snails :(

[SGNL_5]

i recently got a few new plants, about a month ago, i noticed a few little snail after putting them in. i didnt really think anything of them, a nice free adition to my tank. but oh man, there all over the place now!!! i try to pick them out but it doesnt seem to dent the population. ive also tried putting lettuce in the tank and pulling that out along with the snails, i took some out, but theres still a TON left. i've heard loaches are great for eating snails. would this be a good idea? and what loaches would be best fitted with my tank?
its a 20 gal long, 3 cory's, 5 black neon, and 4 platy's
thanks

 

[malkore]

honestly, I'm not sure one of the snail eating loaches will work for your tank. yo-yo loaches don't seem to go for snails...or at least mine don't. clown loaches will for sure, but they get very large, and prefer groups of 4 or more.

You could get one, let it munch for a couple weeks, then return him to your LFS if your LFS is cool like that.

Otherwise you could look into dwarf puffers. they'll eat snails, but are rather aggressive, and could wound the other fish in your tank if they aren't fast enough.

Lastly there's stuff called "Had a snail" - but it might kill plants.

 

[Lance M.]

The loachs that eat snails- like clown loachs- only eat the snail so the shell will still be in there. And clown loachs get pretty big so you'd have to move them to a bigger tank after a while. They'll get about a foot long over several years in god conditions. And like Malkore said they like to be in groups, like all botia species.


And finally why do you want to get rid of the snails? They are very cool scavengers.

 

[SGNL_5]

thanks guys for the replies, how fast do the clowns grow? i am planning on gettig a bigger tank like an 80 but not for like a year.
at first i didnt mind the snails i thought they were kinda cool. then they started reproducing like crazy, and now my plants are all eaten up and there little holes on the leaves.

 

[jibboo]

LOL ... I'll take your snails ... my yo-yos love them. I try to mooch some snails from my lfs everytime i buy plants, but the snails quickly disappear everytime I put them in the tank.

 

[Lance M.]

SGNL_5- You could get proably 3-4 of the smallest clown loaches you could find and then when you get the 80 gal. throw them in there. I've never had them before (yet) and from what I heard it takes several years for them to reach full size so you should be fine.

 

[SGNL_5]

jibboo thats cool that your yo yo's eat snails, i was thinking of them but wasnt sure if they ate snails, but hearing that they do is music to my ears, or i guess not to my ears but my reading eyes.
thanks

 

[MarkLehr]

You should just remove the snails manually on a weekly basis. Here is what you do:

Overnight place a shallow container or even a tupperware lid on the floor of your aquarium. Add lettuce, cucumbers, etc. In the morning your lid will be covered with snails. Remove them and repeat overnight as needed.

The occasional stray snail can be consumed by your loaches.

Foolproof.

 

[happyhillbilly]

Wow! Its the snail boomer period in your tank! Do you have any ideas on what type of snail they are?

 

[SGNL_5]

i'm not too sure on that, i think they might be trumpet snails they're pretty small the biggest ones are a little under 1/4 inch. i'll try to get a pic of them though

 

[aquazen]

I used to get pretty ticked when I saw a snail crawling around in my tank. But you know, I got to where I didn't mind so much. I would scoop out the ones I saw during weekly water changes and then live and let live with the rest of them...till next week.

You also have to remember that snails thrive in conditions where food debris is excessive, so you may wanna see if your fish feeding habits spur on their proliferation. The population in my tank seem to stay pretty steady.

Good luck with your creepy crawlies.

 

[Lance M.]

Trumpet snails or MTS have a shell shaped like a spiral. They are actually very good to have in your tank because they aerate the substrate and eats any food that falls there.

 

[severum mama]

I have them in my 20 gal right now and they are really munchin' on a couple of my plants. If I leave them in there will they reproduce like crazy and clog my filters? I've heard of that happening before, has anyone else? And I've used Had a Snail before, does anyone know for sure if it kills plants? I don't remember it killing anything last time I used it but I have a lot more plants than I used to. Thanks!

 

[Lance M.]

Pond snails and MTS (the snails that usually come with plants) don't eat plants. Apple snails, Mystery snails, Ivory snails, and Ramshorn snails eat plants but you'll sometimes have one that doesn't.

 

[DeepCutta720]

I had 4 clown loaches in a 20 high and they were fine for 3 years. You dont need an 80 gallon tank. They just dont wont grow all that fast in your smaller tank. Get them and let them eat your snails.

 

[severum mama]

DeepCutta, I think my tank would be way overstocked if I added some CLs. I already have 7 gold pristella tetras, a Bolivian ram, and a bristlenose pleco. Are there any smaller loaches that eat them? Does Had a Snail kill plants?

 

[DeepCutta720]

I dont think your tank will be over stocked with 3 small clown loaches. There isnt a single fish in your collection that hangs out at the bottom. I had 4 clown loaches (1.5-3"), 8 cardinal tetras, 6 glowlight tetras, 6 harlequin rasboras, and a string ray pleco in my 20 high. I never had any issues, all I used for filtration was an aquaclear 150. Try it you should be fine.