Snail questions

[Mar23]

I have a million MTS and I have decided that it is time to take control of the plague. I am thinking about buying some assassin snails. The question is, will the assassins also eat mystery snails? I have those as well and don't want them dead.

Second question. I know nerite snails only reproduce in brackish water, but can they live in it long term?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[shellyx]

Hi assassin snail's can hurt mystery snail's, they are known to gang up on them to kill them.
On the nerite question, I think they'll be able to live like that long term without any issues.

55 gallon elephant nose tank.
30 gallon vampire shrimp, green lace shrimp and snails.

 

[MineShaker]

Maybe some dwarf puffers they eat snails mystery snails are probably too big for them


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[Fresh2o]

You might try thinning the herd by enticing them with food and collecting them. I have MTS and I find they are quite attracted to blanched zucchini slices and algae wafers. If you place the food in a small dish or similar container, collecting them will be easy. You may be able to pull out a good number of them per day. Once you bring the numbers down, then you can continue with this route and/or introduce the assassins.
I am not sure about and assassins and much larger snails.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mar23]

Maybe some dwarf puffers they eat snails mystery snails are probably too big for them


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

The dwarf puffers would become a meal for the sunfish I have in that tank! But I thought about it.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[MineShaker]

Try a beta fish. Many people think they can't go in community tanks but there wrong. They are peaceful to fish that aren't other betas and eat small snails and snail eggs plus there some of the prettiest freshwater fish around.

PS if you get a female beta they can live with other female betas



Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[Fresh2o]

Try a beta fish. Many people think they can't go in community tanks but there wrong. They are peaceful to fish that aren't other betas and eat small snails and snail eggs plus there some of the prettiest freshwater fish around.
PS if you get a female beta they can live with other female betas

Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

I believe this is a temperate/cold water tank with sunfish present. OP, please correct me if I'm wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[MineShaker]

I believe this is a temperate/cold water tank with sunfish present. OP, please correct me if I'm wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Whoops forgot


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[MineShaker]

You could put lettuce or cucumbers maybe even some algae wafers and wait for the pest snails to start eating them. Then take it out with the snails attached to it. Or you could clean the tank.


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

 

[Mar23]

I believe this is a temperate/cold water tank with sunfish present. OP, please correct me if I'm wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Yes, that is correct. The sunfish would definitely enjoy the colorful snack, though. Lol


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mar23]

You could put lettuce or cucumbers maybe even some algae wafers and wait for the pest snails to start eating them. Then take it out with the snails attached to it. Or you could clean the tank.


Sent from the crayfish lover Mine Shaker

I do put algae wafers in there because I have algae eaters. Not enough to catch them all. I am getting a couple of assassin snails. I have relocated my nerite snails to the brackish tank and will be moving the mystery snails soon.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[evil Nick]

Yoyo loach.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mar23]

Yoyo loach.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Now we are talking...how many? I already have 6 sterbai cory. By the way, do cory cats eat snails? I have noticed a bunch of empty snail shells.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Nils]

Now we are talking...how many? I already have 6 sterbai cory. By the way, do cory cats eat snails? I have noticed a bunch of empty snail shells.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I've read on some other forums that people noticed their pest snails being sucked out of their shells at night. I had pond snails with my cory cats and never noticed them eating any.

 

[evil Nick]

I had one and he took them down himself fast but just passed during some med treatments.
Thought I had it all out of the tank and got another but he doesn't seem to well. People say to get groups but I had one and my buddy has one and they were/are fine seemingly solo if there's just other interesting fish around. They're VERY curious and will spend a ton of time keeping themselves occupied

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[trennamw]

The LFS expert I most trust on facts like these tells me assassins become more of a pest than others, absolute population explosion.

The MTS population will thin itself if you feed the fish less. And yes you can reduce the population manually.

I've had them for over a year ... The tank that gets fed less had a big population decline, the 10g that gets a mini cube of blood worms for 3 frogs has a lot more (and needs more water changes).


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[Caliban07]

You can buy or make your own snail trap. Put and algae wafer in it and place the trap in at night. Pull it out in the morning and pick out the snails you don't want and take them to the LFS.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[RRP1501]

I have a question. I was doing a water change and took out my driftwood to vacuum the gravel. I inspected the wood really well, I thought, to make sure none of my Nerite snails were attached. After I was done and placed everything back in, I started cleaning up. I was spraying out the bucket I put the driftwood in, from the kitchen tap, when OH SH--! I saw a snail in the bottom of the bucket! I got him back in the aquarium ASAP! He was only in the tap water for less than 30 seconds. Will he be okay?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[ScotJudd]

Getting back to the MTS.
My MTS population explode when I over feed. I know I shouldn't. But the snails soon establish regularly feeding areas and can be
scooped out with a net to thin out the number. Don't go too mad as they can be a critical part of the tanks bio system, especuially if it's planted.
My MTS and cherry shrimp are both vital to the balance of my tank (55g, heavily palnted and too many Tetras to count, masses of MTS and hundreds of cherry shrimp which not only scavenge but also provide safe live food for the fish).


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[evil Nick]

people seem to always blame over feeding but these guys will eat ANYTHING, even each other. I know this because I took some out to send someone and I left the holding container one extra night and when I went back their were about 3 empty snail shells in there.
I am sure they died first but look at it this way.
Stop over feeding, they will eat algea, no algea (yeah good luck) they will eat your decaying plant matter (plants always decay parts to grow new ones), okay no plants they will eat fish waste if they have to and then lastly each other.

Aside the loach, which now on my new loach Ive found doesnt want anything to do with them (so its hit or miss) the other two options I use are

a small 5 gallon tank siphon. For some reason the small siphons have a bit more power than the bigger ones. I think they are faster. You can use this to suck out baby snails hiding in the substrate. Trust me it works.

Next, I actually found this by accident. People have crafty ways of making traps but heres a cheap easy one. Take a cucumber end with maybe an inch or so of length on it. Core a bit out then sink it (I use plants weights). The fish will eat the meat out and then at night the snails will climb in the finish it. I must have pulled out 100 snails inside the end when I did it. And this was just a small end.

Heres my theory on snail traps tho. You are only getting the ones in there at that moment, so how many actually filled up then left only to now breed more, but hey its another option.

As for puffers. Mine completely ignore MTS snails. Only my first yoyo loach got them.
I may look into a clown loach since they are a bit bigger but I have to get my 55 set up for that.