Cycling aquariums with snails

[Laser]

I apologize if this subject has been brought up somewhere else, I did a search but I didn't find anything on it. For my last aquarium I set up, a 20 gallon, I used a snail to cycle it. He ate a piece of baby spinach everyday. He's still doing fine. What are your thoughts on this method?

 

[sir_dudeguy]

i'd think that would take quite a bit longer wouldnt it? cause they dont really make that much waste, at least mine doesnt, whereas if you just thro in a dead shrimp, thats a pretty good jump starter...

I would also think that, if a day or two before you got your tank, you could put a dead shrimp in a glass of water to get it started making nasty gunk, that you could add that once your tank is done being set up and have it start the cycle a little quicker? granted it would only be a few days i suppose but hey...
anyone else have any thoughts on that one?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Sorry, but snails have such a low bioload, it won't be effective.

 

[Laser]

I would tend to disagree, snails have a lot of food passing through their system at all times. If you don't feed them they don't eat, if you do feed them they'll continue eating until it's gone.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

But a snail is still a relatively simple organism with simple biological functions - a single snail is highly unlikely to provide enough ammonia to grow a large enough colony of good bacteria and cycle the tank...

 

[Laser]

Ah well, I thought it was worth a shot. The tank ended up cycling anyway but I guess the gravel and plants I brought from my other tank and the shrimp pellets he passed over in favor of lettuce contributed more to that.

 

[tropicfishman]

I thought it was dead shrimp instead of snails????

 

[Laser]

I actually never heard of the dead shrimp method before I came here. I always just fed the tank with some sinking fish food. This is by far the most useful Aquarium site/forum I've come across.