Eradicating bladder snails

[kyryah]

Here is my plan...

I currently have a ten gallon invert tank that is heavily planted, and I want to upgrade to a 20 gallon, and switch from a gravel/river rock substrate to sand.

My idea is to aquire the 20 gallon, get it set up and cycled with the sand substrate, but no plants. I have plenty of guppies that I can use to do a fishy cycle and then re-acclimate back to my other tank.

Once the tank is cycled, I want to begin removing one plant at a time from the old ten gallon, dip/soak it in a solution to remove the bladder snails (checking carefully for my other inverts first, or course) and then transplant to the new tank. Once I have the new tank about 50% planted I will begin transporting my Briggs, shrimp, and other snails to the new tank, continuing to dip the remaining plants one at a time and transplant to the new tank.

Once I begin to transfer the inverts I can remove the guppies.

Does this sound like a feasible plan? What do I use to dip/soak the plants to eradicate both the living snails and the eggs? How do I then clean the solution off of the plants so that it is not transferred to my tank, harming my wanted inverts?

Please, I do not want a discussion on how this might be cruel to the poor little pond snails. I have mailed out over 300 snails to people that actually wanted them this week and still have a TON of them. They need to go, I have other inverts that I want to focus on.

Thanks,
Kristina

 

[Wycco]

Would putting the plants in regular chlorinated tap water for a week work?

Plants can tolerate chlorine- snails can't.

 

[kyryah]

That might work for the living snails, but not so sure about the eggs...

Kristina

 

[jmhart]

Your plan has one minor issue. You have to see every single snail and remove it. And when it comes to bladder snails, sometimes they're so small they are easy to miss.

I haven't used assassin snails, but it's on my to do list. I hear they'll wipe out a 10g tank in a month or so. You could remove all the snails you want to keep into another tank, and then add assassins to the tank with all the bladder snails. But, I guess that means you don't get to plant the new tank for a while.......failure of my plan.


Of course, you can just follow your plan, and then just keep an eye of constant vigilance out over the new tank and crush any you see the were stow-aways.

 

[kyryah]

So, there is nothing than I can dip the plants in that will kill the bladder snails and the eggs? That was more my plan than picking them off... I have been doing that and it isn't working, lol.

Kristina

 

[Wycco]

You could remove all the snails you want to keep into another tank, and then add assassins to the tank with all the bladder snails.

From what I read Assassins will only attack snails that are "worthwhile" to them- preferring snails 50% of their size or bigger. Elsewise they'll eat fish food, algae, and all the normal things snails eat.

If that's true- you'd need a breeding pair of assassins so that the young will kill off the smaller bladders. (goodness knows how long that will take).



How long do bladder eggs take to hatch? (is hatch the right word for snails?)

Could you leave the plants in chlorinated water for that length of time- plus a "safety-cushion" period?

That's not an immediate solution either... without using chemicals there might not be an immediate solution. You can buy snail killing chemicals if you want to take that route- not sure if they work on eggs or if you need to reapply after a couple weeks... I know you have a lot of inverts- so you may not want that stuff in your house.

If you do get snail-killer- treat the plants seperately from your main tank or you'll end up with a bunch of dead snails rotting in your tank.

One product is "Had-a-snail".

 

[coach_z]

i think i have read that a potassium permegate(sp) dip will take care of snails, eggs, and just about everything else...check up on that stuff

-chirs

 

[Hollygirl]

When I trim my planted tanks, I routinely keep cuttings in water to which no Prime has been added. Even after rinsing the cuttings in tap water I still get bladder snails. However, if I rinse these cuttings every couple of days and change the water, I eventually have snail free cuttings. The process takes a couple of weeks.

To help cycle your tank you could use media from your existing filters. You could also run one of those sponge type filters that operate from an air pump in an existing tank and then add it to the new tank. That's how I cycled my shrimp tank. It will speed up the cycle and spare your guppies.

 

[Wycco]

BTW... not normally a pessimist... BUT...


It's probably inevitable the bladders will make their way over to the new tank eventually anyway. If you have them in one tank- eventually they'll migrate over.

Relocating one specimen from one tank to another and it makes it's way over. Moving equipment- maybe just temporarily. A microscopic snail- floating in the water from a new pet just purchased- or in the water of a quarantine tank. Perhaps stuck on "seeded filters" from an existing tank when cycling.

Maybe even a tiny bladder stuck to a net and dropped in the new tank by accident. You can keep them out of the tank for a while- but they'll always find a way there. They'll catch you with your guard down one day... it only takes one.

 

[Deanthoreu]

well aquarisol ich treatment will wipe out snails......
or any copper based medicinal treatment will get rid of the snails..so since you are not treating a tank that has fish in it but using as a dip......for the plants i would toss the plants in a lighted bucket with air hose...for a week..and use a cooper based medicine......and then rinse off the plants in another bucker with dechlorinated water..prior to putting them in the new tank....


or, supposedly (i have heard this rumor) elodea/anacharis has some sort of something and snails dont grow in tanks with it..i am still trying to check that out..because i have a tank that has been infested with snails....and dont tell me loaches eat them cause it is the loach tank