I got a snail

[mitche8359]

as a bonus today at the fish store. From my past, snails are taboo. However, the wife seems to like it and as long as this snail isn't pregnant, it can stay. My question is where did the snail come from. The last time I added anything new was six weeks ago when I added about 15 fish in two days. I didn't dump the water in and I didn't see the snail in the tank until today. Today I added a couple more corys since the tank seems to have settled down. I also added live plants. I saw the snail on the side before I added the plants. Is it possible that the snail came in attached to one of the coreys? I didn't see the snail in the bag with the cory, so I'm thinking it might have been on the side of the cat or something.

 

[Grant R]

They are the weirdest things ever, I don't really know how they enter, unless they are attached somehow to livestock / plants on adding them.
I got my 45 second hand and couldn't spot one snail in it. Now, as soon as the tank is left in darkness, I must have about 15 - 20 , big and small !

I'm going to manually dispose of some soon and also treat with some 'anti-snail' , which you can add if the population becomes too much.

 

[mitche8359]

unless they are attached somehow to livestock

Yep that's how I figure it. Unless snails hatch from eggs and maybe the eggs get transferred in the water. I'll have to do a little research. Still can't see how this snail could have been in the tank for 5 weeks without me noticing it. I saw it abundantly last night.

 

[hisc1ay]

My cousin gave me his old tank two summers ago, and he had put his rocks in a bags. They had been in the bags for a while, like months. A short while after I had it set up, I had hundreds of snails. They didn't make it very far in their lives.

Later, in a different tank, I found a snail with a golden shell (sounds fairy tailish). I figured he came on the plants I got. He was tiny. Then I didn't see him anymore. Last week he showed up. He's pretty big...perhaps as large as the tip of my pinky. He's cool, so he can stay. It's been months and he's the only one, so it's all good.

But yea, my point is snails are tricksy little creatures.

-j

 

[mitche8359]

It's been months and he's the only one, so it's all good

Yeah, as long as the number is one and one is the number then it's ok. I did a search on the messages and found that snails actually eat algea, so that's a benefit.

 

[jasonit]

you might look into getting some clown loaches, they are supposed to eat snails. I have a pair, and also 2 mystery snails... I haven't seen any babies, so I assume the Loaches are taking care of them.

 

[Bearfan]

The loaches will take care of your small snail. Unfortunatly, I just lost 3 to ich. They are highly prone to ich.

 

[mitche8359]

I would get some clown loaches, but I'm trying to stay true to a South American theme in the tank. Not sure where the loaches come from originally. I'll have to see if I can find out.

 

[Bearfan]

They are from Indonesia, Sumatra and Borneo

 

[Grant R]

I was going to say, yeah, a bit off of the South American theme there !
You could still add some and classify them as a clean up crew maybe ?

 

[mitche8359]

Maybe I'll paint them brown and give them a south american name... Brazilian Mudflat Loaches.

Actually I just read in another post that loaches hate salt and I'm slowly increasing the salt in my tank to 1tbsp per 5 gal water. So maybe it's not such a good idea.

 

[jeffd902]

I remeber from childhood that salt kills snails. Is that true in all cases?

 

[mitche8359]

I remeber from childhood that salt kills snails. Is that true in all cases?

Not sure. Hopefull I'll find out it is.

 

[jeffd902]

It's not totally true. At least not in the concentrations in a feeshwater tank. I found a few more on the wall still alive.

 

[mitche8359]

It's not totally true.

Maybe in time...

 

[hisc1ay]

Just thought I'd let you know...remember when I said I only had one snail...

Well, there are at least half a dozen itty bitty snails hangin around on my walls. It's anoying! The tank's not big enough for a loach (so I hear).

Oh well...I'm crushin them as I see them.

-j

 

[mitche8359]

there are at least half a dozen itty bitty snails hangin around

Funny you should say that... this morning I noticed two itsy snails myself. I checked the plants that I added before putting them in the tank and swear they didn't come from the plants. Mysteriously the large snail has disappeared. Not sure if snails can take that green ich medicine I treated the tank with over the weekend or not. I thought I read something that said snail didn't take kindly to the stuff.

Sittin' back, waiting for the invasion.....

 

[Guest]

Oh well...I'm crushin them as I see them.

Clay, be careful doing that, someone here wrote about getting a serious infection from being cut by a snail shell while crushing them against the glass. This post was months ago, so I can't give you a link. Just be careful not to cut yourself while smushing them.

 

[Grant R]

Don't talk to me about snails, I'm having a nightmare with the damn things - the loaches are doing quite a good job, but mine must be breeding, as I found loads of tiny ones on cleaning my filter tonight.

You'd think they'd have somewhere else to go ..

 

[hisc1ay]

Oh well...I'm crushin them as I see them.

Clay, be careful doing that

Thanks for that warning. I have been using the end of my net thus far, but last time I used my fingers. I'll have to remember that!



-j