raceguy333
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
i just converted my tank from gravel to sand. how many trumpet snails should i add to my 55gal tank to keep the sand churned up?
malaysian trumpet snails
- Thread starter raceguy333
- Start date
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Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Add as few as you like--they reproduce quickly 
raceguy333
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
i was actually wanting to know how many would be too many... i was looking at getting them off ebay, and wanted to make sure i didnt end up with too many right off the bat.
i think the auctions are for "20 jumbo mts", 30, 50, and 100.
i think the auctions are for "20 jumbo mts", 30, 50, and 100.
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Good lord!! That's way too many!! Go to your local LFS and ask if they have a few you could have. I was laughed at once for buying 20 at a fish club auction for $5 by a guy at the LFS who said he would have given them to me for free. I put them in the 20, 29, 10 and 80 gal tanks. I have lots of snails! If you lived closer, I would give you more snails than you could ever want 
raceguy333
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
thats exactly what i was trying to avoid
i had a pond snail infestation one time.. that was not cool at all.
i had a pond snail infestation one time.. that was not cool at all.
raceguy333
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
anyone in the upstate SC area have some MTS they could spare?
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
I don't mind the snails and I have figured out an excellent way to cull the population in the sand tanks.
Toirtis
God of primitive fishes
Menagerie said:
I would never laugh at anyone for buying my excess MTSes at the CAS auctions.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
I never even thought to bring snails to a club meeting, but I did mail some a few times to someone waiting on her own to get crackin' so she could feed her puffers, LOL. Now, of course, she has more than she knows what to do with, puffer or not!
I think the LFS is your best bet, they almost always have them crawling around in their plant displays. You could probably get maybe 8-10 (even fewer, depending on how fast you want to get things rolling - you might even be able to just get 2-3 and wait a while - It WILL happen...).
I think the LFS is your best bet, they almost always have them crawling around in their plant displays. You could probably get maybe 8-10 (even fewer, depending on how fast you want to get things rolling - you might even be able to just get 2-3 and wait a while - It WILL happen...).
krap101
Aquarium Advice Addict
wait malaysian trumpet snails are the pond snails then?
raceguy333
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
krap101 said:
no, i just mentioned that about the pond snail infestation because i didnt wanna get overrun with MTS like i did with the pond snails
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Usually pond snails are round and similar to the "mystery" or "apple" snail in apperarance, AFAIK.
MTS are conical in shape (thus the trumpet moniker) and their shell is remarkably dense and hard. They are mainly nocturnal and burrow in the substrate.
MTS are conical in shape (thus the trumpet moniker) and their shell is remarkably dense and hard. They are mainly nocturnal and burrow in the substrate.
Lance M.
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wait I don't get what MTS s are anymore. Have any pictures? I'm in lower SC (Charleston) not upper.
Toirtis
God of primitive fishes
MTS look like this:
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Usually the ones you find at the LFS or hitch hiking on your plants are about 5mm and dark in color, at least they are for me.
Menagerie said:
She's not kidding! I put ONE in my 12 gallon Eclipse back when the puffer was in there. Apparently they're asexual (it was too young to be pregnant when I put it in) because a couple of months later, I had literally HUNDREDS of them in the tank.
Pulled out 10 or so from the 12 gallon tank to put in my 55 gallon. There have to be thousands in that tank now.
They reproduce at an alarming rate.
Menagerie--would you share your foolproof method of MTS control?
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Probably has something to do with loaches.....
Toirtis
God of primitive fishes
Madame_X said:Menagerie--would you share your foolproof method of MTS control?
Regularly harvest the extras and give 'em to everyone you know....
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
From what I know, loaches don't care for them.TankGirl said:
The mts are in cichlid tanks with a sand substrate. I have a metal strainer (used to be used in the kitchen) that I run through the sand. The sand and tiniest of snails fall back in and I gather up the large ones and had literally been tossing them out the window
? Well now my dirty little secret has been exposed )
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Too cool, Menagerie - you should mass produce the strainer and market it as a snail removing tool, LOL
I know my puffers could not handle the shells on the MTS but they would just suck the body out of the shell and go on their way - I had no MTS left in the tank with puffers, though I put them in there for the sand, thinking they were safe.
I know my puffers could not handle the shells on the MTS but they would just suck the body out of the shell and go on their way - I had no MTS left in the tank with puffers, though I put them in there for the sand, thinking they were safe.
