Sick of snails...

bmiller9735

AC Members
Aug 6, 2011
14
0
0
49
East Texas
Real Name
Brandi
I ve got a question, is there any way to get rid of snails in a highly planted tank with cherry shrimp? I ordered some live plants from someone on aquabid and they must have been covered in snail eggs. I was guaranteed no snails. Well, I have more snails than fish. On one tank (no invertebrates) I used "had a snail" and overnight all my baby platies and my russian red lace males had died. I carefully measured out the dosage so I'm very concerned about what to do. If anyone has any suggestions I would be happy to hear from them.
Thanks,
Brandi
 
I have found the best way, in my unplanted tank, to deal with snails has been food restriction. I inherited my tank from work, where it was overrun by snails- and the fish were over fed. Once I brought them home, I became very careful about how much I fed them. Once a day, a small pinch (I had 6 fish at that point in time) and within weeks the snails were still there, but in MUCH smaller quantities.

Not sure if this will work in a planted tank, but worth a try to cut back the feeding for a bit.

~Katy
 
The best solution I have found is to get some more snails. I put a couple assassin snails in one of my tanks a while back and they have greatly reduced the "pest" snail population.
 
All reports I have seen say they don't touch healthy shrimp. I am throwing some in with my yellows and greens within the next week and will be keeping an eye on it.
 
I have always been able to control them with reduced feeding but I have seen the the bait and remove method works too . Put a roman lettuce leaf in the tank at night and early the next morning (before lights on or the room is filled with light) remove the leaf and it should be covered in snails. Assassin snails do work but I hate adding a critter to remove a critter, unless you actually like assassin snails (which I do!).
 
Echo, echo, echo.

I'm coming in to echo the other comments and lend my own anecdotal evidence & suggestions to the mix.

A) Eliminate & reduce the snails' food source(s). Starve the suckers out. Reduce feeding of the fish so that there's no extra food for the snails and less food that's being metabolized into nutrients that fuel algae growth (which the snails also eat). For awhile, you may try reducing the amount and/or duration of light on the tank. Your goal is to provide enough light for the plants you want in your tank, but as little as possible to reduce algae growth.

B) Trap'em. Catch as many snails as you can by hand. You can lure them with veggies like squash or algae wafers, then when they amass to feed, scoop them out. Or just whenever you walk over to the tank, pull a few snails out. Finally, if you see the eggs, scrape them off the glass, decorations, and plants.

C) Assassin snails, assassin snails, assassin snails. Yes, it's more snails, but holy crap do they work. And the best part is, they don't reproduce as fast as "pest" snails, so it's unlikely that you'd ever have a population explosion. In my tanks, a pair can usually consume on average 1 pest snail per day. Doesn't sound like much, but believe me, before long, you'll have no pest snails. Also, in my experience, they do not harm fry, nor do they harm shrimp (including cherry shrimp). Literally, the only creatures that need to worry are other snails.
 
The best solution I have found is to get some more snails. I put a couple assassin snails in one of my tanks a while back and they have greatly reduced the "pest" snail population.
If your tank is large enough, and you like them enough, a group of loaches, such as clowns (can get to be about 6 inches, and need schools, so must be in a pretty sizable tank) can do quite a number on a pest snail infestation, and they're pretty cool fish in their own right. Other types of loaches are snail eaters, too, but not all of them, so you can research some kinds you like, and see if they're compatible with your tank set up.
 
Onions and butter, lightly sauteed.

But seriously, if we're talking pond snails, I've found that limiting the feeding helps a lot, and keeps the tank cleaner. If they do get a little populous, I crush them against the glass as a treat for the fish. Kinda sad, but circle of life, etc.
 
AquariaCentral.com