Malaysian Trumpet Snails, ready for explosion

[fish_4_all]

Well I have only seen 4 of them alive since I put them in and they disappeared. Actually that is all I have seen move around. I was doing a water change today and noticed about a dozen or so that were stirred up when I vacuumed the gravel. The problem is, they are all smaller than anything I put in my tank! I know they multiply and I knew I was in for this, but if they are that small and that many that I didn't see, how many will there be when I actually see the numbers in mass?!?! 8O

I undertsand why these little critters become a huge mass without knowing it. They breed underground, they eat underground, they do everything underground until they feel their keeper needs a wake up call and wham, party for 5000!

Anyway, my little speal on this critters with it being my first experience. Someone could have given me a heads up; everyone said they multiply but sheesh, no one told me they multiply in secret and give you a heart attack when they decide to party. Now I just have to wait for the party so I can give them to some other unsuspecting soul.

 

[JRagg]

Ha, yeah I got about 20 ranging from 1/2 inch to a little over an inch from another member on this site a month and a half ago. I've got so many in my tank now it isn't funny. There are hundreds of babies (1/16 to 1/8 inch long) all over the place. I'll probably have to start thinning the herd in another month when the "babies" get bigger.

 

[7Enigma]

Keep an eye on your ammonia levels (or at least watch for algae suddenly appearing in your tank). Most critters like this will expand to greater than their food source, which will then cause a die-off, and then they will equalize with the tanks nutrients. I got about 10 a couple months ago and probably have under 50 in my 20gallon with 2.5" substrate. My substrate was in pretty good condition before I got them so I assume there was not as much food as others on this board with longer established tanks.

Generally a rampant snail population is showing an excess of "junk" in your tank/substrate. In a healthy tank, they should eventually exhaust the oversupply of food and reduce in numbers to an appropriate size.

I just wish I could get another hundred or so in the tank so I know my substrate is being aerated properly....

 

[fish_4_all]

That's part of the problem. I got them to clean up the mess that was hiden by the rooted plants I didn't want to move. Thankfully there is a lot of fast growing plants so an ammonia break shouldn't be fatal to the fish if it happens. I just with they were large enough to send to others! lol. Instead of so tiny they are barely heavy enough they don't get sucked up in a gravel vacuum!

 

[MSU Fan]

if/when they get large enough, i will take some off your hands for you!

 

[fish_4_all]

You and anyone else who wants them when I can catch them!

 

[sherry]

use a piece of lettuce..they will pile on

 

[fish_4_all]

I think I will give it a try just to see how many i actually have. If there are too many already then I can give them to my Skunk Botia loaches for a good food source. Don't worry, when I have enough I will send them out but only when they are larger just to make sure they survive, even though the ones sent to me survived a 10 day trip in the hottest part of that early heat wave, no deaths out of almost 100 snails of all sizes. I did have 3 dead pond snails but the few others came back from the brink and now become loach food when I see then population getting too high. The shells will also make some really cool earrings if I get some larger ones.