Please help me with my snails!!

[zach_fresh]

i have a major snail problem, they came in on my live plants. here is what i have treid to get rid of them...

vacuming them up

using Had a Snail, but htis copper sulfate pentahydrate in it and my cory cats dont seem to like it, it also made my hatchet fish vomit., but it did kill some small snails

i bought a very small clown loach the other day(about 1 1/2 inches) and he will eat some but not alot.

tonight i put cucumbers in the tank hoping to bait them in the morning




what else can i do??

 

[rich311k]

Sounds like you have it covered. Dont use those chemicals again, I have heard it is not a good idea. Be careful not to overfeed, if there is not enough food available the snail population will stabalize.

 

[fishyrican]

Good advice from Rich. Like any living creature, snails need a food source. Their population will increase as long as there is sufficient nutrition for them. Make sure you are not overfeeding the tank. With less available food, the snail population will have to adjust to the lower food levels. At that point, you should be able to keep them in check with the other methods you are using (although I would also stay away from the chemicals).

 

[Jchillin]

While some snails are appreciated (those that are beneficial), there are those that can overtake a tank and make it less appealing.

More than likely, you have some ramshorns. These guys are asexual and reproduce like crazy, especially if well fed. Natural methods of reduction are a whole lot better than introducing meds which can risk the health of your fish.

Ramshorns also lay eggs everywhere (on plants, in your substrate, in/on your decorations (rocks, driftwood, etc.). Don't be surprised if you happen to come across additional snails later. Just do what you've been doing. When the population thins out, they will be easier to spot and remove.

 

[kyektulu]

I think the best thing would be to get a type of fish to eat the snail eggs as they lay them. For this I recommend Coolie loaches, I got this advice from a friend and it sorted out my problem beautifully, plus they are great fish too! I started with two and got so attached to them I now own nine!
Also you should really watch just how much you feed the fish the more spare food you put in the tank the better off the snails will be.
When I but plants from aquarium shops I ALWAYS rinse them thourghly with hot water then put them in a jam jar with a mixture of water and snail killer in it. after 24 hours I take the plants out, rinse them again then place them where I desire in the tank.

I hope this helps you.