SNAILS!! Please help...

[WRLeGrand]

I purchased a bendable plant ring-thing from Petco a few months back, because it was a really nice looking plant and it added to my live plant collection in my 13-gallon aquarium. One day I noticed a snail on my castle. After doing some research I figured the only way it got in was it hi-jacked its way on the plant from the store.

It has actually been a welcome addition. My son loves the movie Turbo, so the snail is Turbo. However, I just came home and noticed no less than 6 mini/baby snails on various parts of my aquarium. I assume it laid eggs and obvious they have hatched.

What in the world am I to do? I do not want to basically kill the little snails and certainly do not want to be overrun with them for my 3 platy fish. Please advise.

I want to make sure I do the right thing here. If it means rehoming them all, I will attempt to do so.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Mebbid]

If their population explodes then you are overfeeding the tank. Cut back on the food and you will possibly have to do occasional manual removal.

If you want a neat snail I would suggest either nerites or mystery snails.

 

[Angela1108]

Another thing- you can see the eggs. They look like little white dots in slime. Go to the dollar store and get a turkey baster and suck up the babies and the eggs as you see them.

We breed them on purpose because I have clown loaches who love them. I use the baster to spot clean sand between water changes- I have a couple dead spots under a sword plant and accidentally sucked up a clump of eggs. If your child loves the snail you might want to consider switching him out for a nerite or a mystery snail. Both should be easy to find and are easy to keep


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[evil Nick]

Get one as was in snail. Your son won't know what's going on

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[WRLeGrand]

I do have a pond in my backyard...is that an option?

Also, would a betta dine them? I have him in his own tank...

 

[Mebbid]

I do have a pond in my backyard...is that an option?

Also, would a betta dine them? I have him in his own tank...

No, releasing animals into the wild is a big big no no.

Also a no on the betta eating them.

 

[Angela1108]

Really the only thing that should eat snails like that (for the most part) loaches, puffers, and assassin snails.


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[WRLeGrand]

So basically take them out manually and let them die?

 

[ImACoolguy]

Really the only thing that should eat snails like that (for the most part) loaches, puffers, and assassin snails.


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Really loaches eat snails? Not to go off topic but my dojo loach doesn't touch my mystery snails he might push them over while he is swimming but that's it.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[fish wrangler]

So basically take them out manually and let them die?

You can squish them in your fingers and feed your fish fish them. My tetras love eating snails

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[Angela1108]

Really loaches eat snails? Not to go off topic but my dojo loach doesn't touch my mystery snails he might push them over while he is swimming but that's it.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

Pond snails they eat for sure. The bigger snails of they are bigger. My clown loaches are about 4 inches each and will eat mystery snails


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[loachy dance]

It depends on the type of loach, myersi and khuli loaches mostly wont event tocuch them ,hillstream either. Zebras and yoyos usually do the best job. I had better luck with temperature control. Depending on the type of snail, they somtimes go dormant if it gets too cool. Then they can be manually removed.
You could also build snail traps with a small plastic container with holes punched and a piece of lettuce in the middle.

It is againts the law to put some snails in local waterways, soi prob would not do that.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Pond snails they eat for sure. The bigger snails of they are bigger. My clown loaches are about 4 inches each and will eat mystery snails


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Interesting I'll have to keep an eye on my snails and see what happens


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[Angela1108]

We have two tanks. A small 20g that I have guppies and red cherry shrimp and some pond snails that we got on purpose. Once we see a bunch we take them ojt and put them into our big 55g for our 6 clown loaches


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[ImACoolguy]

We have two tanks. A small 20g that I have guppies and red cherry shrimp and some pond snails that we got on purpose. Once we see a bunch we take them ojt and put them into our big 55g for our 6 clown loaches


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Clown loaches get pretty big IMO 6 of them in a 55 is a little small.


Caleb

Might have a slight obsession with my fish

 

[Angela1108]

Yup. Once we move we are planning on a 125. (We got the tank used for 200$ including everything- fish too so the stock is ridiculous but we've been weeding it out)


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[loachy dance]

Zebra loaches are just as good and only reach 4-5 inches, just sayn.