Snails/Shrimp and the cycle...help!

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LuckyJGuy

Mah Fizzzi are off the Hizzi
Mar 17, 2004
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Im cycling a new tank right now, I got some plants (Mundo Grass and some other kind I already forgot what they are called!) and they came with these tiny little shrimp(less than a centimeter in size) on them and some snails.

Now, my question is, if the snails survive for any amount of time does that mean that the water is ready for fish?

And, how quickly do the snails multiply?
 
Yeah, if the snails survive then you know the water is good. Some snails like to dig in the gravel and only come out at night so don't let them fool you. You could just test your water, or if it runs for a few days with the plants and filter it should be ok.

Ah, snails multiplying... Well, they sure do multiply quick, but the only real thing you have to worry about is them eating your plants. Look for eggs, usually on plant leaves and stuff. Don't use any chemicals that kill snails, they all suck.
 
Actually it really depends on what kind of snails I guess. I bought a used tank with very little water on the bottom that was sitting in a basement for quite some time and when I filled it up for the first time the snails appeared. So they sat throught some pretty bad conditions. Snails multiply very quickly. I bought a plant from the lfs and there were only two on it that I saw. Soon after there were/are now prob at least 20 that I can count.
 
Yea I noticed the digging, I dropped those little things in and about a minute later they were digging, now I cant find them which leads me to believe they are buried in my sand! Either way, I guess Im going to end up using the snails as a barometer for the status of my water.

Will LFS's test water for you?
 
Snails are not that sensitive to ammonia and nitrite. I wouldn't rely on their continued existance as a sign the tank is ready for fish.

It sounds like you are cycling fishlessly? What is your ammonia source? You really need to have your own test kits to go the fishless method...While most LFS will test your water, you need to be testing prior to each ammonia addition.
 
Actually a number of folks have used snails to cycle a tank. They are not very sensitive to ammonia and nitrite as OG said. They do not give you any useful info on the state of the nitrification process or the readiness of the tank for fish.
 
So what I gather is that a number of folks have used snails to cycle their tank but it is not recommended?

What test kits are the best? I saw a Red Sea test kit that had tests for everything for about 50 at Petco. Ive seen some others that dont have all the tests for 30-40 at my LFS. Which ones are recommended?
 
Snails can be used as a source of ammonia during the cycle, but you can't infer the status of the bacteria beds by their presence.

I like the Master's test kits--doesn't come with nitrates, but that's easy to add-on.
 
I am currently cycling a tank with some plants, and purposefully allowed snails to come with them, even asked for a few extra freebies when buying the plants. My ammonia level (fishless cycle) has been kept between 3 and 5 PPM for the last 9 days, my ph is 7.8, my nitrite are up to 3ppm as of taday, and it dawned on me that I didn't add dechlorinator with a small water change I did last week so I tested chlorine and had .25 chlorine. During which the snails seem to be hapily cruising the tank for food. Of course I don't know how many snails I have, and couldn't tell you if some of them died but it definately doesn't seem to hurt them in water conditions that would kill a cast iron fish. I just hope the plants didn't mind the chlorine, they appear to be taking root slowly on my driftwood and rocks, but I'm sure time will tell.
HTH
 
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