Invasion of the snails! Help!!!

[JCarnes]

I have a 55 gallon planted aquarium and have had no issues with snails until my last plant purchase.

I purchased the plants online and when i got them home I left them in 2 gallons of tap water until I had time to plant them later that day.

I planted them and never noticed anything on them. Now a month later I saw one small snail climbing up my tank wall! And I know where there is 1 there are bound to be plenty more!

Currently the only bottom dwellers I have are 2 male cory cats. (I recently had a bacterial infection that took out 3 of my fish and 4 of my cory cats) I was waiting for everything to stabilize and make sure the infection is gone before I add more cory cats. I also want to add otos once the tank is more established.

But now I have snails... What is everyone's experience? Do I try to get rid of them completely, control their numbers, or just live with them?

I don't want my tank taken over by snails and I don't want them to bother my bottom dwellers or my plants. I had not intentions of keeping snails!

So any tips on maintaining, or destroying, or just your experiences would be very helpful!

Sent from my LG-LS970 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Brookster123]

Get some assassins or leave a veggie wafers in a small jar overnight and the snails will go in after the food!

 

[adlall18]

Highly recommend the assassin snails. I too had a snail infestation in my 10 gallon got two of those bad boys and within a week they're all gone. For my 40gal I got three dwarf puffers and again they took care of the snail population.

 

[JCarnes]

I am pretty sure that it is a bladder snail. Are they something that would be alright with my cory cats? I cant find assassin snails anywhere locally. And so far its one, although if there is one I am sure there are more.

Could I keep them in check with the vegetable treatment (putting zuchini in over night and taking it out in the morning)

Sent from my LG-LS970 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Brookster123]

Pm me if you want some assassins

 

[Jodisgermanshepherd]

I have 5 in my 72 gallon the burrow in the substrate but keep the snails waaay under control.

 

[freshwaterphish]

saw my first little snail in the corner of the tank.....not what i had planed but new the risk with live plant tank.......im in Tampa bay area anyone know where i can get a assassins snail around here? HELP PLEASE!!!!

 

[eastcarolinau]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your infestation. I accidentally introduced snails to my aquarium a few months back and think I finally have it under control -- but it took a lot of work. Here are a few ideas:

1. Lure Them Out: Sink a cucumber slice in the tank to attract the snails. Once they are on the cucumber, use a fish net to remove the it along with the snails. You can use lettuce that has been wilted in hot/boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I fought this one for a while -- it just seemed really cool. I would love to have released them somewhere, but I didn't want to introduce a possible nuisance.

2. Assassin Snails: They are known for eating pest snails, though I never saw mine on the hunt. They spent most of the day buried in the sand. But others swear by them so perhaps they were doing their job.

3. Clown & Yoyo Loaches: I'm told that the clown loach is great at eliminating snails, but they grow much too large for my small tank. Dwarf and other Puffers will do the job, too. Just be aware they are known to snip at other fish and will eat other critters, such as shrimp.

4. Removing Eggs: It's amazing how many eggs they can lay and how quickly they grow from juveniles to reproducing adults! I removed my plants from the tank and found TONS of eggs on the bottom of the leaves. I scrubbed them off and I'm leaving those plants in quarantine as I'm sure I missed eggs.

Also, keep a vigilant eye elsewhere in the tank to remove eggs. Filters, decorations, the tank glass -- they will be everywhere and ****ed hard to get off surfaces!

5. Other Stuffs: Some folks will eliminate the snails by crushing the juveniles against the glass and allowing their fish to eat them. Others use store bought water additives/chemicals, but I just don't like the idea of that. It can also harm/kill other critters like shrimp.

GOOD LUCK!!!!