Had-A-Snail?

lucky777ca

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Jan 25, 2006
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I found a chemical for removing snails : Had-A-Snail... I was just wondering if it would be safe for using it for an aquarium with plants... I've continually tried to destroy the snails but they just keep coming back. Added a kuhli loach, but doesn't slow the population (I don't even know if it is eating the snails)... Also heard that Aquari-sol is unsafe for snails (including all other invertebrates eg. shrimps, crabs, crayfishes, etc...) but also a preventative for disease when used for fishes... I've boiled every single thing in the aquarium (except for the fishes, of course :S) for 15 minutes each component.
 
what kind of fish do you have, and how big is the tank?
 
Please don't use Had A Snail or Aquari-sol. They are copper solutions and will bond with the tank itself. The tank will never again be safe for inverts of any kind. Hand picking, wiping down the tank walls to get rid of egg clutches, baiting and feeding less will help. You can make a snail trap from a very small disposable container (ziplock makes a 1/4 cup sized one). Put a very a few small holes in the top, put 3 or 4 algae wafers or a pile of shrimp pellets inside. Submerse it in the tank after lights out and come back a few hours later. Pull it out, dump the snails into bleach water and repeat. If you do this often it will really lower your population.
 
had a snail is copper based, which will kill snails... and shrimp and crayfish and can even cause trouble for more sensitive fish. The other thing about copper is that it is very hard to get rid of once you use a product like this. It hangs around in silicone and substrate in quantities that are enough to be unsafe for any invertabrates for a long time.

If you really have a good amount of snails it can be really rough on the rest of the tanks inhabitants after the snails start to decay. You are garanteed an amonia spike, which can be deadly to fish, if you use had a snail.
 
I have 5 Black Phantom Tetras, 5 Neon Tetras, a Kuhli Loach and a Kribensis Cichlid in a 10 G.

Didn't know that the chemicals will be left in the tank. I'm currently treating a 15 Gallon for ICK with aquari-sol... I've been told that it is safe for frys that are one day old.
 
I've been told that it is safe for frys that are one day old.

If the manufacturers told the whole truth about their products they wouldn't be able to sell them now would they?
Copper should only be used in a hospital tank, that will not be used to house animals for any other purpose. Copper is deadly to to inverts as mentioned, and is also deadly to fish with continued exposure. Also as mentioned, continued exposure is difficult or impossible to avoid if you put it in a tank you plan to keep up and running.

As far as snails, If you want to limit the population in instead of removing it. In addition to the already mentioned need to eliminate excess food, leave the largest snails in the tank and remove and kill all the little ones you can. The big snails eat more, and will reproduce less when available food becomes scarce.

As far as your loacch, he can be trained to eat snails if he doesn't currently. Smash the snails and let them fall to the bottom preferably near the loach (If he's scoiable at all) once he gets the taste of snails he'll figure out how to unwrap them himself eventually. But of course once he eats them all, then you will no longer have an indicator of overfeeding in your tank, so you'll want to step up your maintenance to be sure anyhow.

The only type of snail loaches won't irradicate completly is MTS's, but MTS's are seldom seen in the daylight anyhow unless population are really high, and your loach will keep populations in check at the least.
 
There are only one or two that emerge at time now (I've only seen one since this morning). So it's not a problem now but I'm trying to prepare when the time comes that there is an overpopulation of snails again... it might arise... So I'll try training the kuhli loach to eat the snails in a 5 gallon by itself with the lights turned off. Then get some snails and reproduce them in the 5 gallon with a sponge filter and an airstone.
 
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