I have a 20 high gallon tank. I have 3 zebra danio, 1 female and 1 male dwarf gourami. Now the problem is is that one day i noticed this black dot on the side of my tank. I looked closely at it and it was a snail and i dident put it in there. Im guessing it was atached to one of the plants i bought froms jacks. Now everyday i keep on see snails on the side of my tank and i flush them down the toilet but they keep on apparing. What should i do to get rid of every last snail.
snails from outer space
- Thread starter gilliginboy
- Start date
A good way to get rid of them is to put in a veggie once a day, like a piece of lettuce, and take it out and throw it away every morning. The snails will all congregate on the lettuce and you'll eventually get rid of them all. This is the best way to do it if you don't opt for chemicals. If you do go for chemicals, make sure it is one that won't hurt your plants or fish (and don't go with salt, obviously he was kidding. 
)
Also, the population of snails in your tank is directly proportional to the food they are getting. Be sure not to overfeed your fish... but with plants they can probably find enough to eat whether you are offering them snacks or not.
)Also, the population of snails in your tank is directly proportional to the food they are getting. Be sure not to overfeed your fish... but with plants they can probably find enough to eat whether you are offering them snacks or not.
Be careful with any chemicals you use, if you choose to, to get rid of snails. They are hard on fish.
Why are you so eager to get rid of the snails? Snails won't hurt healthy plants (at least not the snails that hitch a ride on store-bought plants -- usually pond snails), nor will they harm the fish. As long as you don't overfeed and you keep the gravel well-vacuumed, their population won't explode.
They will do you favors by munching on algae and dead plant matter. And they are another interesting layer of life in the aquarium.
Take good care of your tank, and the snails will take care of themselves. They get such a bum rap, but they are not so bad.
They will do you favors by munching on algae and dead plant matter. And they are another interesting layer of life in the aquarium.
Take good care of your tank, and the snails will take care of themselves. They get such a bum rap, but they are not so bad.
First of all, Here is an article that will help you with the snails, control elimination , whatever your goal. It also clears up myths concerning snails. I would avoid chemicals. That is covered in the article as well. And I would definately avoid the salt. I would imagine if the salt was high enough to kill a snail it would kill the fish as well. My snails have been through ich treatment at 2 tsp per gallon, and didn't seem to mind.
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/snail.shtml
Next, I would agree with TPIRman wholeheartedly. I really like snails in my tanks, and probably won't have another tank without them unless My fish eat them all. They do a lot of cleaning, the population stays small in a clean tank, and if the population explodes, it is a good indicator of a problem with feeding/ maintenance. They eat the algea off of my plants. and they are a good source of treats for some of my fish. I currently have pond snails, common Ramshorns, and MTS's. All of which are interesting and helpfull.
Dave
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/snail.shtml
Next, I would agree with TPIRman wholeheartedly. I really like snails in my tanks, and probably won't have another tank without them unless My fish eat them all. They do a lot of cleaning, the population stays small in a clean tank, and if the population explodes, it is a good indicator of a problem with feeding/ maintenance. They eat the algea off of my plants. and they are a good source of treats for some of my fish. I currently have pond snails, common Ramshorns, and MTS's. All of which are interesting and helpfull.
Dave