Pond snails

[DiscusLvr]

So I've recently purchased some plants that apparently came with a few pond snails, which have turned into countless pond snails...everywhere. Ive looked up ways to get rid of them and it seems like dipping the plants in a bleach solution is my best bet. I know clown loaches are the kings of snail removal but the plants are in a 20g and thats not bog enough for them.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used the bleach solution for snail removal and of sohow did it work out? Any other suggestions on snail removal that might be safer on my plants?

Ive got dwarf sag, java ferns, java moss, giant mondo grass, and hydrocotyle japan that the snails have taken quite a liking to and are chowing down on it.

 

[Brookster123]

I think hydrogen peroxide will do the trick, as for what's already on your tank.. assassin snails are great at keeping pest snail populations in check..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[DiscusLvr]

Well I've got the plants in a QT so I plan on. pulling the plants out, removing the snails from the plants, and placing them in my community tank. So whatever is left in my QT isn't much of an issue for me since I plan on draining that tank after the plants are removed.
I've read that bleach can be harmful to some more sensitive plants. Will the hydrogen peroxide be any easier on the plants? Also my hydrocotyle japan is pretty eaten up. If I treat that is there a chance it'll survive? And should I put them in just hydrogen peroxide or should I dilute it with water and how long should I have them in the hydrogen peroxide?
Sorry for so many questions. This is my first snail infestation so I'm quite the noob right now

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Are you sure the pond snails are eating your plants? I've kept pond snails, MTS, and mini ramshorn snails in my planted tanks for years and haven't seen them eat my plants. I've had pond snails in a tank with hydrocotyle sp. Japan as well and they haven't harmed a single leaf.

Perhaps your plants were dying by other means and the snails are just being opportunistic and might help with the decaying organic matter. They also eat algae and uneaten food.

Anyways.. I'm not saying you should keep them if they're an eyesore to you. But I've deliberately kept them for live crunchy food for my dwarf puffer tank and for beneficial aspects.

Pond snail population can be kept on check by not over feeding your tank. Also, you can stick a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight... the next morning, you should have a bunch of snails on the leaf and you can remove them and repeat the process until you thinned their numbers or get rid of them.

 

[DiscusLvr]

I purchased the plants from someone on this forum and they were shipped quite a way so its very possible that the plants are just weak from the trip and that could explain it. I don't have any fish in the tank so I haven't put any food in there other than root tabs and such for the plants. It also doesn't have any algae growth that I can see so I just figured the snails don't have any food to eat so they are munching on the plants instead.
I plan on putting them I'm a 75g when that's finally set up and I plan on having clown loaches in there so a snail population wouldn't be an issue but they have no predetors right now and the population is going nuts. I've heard of the lettuce trick and id like to give that a try tonight but if they are munching on my plants it may not make a difference. Would it help if I dropped some flake food in there for them? Or would that just make the situation worse?

 

[Cold Canadian]

Pond snails aren't fun when you have a ton what I have done is pick them out with my fingers and net when I see them.

What else you can do is put lettuce In a pop bottle they will go in and take it out when there is a bunch in there

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Just get the plants healthy and don't overfeed (or feed at all if no stock yet) and their numbers should start to decrease.

You can start a nano tank of dwarf puffers and feed them the snails. It's fun

 

[anteatergoanna]

I put HP on my plants and it gets rid of algae really well. There has been no damage to the plants using this, so you should be okay putting it on your plants. Good luck with the snails, I breed them for my Clown Loaches, they love them!!

 

[DiscusLvr]

Thanks everybody for the great advice. I pulled my plants out of the tank and dipped them in peroxide to remove what snails were on the plants themselves and moved them to a separate tank. Im keeping pieces of lettuce in the snail tank to keep the population going so when i get my clown loaches i can use them as food. Id love to give the puffers a try but currently all my funding is going to this 75g so setting up another tank just isn't in my budget right now.