snails and plants . . . ?

[purplestarfish]

Hey, new user here, although not exactly new to the "business," you could say. I was just curious as to what, exactly, was the function of snails. They're often housed together, but the "professionals" at the petstores are clueless, go figure. Some can rid of algae, but as to the rest of them . . . are they just loach bait? (I can't get any snails for exactly this reason, but still, I found it curious that no one has a clue as to what snails do.)
Thanks-

 

[Guest]

some snails just eat algae, others eat plants, others are scavengers. MTS are useful, as they burrow into the sbstrate, and keep it aerated. mostly, all snails seem to have 1 goal though: Have a Zillion babies!

 

[tkos]

I love snails in my tank. Rams Horn snails seem to like to eat left over food and rotting plants as well as algea. YEs, they can over breed very easily, though this seems to be kept at bay if a food source is limited. That means keep a clean tank.

I use snails as bottom feeders in my small tanks. Great with bettas. Plus I like as much life as possible in my tanks. The simplest way to get rid of snails is to pluck them out of the tank, and try to avoid snail killing chemicals with copper in them.

 

[purplestarfish]

Thanks a bunch; maybe I'll give it a shot . . .

 

[Guest]

Thanks a bunch; maybe I'll give it a shot . . .

If you grow plants, and don't do anything to disinfect them when you buy them, you will have snails whether you want them or not...

Anyway, as tkos said, I like as much life as possible in my tanks too, I think you'll find they are worth having.

 

[TankGirl]

Be careful if you have plants - many types will turn your plants to nubbins in no time. I have kept nerite snails with very much success in my heavily planted tank. They do not eat plants but they do eat algae, and they do not reproduce at the a very high rate. Very manageable. If you have loaches, it is no problem and you may want to go ahead and grow a crop of baby snails as treats for them. The snails to watch out for are the mystery snails at the petstores, which are often pond apple snails and get very huge. Some do not eat plants I hear, but the ones I had once laid waste to my beloved crypts overnight!

 

[Biggen]

Some of the large types of snails will, supposedly, eat algae. This can include Apples and Ramshorn's snails. These may also eat your plants so you have to be careful. However, I think it would take a ton of snails to have any kind of effect on algae in a planted aquaria. MTS are really the best snails one could have as they help to aerate the substrate of the tank when they burrow in it.

I hate snails myself. I keep three clown loaches in my 40 tall just to make sure they are kept in check. I haven't seen a snail in over a month.

 

[TankGirl]

Yes, let me clarify that there are many types of algae that the snails will not handle, and the best way to deal with algae is to remove the nutrients that it feeds on, rather than finding something to eat it. If you get into a planted aquarium, however, you will find that snails are part of the deal. There are non-chemical related ways of dealing with unwanted snails, however, so it is not such a big deal. A few snails make another interesting thing to watch!

 

[purplestarfish]

Well thanks a bunch, guys! I'll definitely look out for the nerite snails mentioned by TankGirl. They look interesting . . . and I've shied away from the mystery snails already. "Mystery" is not exactly the impression I want to have; it only makes me think the employees at various stores have no idea what it really is! I'll keep a lookout. 8O

 

[TankGirl]

I got my nerites from Arizona Aquatic Gardens (azgardens.com) as I could not find this type of snail locally. They were cheap and arrived safe and sound, but before you order definitely read their shipping rules and guidelines, as their order-taking and shipping system is.. ahh.. unique!

 

[purplestarfish]

thanks for the link . . . if they arrived safely, maybe other things will do. Hmm . . . *muses* . . . that would be interesting. . . but I will take your advice! Thanks a guppy! (oh, sorry, that's a catch phrase of mine; since guppies are also known as millionsfish it only makes sense!)