Want to get rid of snails

[MetalHeadX343]

I have a snail problem and i need to get rid of all of them. I just want a list of fish the will eat them but that are also fairly large. I have a 6" lima shovelnose catfish that will eat anything it can fit it's mouth around, other than that it's not aggressive. I'm doing the lettuce trick but I know it won't get rid of all the snails. I just want to know what kind I can buy that'll be 3-4 inches when I purchase them and later grow no bigger than a foot. Oh yea how big will a coy get in an aquarium and will they eat pond snails right off the glass, or will I have to crush and then feed.

 

[GoldenPlecTony]

Puffer fish are extremely good at snail eating if you can get a hold of one

Or YoYo loaches. (3 of them) These arnt compatible with Neons and Guppies though.

Cant answer your Koi question sorry. In general they can get to 30 inch

 

[Ozydego]

I know you are getting rid of snails, but I think it's the ram snail that eats them as well, one is better than many and then you could choose your fish fish based on what you want rather than what you need

 

[maxwellag]

The assassin snail hunts and kills all other snails.

 

[LyndaB]

Even assassins will only control your pest population to a point. Once they consume a snail, they take a few days off to digest it.

How large is the tank we're talking about here?

Snails will only overpopulate an overfed tank. If you want a real good start in eradicating the pest snails, go down to feeding every third day. If the snails can't find food, they'll die.

Also, if you crush the snails against the glass with your fingers, there is a disease you could possibly get (don't recall the name of it). It's not advised to use that method.

 

[MetalHeadX343]

I have a 45-55 gal. not quite sure exact but i know it's between that. I've sucked alot of snails out of the substrate by siphoning the gravel and found at least 50 snails, I have 40 snails alive in a tubaware dish from where I get them out with a credit card, and lately I've been using tweezers and plucking them out. As for what the snails are eating I havn't a clue. I have two fish a pleco and a lima shovelnose catfish. The catfish eats one big piece of freeze dried shrimp every 2 days and he eats it within a minute or two, the pleco only eats an algae wafer or two a day but I feed him at night so he eats it quick. Oh duh I know what they are eating..... my plant that's why I want a fish to eat the snails. I can't buy a clown loach because they are tiny and my catfish will gobble it up.

 

[LyndaB]

You're going to have to upgrade your tank for that shovelnose.

 

[User]

My one koi used to house snails like it was its job. He has since been rehomed to a pond though.

 

[MetalHeadX343]

I'm getting a 300 gal in a month

 

[anonsandiego]

Same Issue

Hi, I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank and have a similar problem. I bought a plant from a pet store and a few tiny snails showed up. Now there are probably about 30 snails. Most are almost transparent or white and the size of a crumb, and two have grown to become cone shaped and brown or black in color, about the size of an eraser end on a pencil. What species are these? Do they eat algae and are they good for the tank? Also, do you think it will cause my nitrate levels to increase? I imagine that anything that eats has to poop, which means higher nitrate levels, especially if they continue to multiply. I have one glass tetra, a small dojo loach, and an amano shrimp. Thanks.

 

[IvanMike]

well a red devil will consume every snail it can find - but i dunno if that's the direction you want to go.... other cichlids also dig snails to a large degree - but i disremember which.

 

[redruckus]

get 1 or 2 clown loaches they are the 100% garantee that you will have no snails in a week because they will eat nothing but snails untill they are all gone...

 

[IvanMike]

Puffer fish are extremely good at snail eating if you can get a hold of one

Or YoYo loaches. (3 of them) These arnt compatible with Neons and Guppies though.

Cant answer your Koi question sorry. In general they can get to 30 inch

Koi will get as big as they can in a properly cared for aquarium. It's a myth that small tanks stunt fish growth (unless we're talking a tank with poor water quality or a very light feeding schedule - the former will kill your fish over time, the latter will only delay the inevitable). Koi and goldfish are also cold water fish which really don't appreciate the higher temps of tropical tanks.

 

[MetalHeadX343]

Hi, I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank and have a similar problem. I bought a plant from a pet store and a few tiny snails showed up. Now there are probably about 30 snails. Most are almost transparent or white and the size of a crumb, and two have grown to become cone shaped and brown or black in color, about the size of an eraser end on a pencil. What species are these? Do they eat algae and are they good for the tank? Also, do you think it will cause my nitrate levels to increase? I imagine that anything that eats has to poop, which means higher nitrate levels, especially if they continue to multiply. I have one glass tetra, a small dojo loach, and an amano shrimp. Thanks.

You probably have the same snails I do. They're referred to by many as "pond" or "lake" snails. Those snails will continue to multiply and take over your aquarium. One egg sack can release 150 snails at a time, and believe me I know. You think you only have 30 snails right? Well I thought I had 0 left after I had fished the original 10 snails out within the first week I bought them. Two days later I find a few snails and got them out, the next day there were ten more. The point is there's alot more than meets the eye. Siphon out some water and shift through the gravel with it and you'll find little "hot spots" where there are 20 to 30 snails in a tiny area. Oh and the snails poop ALOT. I just bought a goldfish cause I didn't want another 2 foot long fish with a coi, I have nowhere to house him he they get that big. But if you like snails try getting mystery snails or something, they won't over run your tank for a long time (well as far as I know)

 

[JoeBob]

Hey all, nothin for nothin (lol) but I read this thread today and the article contained in it and I thought the part about snails was very interesting. Take it for what it's worth. And good luck with your snails.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fishkeeping-myths-that-just-refuse-to-die-158390.html

 

[fadetoblack06]

I would find a walmart that sells the green spotted puffers and they will devour your snails in a couple of days. I am not an advocate of certain places selling fish but you can pick them up there for like $4 a piece. Problem solved. since its that large of a tank you can get two of them in there. They don't get agressive till they get to be like 4"

 

[maxwellag]

I would find a walmart that sells the green spotted puffers and they will devour your snails in a couple of days. I am not an advocate of certain places selling fish but you can pick them up there for like $4 a piece. Problem solved. since its that large of a tank you can get two of them in there. They don't get agressive till they get to be like 4"

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't even think about buying fish from walmart...

 

[Homer8]

Koi will get as big as they can in a properly cared for aquarium. It's a myth that small tanks stunt fish growth (unless we're talking a tank with poor water quality or a very light feeding schedule - the former will kill your fish over time, the latter will only delay the inevitable). Koi and goldfish are also cold water fish which really don't appreciate the higher temps of tropical tanks.

i never understood this. if koi dont like warm water do you have to buy a cooler for an outdoor pond during the summer? i have an inground pool and it gets to be 85 without a heater during the summer an i doubt many people have a pond as big as my pool.

 

[IvanMike]

i never understood this. if koi dont like warm water do you have to buy a cooler for an outdoor pond during the summer? i have an inground pool and it gets to be 85 without a heater during the summer an i doubt many people have a pond as big as my pool.

Really don't appreciate it and might not die are two different things....

 

[JoeBob]

Really don't appreciate it and might not die are two different things....

This is an interesting discussion about the koi, temps, etc. so I would like to play the "devil's advocate". Here in NC where I'm located, koi ponds are very popular. A lady where I work and I were discussing her pond today (approx 1500 gals) and in the summer here it can stay in the high 90s or 100s for weeks at a time. She does have a pump to circulate the pond, but that's it and her fish seem to thrive. They're all huge, she has big ole comet's too, BUT they have NEVER bred, so I wonder if the uncontrolled high temps prevent them from spawning. Maybe they just look happy and are slow cooking, but she doesn't seem to lose them very often. Oh, and sorry for the book