Snails

[Maddmann]

So I've seen a few people talking about snails, are they a pest or are they helpfull in the tank. Never thought about snails in the tank hehe

 

[herp_mommy]

I see them as a help. They clean the algae without the mess that a pleco creates. For some species, they're also food

 

[mfdrookie516]

Depends on several things. If they come in uninvited, some people consider them a pest. I don't, I think they're cool little guys. There are also some snails people buy for algae cleanup(nerites), some just to watch (apple/mystery), and some to kill the 'pest' snails(assassin), and some to burrow in the substrate (MTS). There are tons of others too, but those are the most popular.

 

[Rosenweiss]

I think snails are fantastic. Believe it or not, they have personalities and are really cute to watch. We have a big mystery snail (probably 1.5 inches across at the shell) and it LOVES to push our moss ball around the tank.

 

[Maddmann]

Hmm, very interesting. I think I'll havta research the lil guys

 

[Rosenweiss]

If you want to avoid a snail infestation, you can get a nerite snail; they can live in freshwater but only reproduce in brackish.

 

[aquabeast]

if you keep the population shaved, yes theyre great to have..

 

[mfdrookie516]

And, if you dont overfeed, snails won't overpopulate

 

[Rosenweiss]

Are you sure they won't overpopulate if they have a lot of plant matter to eat, too? For instance, I just bought some amazon frogbit online (fit in an envelope About 10" by 6") and almost every other plant was COVERED in snail eggs. AND there were 7 live snails in it too... I kind of doubt those snails bred just because of being overfed in a fish tank.

 

[mfdrookie516]

If you don't clean up dead plant matter, then that falls right in the same lines as overfeeding. I don't allow any dead leaves to stay in my tank past my seeing them.

 

[Rosenweiss]

I've seen snails eating my perfectly fine leaves... I guess I just wonder if they're really that picky...

 

[Rokuzachi]

I have a pair of Zebra Nerites and one huuuuuge ivory mystery snail. The mystery doesn't touch my plants unless they're in his way, and even then he just goes right over/through them and doesn't take any chunks. The nerites spend almost all their time on the glass rasping away.

 

[siva]

I've seen snails eating my perfectly fine leaves... I guess I just wonder if they're really that picky...

That's the great thing about nerites..not only do they not reproduce they are plant safe. I too have seen the common snails munching on perfectly healthy plans. I also keep MTS in my tanks..they don't seem to bother the plants at all

 

[F4A]

You keep MTS by choice? Why would you do that?

I have two assassins and they're great

 

[siva]

I'm crazy for snails. I love the MTS. I think they are very attractive. They are also all over any uneaten food left on the bottom.

 

[Rokuzachi]

I spotted a few ~2mm MTS in my tank the other day, haven't seen them since but I'm pretty excited to have them.

Honestly if I could, I'd have a giant african land snail for a pet!

 

[F4A]

My shrimp take care of leftover food VERY quickly. I'm really amazed how the shrimp come shooting out of their hut as soon as food hits the floor. They must smell it within seconds. They also take care of algae growing on the plants and gravel, but fail the remove any from the glass (I guess they have nothing to stand on?).

Don't the MTS get out of control though?

 

[siva]

I'm hoping they reproduce like mad...so far I'm only seeing any reproduction happening in my brackish tank.

 

[siva]

I have 5 types of dwarf shrimp and they don't seem to eat algea at all. Weird. Maybe I keep them too well fed!

 

[1Vampiregirl]

I have 3 tiny horned nerites, sometimes I see them around on the glass or my java fern, but most of the time they are in hiding. For some reason they always appear when I do a water change. they are sweet little guys and do no damage to my plants, if anything they keep them clean!