Snails Invading

As you see them pick them out.

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

Todd

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

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

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