Snails, where do they come from? I noticed one snail in my 55g a few days ago. This morning I counted three. I purchased some plants online and at my LFS. Did they hitchhike a ride on the plants? Will they multiply? Should I take them out and deep 6 them, or just let them be?
Snails - Where do they come from?
- Thread starter hforney
- Start date
I'm sure they came in on the plants. That's how I got all mine 
I like my snails! They are interesting to watch and haven't caused me any troubles so far (had them well over a year now). I only ever see 2-10 or so small snails in any of my tanks. If they don't have an abundance of food, they won't multiply into a big problem. As long as you keep up with tank maintenance and don't overfeed, you should be fine.
I like my snails! They are interesting to watch and haven't caused me any troubles so far (had them well over a year now). I only ever see 2-10 or so small snails in any of my tanks. If they don't have an abundance of food, they won't multiply into a big problem. As long as you keep up with tank maintenance and don't overfeed, you should be fine.
If you can get an I.D. of your snails that will help you decide whether or not to keep them. Some snails can wreak havoc on your plants, others can help you control algae. Unfortunately the only way to completely rid your tank of them is to use chemicals (even that isn't a 100% guarantee). Many of the loaches will help you keep them under control without the use of chemicals (which can be deadly to your plants as well).
I really don't mind the snails but I just don't want to get to a point that they overtake the tank. They are actually kind of cute. I watched them this morning and believe it or not they can move pretty fast when they want to. It seems they like to be on the plants with some algae. Right now I don't have a problem with algae so maybe they will help to keep it this way. My major concern is if I will wake up one morning to find a 100 snails and won't know what to do to get rid of them.
Do you know what species your loach's are? What size tank do you have? Many of the snail species will reach a point where they will "take over a tank". I have one 20g long which is infested with malaysian trumpet snails. I tried a skunk loach and some dwarf puffers, both of which at snails like crazy, but they were too rough on my other fish (particularly the puffers). I am going to be breaking down that tank in the next month or so to set it up for different fish so I am not going to do anything about the snails.
Snails won't take over a tank if there isn't enough food. Keep the daily feedings to a minimum amount of food for your fish, use a gravel vacuum during water changes and things will be fine. I have plenty of snails in my tanks and they never harm anything.
I started with 2 small snails that krept in when i got my plants, one of them, the female is now quite big and has been laying eggs here and there, but the angels soon decided they were hungry and ate them
I dont mind one or 2, my large angel likes to eat them though...
I dont mind one or 2, my large angel likes to eat them though...
What TKOS said is very true.TKOS said:
I have snails in my tanks (doesn't everyone that has live plants?) but they don't "take over", and I consider them part of the cleanup crew. I feed only every other day, and on the days in between I do 25% water changes. Such a routine isn't necessary, but my schedule allows me to do extra maintenance chores. As long as you don't overfeed, and do regular water changes/gravel vacs the snails shouldn't become a problem.