Snails. good or bad?

K

Kold

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Oct 26, 2004
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I have a bunch a small snails in my little 10 Galllon tank. They look like Apple Snails from the pictures ive seen. Except they are very small. less than 1/4 inch.

Im assuming they eat up left over food and that I can control thier reproduction by carefull feeding of my fish, 3 Neons, 2 Gold Crested Platies and Plecky my humble plecko (Yes I named my plecko :p )

Are snails good or bad? What do they eat? They are laying eggs so I am taking that as a warning sign that im over feeding my fish but hoping that is a sign of a healthy tank.

Can someone shed some light on Snails and fresh water tanks.

Thanks in advance.

Kold
 
Highly unlikely that they are apple snails. Apple snails lay eggs above the water line in a large, foamy-looking mass. More likely these are common pond snails--similar shape to come of the apples, but they seldom get larger than a quarter in size, reproduce by eggs contained in a jelly-like sac that is deposited on plants, the glass, rocks, ect.

Snails eat algae and detritus found within the tank. They do indeed reproduce quickly in the presence of lots of food, but really are not harmful. I treat them as an indicator animal in my tanks that do not have any fish that will eat the snails--if the snail numbers start rising, it means I've been overfeeding or slacking on water changes and tank maintenance

They really won't indicate a healthy/unhealthy tank in terms of water quality. Snails are amazingly hardy and can survive water conditions that would kill fish. Doesn't mean they are bad--just not an indication of good conditions.
 
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/snail.shtml

Here is a pretty good article that covers many aspects. IMO Snails are awesome, they do a good job with clean-up, they are an indicator as OG said, and they are a lot of fun to work with. I will probably never own another tank without them. I do have several fish that eat them, and therefore my big tank only has MTS's in good numbers. all others become lunch quickly. The smaller tanks were set to breed snails and guppies for the benefit of the bigger tank. I have pond snails, red ramshorns, and MTS's in them. The red Ramshorns are my favorite, but they are all a lot of fun.
Dave
 
However you feel about snails, realize that with them comes a price to pay. Basically, you have to narrow it down to what are the pros and what are the cons. If they seem interesting, keep them! If not, you might have a problem removing most of them. :D
 
Snails are awesome unless you have 10,000 in your 10 gallon.
Don't worry about feeding them, they WILL find something in your tank to eat. If your tank is extremely clean, and they are not reproducing, then you might give them some zuccini.

They key is to not let them become an epidemic..... remove the eggs when you see them. Take the plant out and rinse it under the faucet while you rub away the eggs with your fingers. Add a little dechlor to your tank and replace the plant.

I love snails in my tanks. They keep the tank nice and clean. But one or two can easily do that, I don't need millions of them.
 
Go snails!!! Learn not to over feed, use a gravel vacuum for water changes and then get excited about an extra animal in the tank.
 
I love the snails. I love my tank. I dont go crazy like all you guys. I change about 1/3rd the water every now and then. Never test the water but I havent lost a fishy since my first 8 weeks of setting up the tank. So Im looking at 8 months without one fish loss and minimal maintinence. Call me lucky if you will.

I really get off on having a little eco system on my dresser. I like to watch thier habbits and how they mingle with each other. I have all sorts of hobbies. but still like to stare at my tank for long periods of time.

When I get a bigge place I'll be getting a few more tanks.


Thanks for the input guys.
 
Kold said:
I dont go crazy like all you guys. I change about 1/3rd the water every now and then. Never test the water but I havent lost a fishy since my first 8 weeks of setting up the tank. So Im looking at 8 months without one fish loss and minimal maintinence. Call me lucky if you will.
Click to expand...

I'll just be called crazy then.

I believe the last disease to inhabit a fish of mine due to an unnatural cause or because of a mistake I've made has been about 16 years now. I know others here at AC who have gone even longer. :cool:

8 months isn't luck, but that is JMO. I've known people who have gone 5 years with doing very minimal maintenance, and then in one week their whole setup is gone, with a tank in shambles.
 
I'll be crazy along with AFG. My last infectious disease outbreak was some years before we built this house 18 years ago. I do hope to maintain that indefinitely. I do lose fish unnaturally at times - I have a 4-year old female Glowlight who is developing an abdominal tumor, no issues yet, but soon she is going to have to go to the great fishtank in the sky.

I do like the comment I heard or read once - "It is boring to go to experienced fishkeeper's homes, their fish never change."
 
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