that they might eat your live plants though. Well anyway one benefit of having pest snails is that they help yoiu figure out how much to feed. If you've got lotsa snails then your overfeeding, just a few snails and it's just right.

You can try a few different things to get rid of them.

1. the lettuce trick. Put a piece of lettuce in the tank turn off the lights and wait a little while. when you come back many of the snails should be on the lettuce. Just throw away the lettuce and put in a new piece repeating until no snails return.

2. algae tab and a cup. Put an algae tab in a coffee mug right side up in your tank, then repeat the process from option one.

3. snail traps. They sell snail traps in LFS.

4. hadasnail. This is the chemical option. As said above since you have no fish in the tank it won't really matter that you'll have all those rotting snails in your tank. It'll just contribute to your ammonia for the fishless cycle.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

 

[ECCO_]

Eany pics?
And just a thought you should keep a couple for awhile and see how long they live and how big they get....

 

[Shaun]

OK thanks for the replys, cant get any pics there too small atm. I just thought that when its finished the fishless cycle, although i have got to do a large water change there will be some snails still in the tank and i didnt know if they would harm the fish?

Thanks.

 

[SuperColey1]

If you're planting they really are a pest, and there are 2 options really.

1 - Flubenol (someone on this forums sells it or at least advertises/advocates its use)

2 depending on the size of tank you have loaches feed on the snails.
I like Queen/Bengal Loaches (Botia Dario)

If you have a larger tank 300Ltr at least+more if poss then you can get clown loaches

Best to keep loaches in groups of 6

There are more knowledgable people on here but I prefer the natural feeder for the loaches (+supplimental food of course)

 

[Shaun]

ok then thanks for the reply

 

[Loko17]

I dont see why everyone is always so dead set on killing snails from the tank. If they're so small they came on plants its most likely they are Malaysian Trumpet Snails. IMO they are good to have in a tank because they dont eat plants, they clean algae and some fish have them as a food source. Puffers for instance love snails so having a good snail population in a tank could be good because if you have a puffer in another tank it can be food. What I would do if you dont want snails is when you are stocking your tank, get a fish that eats snails like puffers and loaches. Dont use chemicals, they might work but it pretty much cancels out your cycling cause you have to do complete cleanings and stuff.

 

[Underwurlde]

Snails Snails Snails...... poxy Snails......

Anyway, hi.

You've probably got some of these:
Physa Fontinalis or Physa Acuta (Common names: Pond Snail, Aquarium Snail, Plant Snail, Bladder / Tadpole / Pouch Snails - Family Physidae") and 100% sure they hitched a ride on one of those plants into your tank. Go back to the shop you got those plants from and tank a good look at the holding tank - crawling with them I bet. Personally I'd then complain!

See here to ID any snails:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=75554

Why I consider unwanted snails, pest snails...They breed exponentially (usually 20-30 eggs to a clutch, 90% of which will mature, Each adult may lay 50 to100 eggs weekly for up to a year). As a result they will suck the life from the tank and kill most of the inhabitants. They are also dirty and will foul up the substrate, eat plants. They are carries of worms aka the intestinal worm parasite: Echinostoma Cinetorchis. Infection results in gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea. These snails should be removed on sight!

Do NOT crush them when in the tank as this may release any eggs.

The good news - is that you have no fish or more imporantly shrimp or 'pet' snails in your tank. This means that getting rid of the snails is a HELL of a lot easier. Since you have no fish, this means that your filter will be dead. i.e. no bacteria in it (because there is no ammonia because there is no fish).

HENCE IF and I stress 'IF' you are NOT currently cycling that tank (i.e. by manually adding pure ammonia, i.e. fishless cycling) then this will kill ALL snails AND their eggs. Dead. Goodbye snails: A 10 minute bath in 10mL per Gallon of Potassium Permanganate will kill everything, bacterial & snails alike. Get Potassium Permanganate from: http/www.gardendirect.co.uk 10 mins should be enough and your plants should be OK. Once done, do a series of 100% water changes though!

--------------------

I do not advocate using copper based chemical solutions (because of the copper - it's a pollutant).
I am currently experimenting with Flubenol 15 (which does NOT contain copper) - seems to be working but needs a 4 week course because I don't think it kills the snail eggs.
All other approaches just do not seem to work or are practical.

---------------------

GL

Andy

 

[Shaun]

Ok thanks for your replys. Just had a look at the link you sent Andy, and from all the ones there they appear to be mostly 'Ramshorn Snails' but i have seen one that looks very similar to a 'Pouch Snail'. The tank is currently 9 days into a fishless cycle so i was wondering if the large water change i will do at the end would get rid of them and also if i took the 2 plants out and maybe buy the new ones from somewhere different?

Thanks again for your help

Shaun

P.s Is there anywhere online where i could buy my plants from instead of my LFS that you would recommend?

 

[SuperColey1]

Wherever you get your plants from you risk snail contamination unless you sterilise the plant in bleach before putting them into your tank. SEE THE MANY NOTICES ON THIS IN THE PLANTED SECTION FIRST AS THIS CAN REALLY HARM YOUR FISH EVNE IF YOU DONT PUT THEM IN FOR A FEW WEEKS.

taking the plants out wont help. water changes will only minimise if you are hanpicking them out as you see them whilst changing water (and more importantly cleaning underneath bogwood etc.)

Loaches or as Andy Underworlde says Flubenol/ per***pog***whatsit, but not anti snail. I think these meds should be called anti 1individual snail, cos they never seem to work.

As to the trumpet snail .********u on about. Most the snails that come off plants are the common pond snail due to the fact that they were in the water they use inside and out for their fish + most of the plants are kept in 1 heated pond before going into show areas. correct me if im wrong but I'd be selling them on ebay of they were trumpets as live food.

next I'll be getting infested with apples snails for free as well.

 

[Shaun]

Ok im going on what they look like from the link that andy gave me, but if you think there not then there not.

 

[SuperColey1]

no probs what you have ID them as. youre the only one who can see them. its the chappie who sais 'if they came in from the plants they're most probably malaysian trumpet snails'

I've had snail infestations off plants loads but they've never been trumpet snails. I'd love something more exotic than the common pond rubbish I get lol. hopefully next time a hidden fish or two. lol that'd be nice.

Good luck with them. and even though I think he was wrong on the snail type, he is right may as well use them for food. but loaches are much better in a community tank, whereas puffers are better on their own/ (Evil killer fish they are)

 

[Anamagus]

I have learned that if you raise your water line all the way to the very top it stops them from breeding ( I also use the cichlid treatment for all unwanted visitors!)