Unwelcome Guests (Snails)

[mark4785]

If I was to place lettuce in the tank how exactly would the snails get to it since they can't swim? Would I have to attach a part of the lettuce to the glass or another surface which the snails use? If so, how do I do that? lol

 

[the_lock_man]

I've got exactly the same problem with Ramshorn snails. I get them with a turkey baster then squeeze it into a nylon sieve so I don't waste the tank water. I then flush 'em down the loo - I'm worried now in case I cause some sort of plague doing that .

My LFS will be getting some Assassin snails in soon but I've read that they breed like mad too so not sure what to do. Can anyone confirm this please?

They will breed, but not as quickly as pest snails. Obviously, the fewer you get, the less likely you are to have a pair - they need a male and a female to breed, they aren't hermaphrodites.

 

[mbsqw1d]

+1 for assassin snails!! i got two and havent seen a pond snail since, in fact i wouldnt mind a few 'pest' snails to feed my two assassins, im sure theyre fine with the food they have now but would be nice for them.

Assassins arent hermepherodites either so youd have to get at least two - male and female for them to spawn unlike pest snails which spawn like mad!

a constant snail infestation is a sign of over feeding. theyre actually quite good to have around, they dont eat healthy plants and will eat any left over food and help to turn your sand over - just keep their numbers down by controlling how much you feed your fish

 

[mbsqw1d]

If I was to place lettuce in the tank how exactly would the snails get to it since they can't swim? Would I have to attach a part of the lettuce to the glass or another surface which the snails use? If so, how do I do that? lol

mark, if you find a clean jar or some similar open top small container and place the salad leaf (not a fresh salad leaf, a slighty gone off one is best!) in the container with a small stone on it to weigh it down. place the jar/container in your tank and wait untill morning - you should hopefully find the leaf to be full of pest snails and then you can just lift the container with leaf and snails out!

 

[Aqua Tom]

I have 3 assassin snails & am yet to see any pest type snails.

The assassin snails look quite nice anyway so are a welcome addition.

 

[kiriyama]

Most snail treatments contain a lot of copper traces to kill them, don't know if this effects fish and plants
A snail infestation can be caused by overfeeding, extra food in the tank can be extra food for the snails.
Try weighing a piece of lettuce down with a stone just after lights out, you will be amazed how many are on there in the morning waiting to be removed
They can last a long time, I stripped a small 48ltr tank ages ago, I wet it back up today and actually found a couple of small pouch snails in there
Assassin snails do an excellent job, I had way to many MTS in a tank ages ago, very guilty of overfeeding it was very very unsightly, I added a small group of Assassin Snails and they wiped them out, when I put them in the tank you could actually see the MTS climbing the glass , it's as if they knew the Assassins were in there.

I have some for sale if anyone reading this is interested, PM me

 

[mattshez]

do apple snails work?

 

[Inchworm]

do apple snails work?

I've heard they do help by eating the eggs of the pest snails but I haven't tried this myself. Since they deposit their own eggs above the waterline, you can remove them if you don't want to raise them.

Personally, I like the assassin snails. They are small and attractive snails and while they might not eliminate the problem entirely, they can keep the pest snails under control. As far as them reproducing too much, I wish mine would but they don't seem to want to cooperate. Here's a picture.

If you put lettuce or other vegetables in the tank, you are feeding the very snails you want to get rid of. I've seen this happening in the tanks that I have bristlenose plecos in. These tanks have zucchini in them and there are times that the snails come out of the sand and cover it. The assassin snails are the best method of snail control that I've found short of taking the tanks apart and replacing the sand or gravel.

 

[hillbilly]

I've heard they do help by eating the eggs of the pest snails but I haven't tried this myself. Since they deposit their own eggs above the waterline, you can remove them if you don't want to raise them.

The OP hasn't said what type of snail they are, but if they are MTS then they are livebearers so no eggs to eat!

 

[redbug]

I had a real bad snail problem they were all over my 150 gallon tank.
I didnt want to use chemicals so I purchased snail eating loaches
they did the trick and had the snails gone in a couple of weeks.

 

[mark4785]

I've heard they do help by eating the eggs of the pest snails but I haven't tried this myself. Since they deposit their own eggs above the waterline, you can remove them if you don't want to raise them.

The OP hasn't said what type of snail they are, but if they are MTS then they are livebearers so no eggs to eat!

I will try and get a picture of them ASAP.

 

[mark4785]

I will find time to post a picture of the snails very soon. I've been quite preoccupied lately with college. I've been continuing to remove the snails by scraping them under my finger nails and I'm finding that there are now less of them appearing on the glass.

I may get around to placing some lettuce in the tank as suggested, but can it start to decompose quickly?

 

[mbsqw1d]

I may get around to placing some lettuce in the tank as suggested, but can it start to decompose quickly?

you'll only need it in over night, so like, 8 hours or so? Blanch it first to ensure any bad stuff doesnt go in your tank!

I would have guessed they are Planorbidae (ramshorn): flat spiral shell and/or Lymnaeidae very common pond snail / 'pest snail'.

I really do recommend an assassin snail or two. They will clear out the other snails in days! They also help to turn over your sand/gravel which helps to stop pockets of waste build-up and introduces fresh oxygenated water.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I can't wait until it warms up enough to order some assassins!

 

[mark4785]

Here's a picture of the type of snail infesting my tank, oh and the green-dust algae that I'm trying to get rid of (discussed in another topic).

I don't want to introduce assassin snails unfortunately unless I can incorporate them to get rid of the problem-snails and then take them back from where I got them.