Stowaway snail

[Ramrebel]

I bought 2 live plants and am considering more.

One must have a tiny, tiny snail (so small that it's hard to tell if it is a snail) and now it's running around the tank and all seems fine.

Should I be concerned about this OR about buying more plants?

The 2 mollies seem entertained.

Ed

 

[flipz]

That tiny tiny snail will breed, and breed, and breed, and breed. I would get it out while you can. The tiny ones that come on plants are considered "pest snails." You could try doing a search in the forums about them. You will find all the people complaining about them. 8O

In the future, with live plants there is a product you can wash them in that from what I've heard washes off the snails. I forget what it's called. Green something, or something green. I don't know, I only heard it mentioned once. Hopefully someone can help more.

Oh, and if you wonder how it's going to breed, they are asexual. They don't even need a partner to start laying hundreds of eggs.

-brent

 

[William]

It shouldn't be a problem.

As long as you don't over feed the tank [ Which is a problem for more reasons then hte snails ] then the snail population will be controlled easily.

I keep them in alot of my tanks, and the colonies are handled with just careful feeding. They don't end up in the hundreds, and they actually keep the tank in top tip shape.

 

[smilla4]

If you don't want the snails treat your plants with something like Lime-it before adding them to the tank. It will be good for anything else they might be carrying as well. There's also instructions somewhere on how to create homemade lime-it if you can't find it.

Apparently William's snails show their appreciation for William's kindness in letting them live in his tanks by eating his bga.

 

[smallfry]

When buying live plants, I rinse them off VERY throughly in my sink and run my nails over leaves and roots gently to scrape off any stow-aways....haven't had any snails in the tank yet.

 

[flipz]

Lime-it... that's what I was thinking of. Haha. I was close.

-brent

 

[poikilotherm]

If the snails proliferate and get to be a problem despite careful feeding (as William suggested), your choices are: tear down the tank and rebuild it, put in a snail trap (e.g. fim canister with holes and algae wafer in it), or get a smallish loach or three (e.g. Yoyo loach or Skunk loach). Clown loaches get too big, so I wouldn't recommend them. A few bottom-feeders might look good in your tank, and entertain your mollies more!

 

[Deitta]

Or just squish them with your finger and let the fish has dinner! Let one or two of the larger ones get big... we love watching the snails. But we are weird, and they do add bio-load... you may just be better off killing as many as you can and getting a snail-muncher.

 

[Ramrebel]

who/what would be a snail muncher? it sounds and cruel at the same time

it's been two weeks and there's still only one

any reccomendations on bototm feeder?

Ed

 

[Menagerie]

Oh, and if you wonder how it's going to breed, they are asexual. They don't even need a partner to start laying hundreds of eggs.

Snails are not asexual. Some are hermaphroditic and have both eggs and sperm, which allow them to reproduce without a partner. Some snails need both the male and female to mate.

Ramrebel--you may only have one snail, or it may multiply.
What size is the tank and how many fish/what kinds are currently in there? This will help to make a suggestion for a loach or other bottom feeder.

 

[lurkershdw]

i actually went to a creek in my neighborhood that was filled with pondsnail and netted myself some, because my platy tank had a lot of algae. they haven't gotten to be a problem, infact they seem to be dwindling, but if they ever did get to be a problem i've found that my fantail goldfish are more than happy to take care of them

 

[Menagerie]

Glad there hasn't been a problem for you, lurkershdw. I don't recommend putting things from outside into your aquarium. You never know what chemicals have been used in that area or chemicals from run-off are in the creek.

 

[krap101]

yeah menagerie's right. the pest snails reproduce asexually but apple/ramshorn snails reproduce sexually

 

[Menagerie]

Once again:

Snails are not asexual. Some are hermaphroditic and have both eggs and sperm, which allow them to reproduce without a partner. Some snails need both the male and female to mate.

Asexual reproduction includes budding, fragmentation and parthenogenesis. For more information regarding Asexual reproduction in both plants and animals, please visit this site.

 

[Ramrebel]

my snail tank has 2 mollies and a nice plant
20 g

thinking about stocking this weekend

 

[Ramrebel]

i've heard that goldfish are pretty dirty and shouldn't be put in tropical tanks
(in reply to the fantail goldfish)

 

[Menagerie]

That is true about goldies.
Ramrebel, what fish are you thinking about??

 

[lurkershdw]

my fantails are incredibly messy, and it's really hard to keep the water clear

 

[Ramrebel]

i just added 2 more mollies and an ottocinclus(spelling?) on Friday , Otto was dead Sunday night, maybe he was too small??? waddaya think?

plecos will eat the plants, so I'm running out of ideas

also,I was thinking of a rainbow maybe

if I only have 1 snail, do I need a muncher?

 

[Menagerie]

Otto was dead Sunday night, maybe he was too small??? waddaya think?

They are not hardy fish. They need an established tank to go into. More often than not, the stress of shipping takes a toll on them.

I don't think plecos eat plants (yesterday I saw a few planted tanks with plecos at various Calgary Aquarium Society member's homes). If you go with a pleco, find a smaller species such as the clown, bristle nose or rubber lip.

if I only have 1 snail, do I need a muncher?