Help! Unwanted rapidly growing Snail population

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barbaraa

Registered Member
Sep 29, 2006
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Sunny California
Hello,

I really need some advise, I started my 10 gallon fish tank with a couple of
guppies and a mollie, plus two snails that appear aout of nowhere (I am guessing from Plants' pots).

The fish seem to be doing great, the problem is that now I have 100s of snails in the tank.
My concern is, will the snails at some point become a threat to the tank? if
yes, what will be the best solution to get rid of them?
Also ,I have noticed that is getting harder to maitain at a good balance nitrite and ammonia levels, is this due to so many snails or is it just my keeping of the tank?

Any advise will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks, Barbara
 
Some snails are really dirty. So if you keep a ton of them in the tank, then yes they could potentially make it so you'd have to change the water a bunch to keep the ammonia down.

Loaches are a great natural way to get rid of snails. The yoyo loach has a big appetite and loves to eat snails.

If you don't want another fish in the tank, then you could use a liquid snail killer. I prefer the natural way myself, but some people don't have the space.

No matter what you choose, good luck!
 
JulieC said:
Some snails are really dirty. So if you keep a ton of them in the tank, then yes they could potentially make it so you'd have to change the water a bunch to keep the ammonia down.

Loaches are a great natural way to get rid of snails. The yoyo loach has a big appetite and loves to eat snails.

If you don't want another fish in the tank, then you could use a liquid snail killer. I prefer the natural way myself, but some people don't have the space.

No matter what you choose, good luck!
Click to expand...


Loaches should never be purchased as a means of snail control! Yoyo loaches get way too big to keep in a 10 gallon aquarium! You should also never use chemicals to remove snails. These chemicals are toxic and can harm plants and kill the bacteria in your tank. Pond snail do not really cause much harm and can be quite an enjoyable addition to your aquarium. If you really have to get them out put a piece of cucumber in there at night and when they are all over it pull it out and dispose of them properly.
 
I was using the yoyo loach as an example. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that. I was not recommending it for your tank. I can see how my post was confusing. Sorry.

Secondly, it is my opinion that the snails are causing barbaraa's tank to have an unstable ammonia level because they are dirty and there are a million of them. Do you recommend keeping hundreds of snails in a 10 gallon, homer? I agree that a couple are cool to watch. But hundreds send the water parameters out of whack.

Thirdly, loaches eat snails in the wild. Why not allow them to do so in a tank? I am confused, homer, why you say that they should never be used. Is it because you think it is cruel to the snails to be eaten? I am just curious. I have never heard anyone say that loaches are bad for getting rid of snails--actually that statement is the opposite to what I've been told which is why I am curious about your opinion.

Lastly, I agree that chemicals are bad for your tank, but I was mentioning all of the options for getting rid of snails. I even stated that I prefer the loach route and not the chemical route. I suppose I should preface my posts from now on to prevent confusion.

However, cucumbers are a good fishless way of getting rid of the snails. I had not thought about that one. Good catch, homer.
 
Also exploding snail populations are a good indication of overfeeding. Cut back on the feeding and your snail population will come under control.
 
That is a good point sarcare. Julie C I have had 100's of pond snails in my 10 gallon with no ill effects. If they have caused a mini cycle, water changes can be done till the bacteria can catch up. As sarcare suggested if you do not over feed the water levels should be fine as the snail population will remain stable. There are two reason I suggest not purchasing loaches as a means of snails control. The first is that most loaches should be kept in groups in larger aquariums. Second is that the loaches will kill off the snails really fast and can cause a massive nitrate spike that could kill everything in the tank. The cucumber option is the best way to remove them, but I say keep them.
 
i have tons of pest snails in my tank and i dont have room for a loach , ive tried the cucumber but theres just too many snails i get about 10 out using the cucumber is there any other solution?
 
Keep up with the cucumber approach. You could even try using a rubberband to secure a piece of lettuce to a rock and put that in the tank. Leave it over night and then dispose of it and the snails (preferably in a garbage disposal unit...take the rock off first). Just keep picking them off this way. Also, remove any others you see by hand. But, before any of this, cut down on your feeding. Your fish should only need a pinch or so of food every 3 days. That's it. Do that and keep removing snails and, eventually, their numbers will go way down.
 
JulieC, HD3, Sarcare, and Ghostshrimp55 thank you so much for your advise!!! I really appreaciated!
I will let you know of the outcome once I apply some of your suggestions in my tank. I have great expectations that it will really work.

SaltyOpepper Good Luck to you too!!!
Barbaraa
 
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