snails?

[fishdud]

I woke up and went to my tank and found these two little snails in there. I wonder how they got in but what kind are they? Should I take em out? Will they do any harm to my plants or anything?

 

[Morgie]

looks like a ramshorn snail to me, but it also could potentially be an apple snail. Do you have any more pictures of them? That would help a lot.
Ramshorn snails are seen as either a benefit or a nuisance, depending on your experience with them. They keep the tank and plants algae free but breed like crazy. Apple snails get gigantic (I believe I have some pictures of one of mine in my albums), they aren't very effective algae eaters, they WILL eat delicate plants when they run out of other food sources, and if you have multiples they will also breed like crazy. They're more for show because of their size and coloration.

 

[fishdud]

I don't have any experience with snails at all. I just found them in my tank. There's two of them

 

[fishdud]

Also do you think the snails could've done this?

 

[absolutangel04]

It is a possibilty that the snails did it, but who knows. All my snail species leave live plants alone as long as there is something else to eat. If there really are just 2, try just taking them out by hand and waiting to see if more pop up. Ramshorn (which this what they look like) do breed like mad, there may not be eggs yet. The longer you leave them in there though, you will for sure get eggs eventually.

 

[fishdud]

What should I do with em? I took em out and put em in my ten gallon cause idk what to do with em

 

[jetajockey]

Definitely a ramshorn snail, and no it didn't do that to your plant, the yellowing shows that the plant is already having issues, snails will readily consume dead plant matter, so they actually do the tank a favor.

 

[fishdud]

So how do snails manage to appear in a tank overnight??

 

[absolutangel04]

So how do snails manage to appear in a tank overnight??

Snail eggs hitch hike in on plants. You don't see them because they are so small. Eventually, they hatch and little snails come out they seem to have appeared out of thin air!
Personally, I leave them in my tanks because I love snails. I have never had my plants destroyed.

 

[fishdud]

I've had my plants for a long time and just noticed them now! And will they do fine in sand? That's where I have em

 

[absolutangel04]

I've had my plants for a long time and just noticed them now! And will they do fine in sand? That's where I have em

They will do fine on sand. They had to have hitch-hiked in sometime. Those are not tiny, so they have probably been in your tank for a while and were just hiding. Baby snails are practically microscopic. I have had babies of all sort of species and they are always way smaller than the gravel.

 

[fishdud]

Haha wow. I would have never have thought that. I learned something new. So chances are there may be more, right? What do they eat?

 

[Coursair]

It looks like your plants need ferts. Are they Amazon Swords ? You can give them root tabs and dose the water weekly if you aren't already.

Snails eat biofilm, algae, fish food, etc. They don't eat healthy live plants unless they are starving.

 

[fishdud]

It looks like your plants need ferts. Are they Amazon Swords ? You can give them root tabs and dose the water weekly if you aren't already.

Snails eat biofilm, algae, fish food, etc. They don't eat healthy live plants unless they are starving.

Yeah they're swords and I have root tabs and everything for em. Will they eat algae wafers?

 

[tmdavies]

same happened to me i set up a new tank and was fishless cycling the tank a week later out of nowhere there was a pond snail in there and i only had sand in the tank and nothing else. i have no idea where it came from not seen any since i got rid of it

 

[absolutangel04]

Yeah they're swords and I have root tabs and everything for em. Will they eat algae wafers?

Yes. Mine eat algae wafers.

 

[Brandon K.A]

They look like ramshorn to me as well.