Snails Invading

[Terry Quinn]

Does anyone know how to get rid of plant snails from an aquarium with fresh water and guppies??? I have the product "HadaSnail" and so far, it seems useless. HELP! Thanks!

[moose1960]

As you see them pick them out.

[Terry Quinn]

Yup, been doing that, but they keep hatching.

[TrashmanTodd]

put a piece of lettuce in there and pull it out the next morning.
It will be covered with them.

Todd

[Cichlid Woman]

Yes, I tried that too; but if you're really overrun, that won't do it. Best solution: get a clown loach or a few ghost shrimp (they eat snails).

I don't think I trust chemicals for treating snail infestation...

-- Pat

[Terry Quinn]

ok I will try the Lettuce. WHat is a Clown Loach? Is is a fresh water fish? Can it live with Guppies? I thought it was a salt water fish that was red and white.

[Cichlid Woman]

No, but I know the one you mean. There's a saltwater fish that looks like a clown loach, but it has white bars instead of black, right? A clown loach is orange with vertical black wedges. (It gets big, though ... but a lot of fun to have in the tank.) Clowns like to be in groups of at least three. Is your tank big enough?

-- Pat

[Terry Quinn]

NO I have a 10 gallon with currently 9 guppies and a bottom feeder and a mini frog. I am going to try the lettuce though. I will investigate the clown loach. Once I get these snails out, I will NEVER buy a plant snail again. lol

[RTR]

http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/snail.shtml

[heat]

A few things can be done together to reduce the snail population.

Hand picking them out daily.

Do the large leaf of lettuce every few days as the smaller snails grow larger you will pull more out.

And.. reduce feeding. Usualy when you are over run with snails it's not just due to plants etc.. they are in there thriving on something. That something, more times than not, tends to be left over food that will lay rotting on the tank bottom.

If you do all three of these things the population will dwindle.
Just my thing... but some snails are not a bad thing.. they do in a way act as a "clean up crew" and I've never seen damage to the plants from this common pond snail.

There's really no quick fix for snail removal (including chemicals which could lead you into other problems in the tank).. all these three things together will reduce the population greatly.

As for the clown loach? The clowns are snail eaters and will do a wonderful job... but if you decide to get one.. you should research them completely. They get LARGE, I'm talking 12 inches or better in some instances, and they really do prefer schools. A ten gallon tank is not gonna do it for them.

HTH

[latazyo]

I think you are confusing the clown fish (SW fish) with the clown loach (that thing beside the Aquaria Central logo in the upper left of your screen)

yoyo loaches work good oon tose snails, I am currently infested as well

[1 fish 2 fish]

Speaking of ghost shrimp how big do they get, and to they eat other fish?