Snails cycled my tank!!!

[CompMage]

Yea sounds like an article title from a bad news publication but it's true.
I won't bore you all with daily numbers as I only have about 5 readings over 4 weeks.

And here is my story.

Some time ago I went to a pet(fill in the blank) store and grabbed two new Amazon sword plants for my planted tank to replace the two that were lost in a miss hap. ANYWAYS, free with them plants came snail. A good number of them tiny little snails. I had a 10G tank that I had just started up (Making it my 3rd tank hehe) and I threw the snails in there thinking they would die from the water being un heated..... Till two days later I see them crawling on the walls of the tank... So I was doing my trimming threw in some trimmings for the things to eat and took to my experiment. I fired up the air stone and heater and let the tank go.

Now, 4 weeks later I have no ammonia reading, no nitrite reading and a very low nitrate reading. WOOT snails cycled my tank! And I harmed no fish and did not have to deal with a dead shrimp or mucking with chemicals. Life is good! And Thursday I add my first two fish to that tank, two neon tetras. As for the snails, I'll keep pulling them out till I get them all if that ever happens. I'm not too hopeful as I'm pulling them out of my larger tank too still.

 

[talloulou]

Snails eat and poop so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't "cycle" your tank. I think even if you kept "nothing" in the tank it would eventually cycle, it would just take an excruciating long time depending upon how much crap and dust you have flying around in the atmosphere of your house 8)

 

[Andos99]

I wouldn't be surprised if your tank hasn't even started cycling to be honest with you......

 

[Meredith]

I think if its a good number of snails, yea it probably cycled. I had a bunch in my ten gallon and they pooped A LOT. Made such a mess I had to nearly tear down the whole tank to clean it. With 99% of the snails out of there, my water quality has improved a lot.

 

[CompMage]

Andos99, I've been taking light readings perhaps every 4 or so days and I had ammonia in the tank and it went up and down then the nitrite came up and down.

Well regardless I believe the tank is fit for fish so I'm going to stick the first two tetras in there. Just to make sure it's not too much for what little bacteria is in there I'll give it a week and check for signs of an uncycled tank.

Even if it's only a light setup, two little tetras would still spike the ammonia if it's not setup, but would not register if it was.

As for the snails, they may be tiny, but I've counted at lest 10. Other then helping the tank cycle. I hate snails.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another thought....

The plants could be taking in all the ammonia, nitrite, and most of the nitrate.

 

[CompMage]

Climpings were dead leafs. I threw them in there for snail food that they made quick work of. So no, no live plants in the tank to cycle it.

Well Fish go in today lets see what happens.

 

[talloulou]

stock slowly

 

[CompMage]

There is a reason I'm only starting with two little neons.

 

[7Enigma]

Ah, I thought as well that you had live plants in the tank with the snails....I kinda wondered why you threw clippings into the tank if it already had live plants

But yeah, you seem to be cycled, but your bioload capacity is probably pretty small. I think the 2 tetras is an excellent start, and then slowly increase from there. But you seem to be a bit more advanced due to the MTS than I am at this point.

 

[tropicfishman]

what are the real tiny, almost BB sized snails called agian?