Snails Overpopulating: Assassin Snail??

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Larry Little

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
98
Hi, Y'all --

I have never had an aquarium without a population of snails, usually Maylasian Trumpets. I like snails a lot, but I seem to have an overabundance of a different species in my Asian tank. I think they were probably introduced with some of my Java ferns. They're not doing any harm to my plants, just too many of them. I don't want to get rid of them entirely, but I would like to control the population. I was thinking, perhaps naively, that an assassin snail or two might control without wiping out the population, but I've never kept assassin snails, so I don't know for sure. Is there a way to maintain a balanced predator/prey relationship or am I simply nuts? (That last was rhetorical only; I already know the answer.)

If anyone has any thoughts,I'd surely appreciate your feedback.
 
If it were me, I would get the assassin snails and let them wipe those malaysian trumpet snail off of the map. malaysian trumpet snails are a pest and will take over.
 
I'd get one assassin and see how it goes, if your still having problems, get another. Snails can usually be controlled by feeding the fish less, buy sometimes they rampage lol

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id say get rid of them and introduce a less invasive species. those little things will cover your entire tank until there's nothing left. scoop out as many as possible and add an assassin snail or possibly a clown loach and just be better safe than sorry. those things are impossible to control.
 
That tank is too small for clown loaches.

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I'd get one assassin and see how it goes, if your still having problems, get another. Snails can usually be controlled by feeding the fish less, buy sometimes they rampage lol

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Read this....plus one

Also population explosions occur but often even out. If your not feeding them there is only so much algae, biofilm, and dying plant material.
 
I agree with the assassin snails. I had an abundance of pest snails so I plopped three assassins in my tank. Within a week, the pest snails were nearly gone.
 
I too had an explosion of snails (55 gal)and after a few weeks of trying to squish them and pull them out, I combined this with 3 assassin snails a cut back in feeding, pulling out any dying leaves, etc.. Hopefully this will make the problem manageable.
 
Remember assassins breed too. And one day you may want other snails. If your over populated with snails theres a good chance you have some cultural deficiencies.
 
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