Snails eating fungus?

[icecubez189]

I read somewhere that snails (or some species of snails) like to snack not just on algae and leftover food, but on fungus too! if this is true, i'll be looking for that species of snail because i have sort of a fungus problem in my tank. so far, i found 2 of my tetras dead out of 3 that were infected. the good news is, that 1 tetra has been getting better (cottony fuzz is just about gone from his gills). i've been dosing Pimafix and Melafix over the past week, i guess those 2 were not strong enough to make it through.

after finding the tetras dead, i decided to do a 35% water change and take out my ship ornament to clean the white wispy fuzzy mold off of it. scrubbed it down real good and then put in another container with water and some Pima/Melafix, let it soak for a good hour or two. rinsed it a little bit and placed it back into the tank. amazingly, when i just inspected the tank, i could see some of the fungus coming back! some tough stuff. i will continue to dose the medications and do a water change next week. but if snails could help me, that would be nice to know!

 

[bunlet]

Something died in your tank that you can't find? Something sounds off with your tank. I agree that adding snails will help with cleaning and will eat some fungus. But do you regularly do water changes to your tank?

 

[plah831]

Yes, I agree with bunlet. Regular, thorough cleanings are the best way to go. If it were me, I would NOT let fungus sit there for any reason.

As for Melafix, when I've used the stuff, it leaves the water kinda slimy and thick. Maybe that did something to your tank, like left a coating on it?

 

[icecubez189]

Something died in your tank that you can't find? Something sounds off with your tank. I agree that adding snails will help with cleaning and will eat some fungus. But do you regularly do water changes to your tank?

if you read the post, out of the 3 tetras that were visibly infected, 2 died and 1 is getting better. and yes, i do regular weekly water changes. i just did a bigger one because i didn't want the medicine to keep losing its effect if i did small water changes frequently. i've been dosing Pima/Melafix for a week and a half now, during this time i did 2 PWC. the fungus seems to keep coming back, or doesn't die out completely. i was hopeing the combinaton of medicine would have a quicker and more immediate effect. trust me, i want to get rid of this fungus too.

also, water parameters as of a day ago.

7/11/06

pH - 6.8
ammonia - 0ppm
nitrite - 0ppm
nitrates - 5ppm

 

[plah831]

Oh, sorry I misunderstood. I thought there was fungus growing on the tank, in order for a snail to get to it and have time to eat it.

You ornament you can clean with a dilute bleach solution (at most 1 part bleach to 10 parts water). That should kill anything living on it. Or maybe boil it in water, depending on what it's made out of. I use the bleach method myself. Just rinse really well with clean water after you're done (until the bleach smell is gone). Or you can put the ornament into a bucket of water and dechlorinator. Bleach is a chlorine compound. I say do it in a separate container, because if you put dechlorinator in the tank, it may get rid of your medications. Many will do that, as will activated carbon in your filter.

Your tank parameters sound good, no ammonia, no nitrite, low nitrate. Keep up the good maintenance protocol you have going!

 

[icecubez189]

Oh, sorry I misunderstood. But are you thinking a snail would eat fungus off the fish? I don't get that. So I thought there was fungus growing on the tank, in order for a snail to get to it and have time to eat it.

Your tank parameters sound good, no ammonia, no nitrite, low nitrate. Keep up the good maintenance protocol you have going!

lol, no no no! i mentioned the ship ornament and the fungus growing on it so i could inquire whether or not snails would help with my problems (of getting rid of the fungus). i also said the last tetra is getting better, with the fungus no longer visible on its gills.

i was thinking about getting snails anyways but i wanted to wait until my tank was a little bit more established. but now im curious if the snails will actually eat fungus, and assist me getting rid of it alltogether. i wouldn't mind getting it now.

 

[plah831]

i added stuff to my last post at the last time you wrote this last one. read above ^

no hard feelings. i didn't mean to imply you were doing something wrong. miscommunications are easy on the internet, eh?

but in my opinion, it's definitely better to treat for (on your fish) and kill fungus (in your tank, ornaments) before it's around long enough for a snail to graze on it.

good luck!

 

[icecubez189]

i added stuff to my last post at the last time you wrote this last one. read above ^

no hard feelings. i didn't mean to imply you were doing something wrong. miscommunications are easy on the internet, eh?

but in my opinion, it's definitely better to treat for (on your fish) and kill fungus (in your tank, ornaments) before it's around long enough for a snail to graze on it.

good luck!

i was thinking about the bleach solution (used it to clean out my 20 gallon from a previous disease) but didn't want to take the risk of poisoning everyone. so i washed and scrubbed the ship in very very hot steaming water, and soaked it in a container with pima and melafix for a couple of hours. i've also already taken out the carbon filter pads out of my power filter so the medicine can work more effectively.