Tricks for removing empty pest snail shells?

[Luananeko]

My Assassin Snails and Dwarf Chain Loaches have done an excellent job clearing up my pest snail issues, but now I have another problem... How do you remove all the empty shells from a sand substrate? One of my tanks has black sand, so the shell litter really throws off the look... I've tried to siphon them out, but my python's suction power isn't strong enough to lift most of the shells up. I suspect that if I get a more powerful siphon I'll run into the issue of sucking up my sand with the shells.

Any tips/suggestions on the least painful/tedious way to get these shells out?

 

[gimmethatfish]

I have this issue in one of my tanks. I use a baby fork to kind of rake all the shells into a pile and then I just scoop them out with my hand. The baby fork works well because the tines are so small that it doesn't disturb the sand very much. I bet you could also use a small clean paint brush to sweep them into a little pile.

 

[severum mama]

What about using a coarse mesh net to strain them out? Some of mine have a bigger "weave" I guess you would say, and if it's fine sand I'd imagine it might work.

 

[Luananeko]

Hmmm... I don't know if my nets are the right "weave", but I'll check. They're pretty small shells so they may slip through my larger weave nets, and my fine weave ones are too fine.

Sweeping them into a corner might work, but since I can't reach the bottom of the tank unless I'm standing on a chair (it's chest level and a pretty deep tank), it'll be a little bit of an undertaking... More doable than the siphon routine though!

 

[captaincritical]

I use a turkey baster to get mine! In a small tank it works beautifully but I can see it being a hassle in a larger one.

 

[Luananeko]

Yeah... The display tank is 36 gallons, so it's a little tedious with a turkey baster. Plus that tends to suck up my substrate along with the shells.

 

[captaincritical]

Mine is a 35g and I still use it with no problem. Might be worth a try.

 

[Coursair]

You might try a small siphon. If you suck up a little sand, just put it back after you sift out the shells.


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