What to do with pest snails

[VulcanNinja]

I posted in the snail category, but I figure I would get more response here.

I have some tiny snails that I got from a plant at the LFS. They are starting to multiply, and at last "count" I could see 5 of them, but there may be more of course.

Anyway it was suggested that I remove them. I really don't mind them but I know they reproduce fast.

So...I was thinking instead of just killing them, which I hate to do to any living thing, can I keep them in a little aq, like a little betta box or something? Maybe add a bigger snail and have myself a snail tank?

But perhaps they would soon outgrow it with all the multiplying. Hmm...Well, any suggestions on what I can do with them? Maybe I should take them to a pond or something. It would be cool to keep them though, just for something different.

 

[David]

You could always get fish that feed on snails to keep their population under control...

 

[clutterydrawer]

I have some pest snails in a cookie jar....here's their story...

I wanted to see if I could grow some low maintenance aquatic plants by themselves in a jar, kinda like a houseplant, only with water

it went ok for a bit till algae started appearing...however this was followed by snails which must have come in on the plants as eggs.

I just left it to see what would happen. It seems the snails are eating the algae, and the plants are flourishing.

They must be pretty resilient as the jar is on a south-facing windowsill, I took the temp the other day and it was at 37 but they are all still alive....and it looks pretty. so everyone's happy

 

[luxum]

I have quite a few snails that some people consider "pests" (malaysian trumpets and ramshorns, the pond snails disappeared) but in my experience they are nothing of the sort. They will quickly multiply until their population is appropriate for your tank. If they appear to be "taking over" or "infesting" the tank, it is because too large a food source is being provided to them, either due to overfeeding, overstocking, or an algae problem. To keep their population at reasonable levels, all you have to do is what you ought to be doing anyway - regular water changes, don't overfeed, correct water chemistry problems if you have too much algae. The snails in my tank are valued members of the community, they keep algae off my plants and glass, they eat any food the fish missed, they eat decaying leaves i might have missed and prevent them from causing an ammonia spike, the trumpet snails burrow around in the substrate and keep it aerated, and snails are interesting creatures in their own right. If you enjoy them, let them stay in your tank. I think you'll find they really aren't the huge problem people make them out to be.

 

[VulcanNinja]

Ok I guess they're not as big a problem as everyone makes them out to be. But What about my snail tank idea?

 

[clutterydrawer]

like i said...go for it. mine are surviving without filtration or stable temperature or much food, they'll be the most low-maintenance pets ever. if you jsut keep the "pest" ones that came with the plants. i dunno about teh care of other varieties.

 

[LittlePuff]

I've got 2 snail tanks. I also have puffers. I started liking them, so I added a couple of mystery snails. Fun to watch them eat. Weird little faces.

Kim