To snail or not to snail?

[Kazin]

I have a 20 gallon long aquarium just for red cherry shrimp with Eco complete substrate, marimo moss balls, mopani drift wood, Java moss, pellia, staurogyne, cholla wood, and a piece of cuttlebone. One HOB filter with fluval presponge filter, one double sponge filter powered by air pump. One otocinclus catfish was recently added.

I've read many mixed things about snails in invert tanks and can't come to a conclusion about whether or not to add them, and which ones to add.

Do nerite snails really leave sticky eggs on the glass? Do Malaysian trumpet snails overrun tanks? Do they improve the health and stability of shrimp tanks overall? Really any thoughts on the subject are welcome.

Thanks,

Kazin

 

[ImACoolguy]

I have heard MTS are invasive.. Nerite snails can lay eggs but they will not hatch in freshwater. I've had ghost shrimp and mystery snails together, never saw any problems.


Caleb

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[serena00]

Oh I have multiple types of snails with all my many kinds of shrimp. No issues!


36g semi-aggressive
20g community
5.5g betta/ghost shrimp
3g betta
2g fry

 

[Kazin]

Is it beneficial to keep MTS with shrimp? Do they really aerate the substrate Ina meaningful way?

 

[ImACoolguy]

Is it beneficial to keep MTS with shrimp? Do they really aerate the substrate Ina meaningful way?

A snail aerating the substrate now that's a new one. I was actually going to think some crazy people gave you that info till I looked it up... I've read about the buildup of gases in planted tanks before and MTS seem to be a semi solution.

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/foru...rating-soil-and-substrate-in-planted-aquarium

That person heated their substrate to expose the hydrogen sulfide.


Caleb

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[NigelK8485]

Mts help churn the substrate. They also eat any decaying matter that may be trapped under the substrate as well as loosen it up to allow roots to feed more easily.

I have mts in my tank and I never see them. They stay under the substrate until night time. They're great snails to have.


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[ImACoolguy]

Mts help churn the substrate. They also eat any decaying matter that may be trapped under the substrate as well as loosen it up to allow roots to feed more easily.

I have mts in my tank and I never see them. They stay under the substrate until night time. They're great snails to have.


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I've heard that though you may not see them, they multiply very quickly. Read one one website that a person said at night it looked like his sand was alive there was so many.


Caleb

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[NigelK8485]

Yeah they reproduce and have live births so it's difficult to prevent them from taking over but it's not like with pond snails where you see them everywhere or anything. They provide enough of a benefit that I think they're worth it.


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[ImACoolguy]

Yeah they reproduce and have live births so it's difficult to prevent them from taking over but it's not like with pond snails where you see them everywhere or anything. They provide enough of a benefit that I think they're worth it.


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Hmmi might consider them then.


Caleb

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[NigelK8485]

Hmmi might consider them then.


Caleb

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They were tough for me to find around here, nobody sells them. I found one place online but they all arrived dead. The ones I have in my tank came from Fresh2o on here. If you decide to get some it'd be worth hitting him up and seeing if he'd be willing to part with some, he has a ton.


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[ImACoolguy]

They were tough for me to find around here, nobody sells them. I found one place online but they all arrived dead. The ones I have in my tank came from Fresh2o on here. If you decide to get some it'd be worth hitting him up and seeing if he'd be willing to part with some, he has a ton.


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I will definitely look into it. the answer is probably no but do they help with GSA?


Caleb

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[NigelK8485]

I will definitely look into it. the answer is probably no but do they help with GSA?


Caleb

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I'm not sure. I know they're on a few "Top Algae Eaters" lists though. I'd rely on mts more for leftover food and churning up your sand and rely on nerites for green spot algae.


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[ImACoolguy]

I'm not sure. I know they're on a few "Top Algae Eaters" lists though. I'd rely on mts more for leftover food and churning up your sand and rely on nerites for green spot algae.


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Alright thanks Nigel.


Caleb

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[Kazin]

Thanks for your thoughts, I have to think about it. I'm hesitant to introduce snails if they are so commonly considered pests. As for getting rid of GSA, my oto eats it up

 

[NigelK8485]

It's easy enough to control the population. Over feeding will allow more snails to live, if you don't over feed then new snails won't be able to survive.


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[Kazin]

Ok thanks for the advice. I will probably add one and see how it goes. After all, worst case scenario I can introduce assassin snails.

It's easy enough to control the population. Over feeding will allow more snails to live, if you don't over feed then new snails won't be able to survive.


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