Snail!!

[fred]

So I found a little snail in my tank this morning. I'm assuming he hitched a ride on a plant. Not sure what to do? Should I pull it out? Will it multiply? (I've read many threads about snails taking over) will it eat my plants if I leave it?

 

[Vircomore]

That's a ramshorn snail. Their shells spiral up to an adult size of about a 50-cent piece.

They will only reproduce if you end up with 2 of them. They lay eggs in round little patches on the glass and on plants.

They will keep your glass and plants clean and will not eat any plants unless they can't find anything else.

I keep a healthy pop of them in my tank and they don't become a nuisance unless you're dumping tons of food in. Also fun to watch them lick the glass clean. (you can see their little tongues go as they go up the glass.)

 

[fred]

Thanks for the reply . Think I'll keep it around for now, my kids were all excited when they saw it!!

 

[BigJim]

I like my ramshorns. They help keep the tank clean and they make good food for my assassins. The biggest I've seen is about the size of a nickel. Columbian ramshorns get huge, but that's not what you have.

 

[fred]

So I've sound 3 more snails in the same tank however they are not the same kind. They have a spiral shell, like a unicorn, with a white tip. Very pretty but do you know if I should be concerned about them taking over?

 

[mfdrookie516]

those are MTS.

And, FWIW, snails don't magically overpopulate tanks. If they do, its because you're overfeeding.

 

[fred]

What does FWIW mean?

 

[Homedog98]

For What It's Worth I think... FWIW.

 

[fred]

Thanks!

 

[DragonFish71]

MTS can be very good for your tank. If you have a sandy substrate they burrow into it, helping keep it turned over. In gravel they can still burrow, but it's not as beneficial.

 

[fred]

I've been doing some research and am a little freaked out that the 3 MTS I have are going to multiply (and I know it doesn't magically happen . I don't overfeeding my fish however won't the snails breed because there's 3? I've read stories of people having a couple in their tank and then a month later they have a hundred! I do not want a hundred snails in my tank. Should I be concerned? I'm thinking I will try to get them out now using the lettuce method. Any thoughts???