External Canister filter with i think snails?

[insanegirl]

Hello,

today i noticed a lot of little black things in my canister filter. they look like snails.. if it is how did they get there? and what type of snails is it? is having snails in the filter bad or good for the cycle and fish tank. if i remove them will i destroy the cycle. right now i been having perfect water levels for about 2 months and i have had the tank running for 3 months. HELP.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Those are pond snails.. they're not harmful to plants or anything. However, they can multiply like crazy if you over feed. They'll crawl up the intake of your filter periodically. I don't see an issue with the filter other than if there's too many, they might cause issues with the impeller. So with that in mind, I'd remove the ones I see from the filter during normal maintenance schedules.

If you want to easily reduce the numbers of these snails, you can place a piece of lettuce in the tank and remove it the next morning with them on it. Or you can try assassin snails.

 

[dcutl002]

Those are pond snails.. they're not harmful to plants or anything. However, they can multiply like crazy if you over feed. They'll crawl up the intake of your filter periodically. I don't see an issue with the filter other than if there's too many, they might cause issues with the impeller. So with that in mind, I'd remove the ones I see from the filter during normal maintenance schedules.

If you want to easily reduce the numbers of these snails, you can place a piece of lettuce in the tank and remove it the next morning with them on it. Or you can try assassin snails.

I can vouch for snails causing impeller problems. The canister motor was clicking and the water quit pumping. I took the filter apart and a snail was caught up in the impeller.

 

[insanegirl]

thats interesting. i wonder how i got them because i got an 150 gallon tank and there are none inside the tank only in the filter. i was reading online that having them in the filter can help with the beneficial bacteria, is that true? will they cause more problems than actual cleaning? i heard that clown loaches love to eat them. i got 3 of them inside the tank should i put some in the tank for them to eat? is it safe for them to eat it or they can contain harmful disease or something? also i got a lot of plants inside the tank so if i put some in the actual tank will they eat the plant. in addition, i got a outside pond with turtles should i put some in with them so they can clean the pond. if so and if the turtles eat them will that cause the turtle any harm cause of transfer diseases and so. how did they get inside my filter in the first place? should i even put them in the actual tank or pond or keep them in the filter? what would you recommend? i was reading they got lungs, will they survive out of the water or no?

thanks in advance for answering all my questions.

 

[dcutl002]

thats interesting. i wonder how i got them because i got an 150 gallon tank and there are none inside the tank only in the filter. i was reading online that having them in the filter can help with the beneficial bacteria, is that true? will they cause more problems than actual cleaning? i heard that clown loaches love to eat them. i got 3 of them inside the tank should i put some in the tank for them to eat? is it safe for them to eat it or they can contain harmful disease or something? also i got a lot of plants inside the tank so if i put some in the actual tank will they eat the plant. in addition, i got a outside pond with turtles should i put some in with them so they can clean the pond. if so and if the turtles eat them will that cause the turtle any harm cause of transfer diseases and so. how did they get inside my filter in the first place? should i even put them in the actual tank or pond or keep them in the filter? what would you recommend? i was reading they got lungs, will they survive out of the water or no?

thanks in advance for answering all my questions.

Snails can come out of thin air I think. They just appear. They are harmless, but can become an unsightly nuisance fast. Clown loaches will eat them and it will not hurt them. Snails are a natural food for Clown loaches. If the snails annoy you then toss them, if you do not have the heart for that then purchase about 4 clown loaches. Clowns can get about 8-10 inches long so be careful on the quantity that you purchase.

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi. I have Malayan Trumpet Snails and rate them highly for the job they do but pond snails are just a menace. They damage live plants and also breed prolifically. Unfortunately I have a few pond snails on my tank and remove every one I see, no matter how small, on a daily basis. A year down the line and they are still there but very few. But one place I don't want them is in the filter. Eventually one will block your impeller, it's just a matter of when.


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[evil Nick]

If you have larger fish just pull the snails out and mush them between your fingers. Drop them in the tank and watch your fish go nuts. Mine love them. I swear. They've learned they're food and hunt them. I saw my angle trying to peck one off the glass with no luck. I'm pretty sure my molly digs around for the small ones in my gravel now

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[Delapool]

Snails can come out of thin air I think. They just appear. They are harmless, but can become an unsightly nuisance fast. Clown loaches will eat them and it will not hurt them. Snails are a natural food for Clown loaches. If the snails annoy you then toss them, if you do not have the heart for that then purchase about 4 clown loaches. Clowns can get about 8-10 inches long so be careful on the quantity that you purchase.

You could try yo yo loaches which get to about 4 inches. I have 3 of these in a 150 gal tank. Not sure how they compare to clown loaches for 'loachy' behaviour.

 

[dcutl002]

I have 4 clown loaches in one tank...I pick snails from the other tanks to feed them. There is an evil method to my madness. ?


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[Delapool]

I have 4 clown loaches in one tank...I pick snails from the other tanks to feed them. There is an evil method to my madness. ?


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Sounds brilliant

If I could take the bn catfish back, I'd swap them for loaches.