Tank Snails!!!! Arggg!

[sourland]

Cichlids will eat snails, but they are rough on the other fish and therefore not good in a community tank.

 

[usschicago1]

I like watching the little snails in my tanks...i think there cute

 

[b.hromada]

Quote:
Don't kill off all the beneficial bacteria in the rocks, that will likly make the tank unstable. I found that both my guppies and mollies did a great job at eating up snail eggs. If you know someone with a puffer fish, snails are their favorite meal, and I bet they'd be more than happy to take every last snail you could find from your tank.

Wow, this is good to know! I've got a puffer fish, and all she'll eat is frozen brine shrimp!

He/she was wild caught by us at the Inlet, and this is what I've fed her all along.
She is getting quite big now, from the little thing she was, lol! Gets expensive, when I go through a pack and a half of shrimp for her each week! Thanks for the advice!

 

[Whispering Winds]

I ordered some fish snackies from MY PET FISH (great company) and gave a sample of it to my boss. He called me the next day and asked me if I had given him snails because he gave them the snack and the next morning his tank was FULL of snails. It was freeze dried krill on the bottle, but it must have slipped something else in it, because he was leery of me and my snack ever after!!!

 

[Godsgrl]

What do snail eggs look like? I spied a strange spot on the side of the tank, and it was there forever. It looked kinda like an oval, flat, with little bubbles like in it. Very hard to describe. Then one day it was gone. I have quite a few snails, I'm thinking some may end up as chicken food.

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

the reason for not letting the snails get flushed or thrown down the sink is because they are a non-native species and should never have been on those plants in the first place (but they can be so hard to kill off completely). letting them go down a drain can introduce them into the waterways depending on how your sewer/septic system is set up.

when i had koi and pond comets they LOVED to eat them up when i would throw them where the fish would see them! you can't put these fish in with tropicals though since they emit too much ammonia into the water.

 

[mandelyn]

I started to salt my fresh water tank and haven't had a snail issue. After an outbreak, I ran all my decor through the dishwasher (no soap), scrubbed the sides of the tank to remove eggs (little yellowish blobs), rinsed the plants again, using my hands to rub off anything snail related, and followed the directions on fresh water salt adding. Blue cardboard milkbox type container.

The salt also aids the fish, treats and prevents stuff like Ick. You can give a salt bath if they have some sort of affliction, and then just follow the directions as part of the water treatment plan.

 

[Brindlebtch]

My botia keep them under control. Just get yourself some loaches. They really like snails.

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
There are products to specifically kill snails. The products contain copper which will not kill plants. A slight elevation of salt, as someone mentioned, will kill snails as well as plants.
The solution for the future is to quarantine plants and treat them for snails even if you can's see them, give the eggs time to hatch.

 

[Attack Chicken]

Thanks all! I know most of the pet stores around here have an infestation of this little creature. If anyone wants any I'd be happy to send some to you!