Snail Invasion

[fluffyntex]

Hi pitt420 dude.

I wish you lived a bit neared as I have well over a hundred apple snails which do not eat plants. I have golden, blue, purple, pink, green and red apple snails, as well as a few variation as they all interbreed. Unfortunately as I live in England and you are in the States I dont think they will stand the journey, otherwise you could have had some with pleasure.


supergran

Bummer! I have been looking for apple snails for my tanks too. I was thinking pond snails when you posted about them. I would start removing the eggs, much easier and faster imo.

 

[MisticX]

they lay eggs 3-4-5 times a day ;((((((((((((((

i had a 260 l tank (never knew how much that is in gals) and had 2-3 snails in it, in about 10 days all the walls of my tank were FULL of snails.
(this happened about 10 years ago)

 

[masai_chadi]

I am experiencing the same problem for past over 6 months in my 20 gallon tank. I have black skirts, neons, balloon mollies and octos. The tank bed is covered with 1-2 inches of decorative gravel/pebbles.

I have struggled to get rid of the snails. There are over 300-400 hundred and breeding fast.

Will be trying a lead method to reduce their population.

Would loaches harm any of my other fishes?

 

[Purrbox]

masai_chadi - I think that the size of your aquarium is more prohibitive to loaches than any potential harm (which I don't believe would be a problem). Most loaches get to several inches (if not a foot or longer). The sheer quanty of snails that you are reporting suggests that you're probably severely overfeeding your aquarium. Cut back on feedings along with manual removal will go a long way to getting the population under control.

 

[whiddett]

I had the same snail problem as you. I found that by picking them out whenever I saw them they eventually disappeared. However, the guy at the LFS got me to buy a Botia which he said would eat them. I got one but I never saw him eat a snail but they did eventually disappear so maybe he did help.
I also found that alot of the snails lived in my filter system/sponges so try to remove them from there when you do water changes and rinse your sponges.

 

[masai_chadi]

The leaf trick is working splendidly. Thank you.

 

[MisticX]

The leaf trick is working splendidly. Thank you.

how exactly do you do that?

 

[masai_chadi]

I put a big lettuce leaf at the bottom of the tank for couple of days. Tons of snails were happily sitting on the leaf. Take the leaf and dispose them. Repeat the process.

I must have picked up more 100 snails todate. Still going through the cycle.

 

[JohnPaul]

If you are looking to remove every snail from your tank, I can vouch for the effectiveness of loaches. I had a bijillion snails of all sorts (pond, MTS, baby ramshorn) in a 29 gal tank and I put in ONE small (~ 2" long) Yo-Yo Loach. Within about 3 weeks, I went from having hundreds of snails to not even being able to find a single living snail anywhere in the tank.

As for selectively removing some snails while leaving others, I think manual removal is the only way I can think of to accomplish that.

 

[tropicfishman]

just get a couple clown laoches! they will eliminate those guys for good and keep them from ever coming back! plus clown laoches have really good looking markings IMO and there funny to watch play around

 

[Purrbox]

just get a couple clown laoches! they will eliminate those guys for good and keep them from ever coming back! plus clown laoches have really good looking markings IMO and there funny to watch play around

Unfortunately this suggestion is only appropriate if:
1. The person wants to get rid of all the snails (which the OP posted that they have at least one variety they want to keep)
2. They have a large enough aquarium or plans to get a large enough aquarium to house the fish as it grows. (which the second poster only has a 20 gallon aquarium)

 

[masai_chadi]

Arrgh!

These darn snails are back. I am getting fed of them. I thought I had removed them completely. Now, they have come back in masses.

Lettuce trick worked for a while. Now, I just want to get rid of them permenantly. How can I remove them permenantly.

Please help.

 

[fearlessfisch]

What happens to all the shells with the loach method?

Btw, I have horseface loaches, and I still have too many snails--is it just that horsefaces don't like snails?

I hate hate hate killing snails with my hands or leaving them to dry up and die. I don't know what else to do.

 

[Alaris]

Arrgh!

These darn snails are back. I am getting fed of them. I thought I had removed them completely. Now, they have come back in masses.

Lettuce trick worked for a while. Now, I just want to get rid of them permenantly. How can I remove them permenantly.

Please help.

You are probably still overfeeding if you removed the snails and they all came back.

To get rid of snails permanently, use copper. Copper will kill ALL inverts and is persistent so you will never be able to keep any inverts in your tank. (Inverts include shrimp.) You can find medicine with copper in it at your LFS for killing snails.

I only suggest this because it seems you are tired of trying to remove them manually and your tank is too small for a loach (20g right?).

Copper is very permanent.

 

[whiddett]

I think I mentioned a while back that I had the same problem as you. I was advised by LFS to buy a Botia fish and was told he would eat the snails. I got one and I never actually saw him eat any snails but the problem soon went away so its probably well worth a try.

 

[CaptainAhab]

If you do use the copper and ever sell your tank be sure to tell the buyer that you used copper in it. To alot of us that would end the sale right there

 

[wims590]

i would recommend... clown loaches if u have space, theyre better than puffers in my experience at eating snails...you could try cucumber the snails love the stuff!! i also have kribs who eat all the snail eggs everywhere and hand pick some when u get the chance!

 

[reefman]

I totally agree with putting a leaf of lettuce and when they come out to feed get them out.

 

[plecoperson]

Cut waaay back on your feeding, and I betcha you are down to just a few in a matter of weeks. They really seem to wax and wane in population according to how much they're getting to eat.

Crazy people such as myself also will buy the ones you pick out; you might want to get a whole bunch together and put them up on Aquabid.