Snail Disposal

[Rhiann]

I'm relatively new to aquarium keeping, and I have a snail tank with a few types of snails. I'm starting to see eggs crop up, and I just had a disturbing thought. I've read that some species are highly invasive. When I clean my tank and dispose of the water down a drain, what about all those eggs and possibly tiny snails? They shouldn't go into the water system, right? Is this something aquarists are concerned with, and how to we address it?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[54seaweed]

salt water will knock them off

 

[4127john]

If they are flush down the drain, chlorine will kill them. If you want you can freeze some up the stuff that has snail eggs and snails. But i really doubt snails can survive the chlorine.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[treemanone2003]

If they are flush down the drain, chlorine will kill them. If you want you can freeze some up the stuff that has snail eggs and snails. But i really doubt snails can survive the chlorine.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Don't flush anything down a drain. Advice like this is immoral and unethical. It's reasons like this that areas are now inundated with overpopulation of invasive species.


Sent from my iPhone that doesn't like me. Or you !!

 

[DeeLee2013]

I'm relatively new to aquarium keeping, and I have a snail tank with a few types of snails. I'm starting to see eggs crop up, and I just had a disturbing thought. I've read that some species are highly invasive. When I clean my tank and dispose of the water down a drain, what about all those eggs and possibly tiny snails? They shouldn't go into the water system, right? Is this something aquarists are concerned with, and how to we address it?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Perhaps, to allow you to clean your tank without getting any potential eggs down the drain, you could do the following:

Syphon tank water into a bucket. Use that water to gently clean off decor of eggs so the eggs land in the bucket. If the decor doesn't need to be cleaned, then just use the bucket to hold the old, ready to be disposed water.

Once you've syphoned all the water you want into the bucket and have gently scrubbed your decor with it, you can transfer the water to a large stock pot and boil it. This will effectively kill any eggs or tiny snails that have been syphoned out of the tank or displaced from the decor.

Let the water come to a roiling boil for 15 minutes or so. Once it has been boiled, it will be safe to pour down the drain without worrying about the snail eggs hatching later.






? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
36g Rescape in Progress!
10g Orchid Endler's N-Class
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

[treemanone2003]

Assassin snails rectify pest snail overpopulation. And you can sell/trade/rehome them humanely.


Sent from my iPhone that doesn't like me. Or you !!

 

[Rhiann]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks! I think I'll try the salt. That'll kill the eggs, right? I don't actually have a snail population problem yet, just the eggs, so as long as I can take them out and dispose of them in an environmentally conscious way, things will be good.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Hholly]

If you can dispose of the water in an area where it will dry or freeze it will kill the snails and eggs.

 

[Rhiann]

Holly, are you saying throw it out in the snow or onto my garden stones?

 

[Hholly]

Somewhere where they won't make it into a body of water. I throw mine out in the yard. But I don't live near a body of water. If you have a septic tank connected to your house, it is safe to flush them. But I have problems thinking of them dying slowly in my septic.

 

[DeeLee2013]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks! I think I'll try the salt. That'll kill the eggs, right? I don't actually have a snail population problem yet, just the eggs, so as long as I can take them out and dispose of them in an environmentally conscious way, things will be good.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

You should be proud of yourself for being so eco-conscientious!! Kudos and good luck!!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
36g Rescape in Progress!
10g Orchid Endler's N-Class
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

[dcutl002]

I have 4 tanks. 3 of them are inundated with pond snails. the 4th tank has 4 Clown Loaches with absolutely no snails. Consequently, the Clown loach tank has the algae problem. Anyway, when the snail numbers get overpopulated in my tanks, the Clown Loaches get a tasty treat...nature's way.

 

[Rhiann]

Thank you! My snail tank is only 10 gallons, and has 6 snails in it (and one female betta), but since two of the snails are the size of golf balls, I don't really want anybody else in there (don't you think the water would get too dirty?), and I don't want to have the lovely snails that I do want get eaten. I'm going to try dumping salt in the water I take out (with eggs in it) before I dispose of it.