Snails bad

[KPCustoms]

Have a 30 gallon nano cube that I am currently using for freshwater it is currently infested with hundreds of snails they just appeared one day. I was wondering what is the best way to kill the snails without hurting the fish. There is a blue orange gourami, 5 tetras 3 zebra danios and 1 gold bard that I can't get rid of. Any advice helps thank you

 

[TidBitz]

There are a couple fish that eat them puffer is one of them the red clawed crab eats them I believe there is a chemical also but I'd do that as last resort. Sorry I couldn't be more help maybe someone else can help more.

 

[KPCustoms]

I was looking at assassin snails someone said try that is that a good idea or will they just reproduce like crazy like then snails I already have?

 

[eduguy]

One way to get snails out is to put lettuce in the tank at night and there will be lots of snails on it in the morning. Repeat until they are all gone.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/snailsandworms/a/killingsnals.htm

 

[Rivercats]

Only add assissin snails if your sure you never want to add any good snails such as Malaysian Trumpet snails which aerate your substrate or nerite snails which are good at cleaning up add algae and bio-film, and can't reproduce in freshwater.

You can find instructions on DIY snail traps or you can get some leaf lettuce and hold it under hot water until it softens, place it in the tank and remove snails as they come to feed, which alot will be at night so you want to get them out as early in the morning as possible. A yo-yo loach could work in a 30g but little ones need to learn how to eat them from the shell. I have 3 yo-yo's in my 220g and the decimated my pond snail population which is what I wanted. They also have left my good MTS and nerites alone which makes me happy too. My guess without seeing them is that you have pond snails.

 

[FeldmansFish]

Assassin snails are what I'd go with because they can't reproduce asexually. Only get one. The downside is that now that there are a lot of snails in your tank, the A. Snail may not be able to kill them faster than they reproduce.
Another option would be to temporarily rehome all live stock , plants and filter media into a backup tank(except the snails ) and use a snail killing chemical. That stinks about your snail "apocalypse". Good luck!

 

[FeldmansFish]

Actually I take that chemical part back. +1 to the lettuce idea.

 

[KPCustoms]

I like the Lettuceidea I will go to the store and get some today and see how it works. Ya the bottom is covered and they are all over my plants and everything

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah chemicals to kill snails is copper alot of times and is something you really want to avoid using in a tank. It can be very hard to really get out of a tank completely once added and if you have any plants or shrimp it could be detremential to them.

 

[KPCustoms]

I can't get a yo-yo loach out here but I can get a dojo loach would that work?.

 

[Rivercats]

No, I think your going to have to go with one of the other methods.

 

[FatherKing]

I was having a similar problem in my 5gal Red Cherry Shrimp tank. I sunk a (clean) shot glass with a bottom feeder pellet in it. 24 hours latter there were about 30 snails and 0 RCS in it. Clean and repeat. I never heard of the lettuce idea. I guess it's just another version.

 

[Chris7495]

I can't get a yo-yo loach out here but I can get a dojo loach would that work?.

Yes dojo loaches will tear some snails up, I had that cleaned out a 36 gallon that had a bad snail problem.

 

[KPCustoms]

Ok I haven't had time to do anything but all of a sudden all the snails are gone it baffles me. Can anyone explain this?

 

[Kat767]

Ok I haven't had time to do anything but all of a sudden all the snails are gone it baffles me. Can anyone explain this?

They might have crawled out of the tank. If you want to trap them get a salt or pepper shaker that made of glass put a piece of lettuce in it wrap a piece of fishing line around the top for easy removal. Place in the tank at night and remove in the morning. Keep doing this tell you are no longer getting snails. Repeat when you notice sails.

 

[Rivercats]

Where the snails really little? If so your gourami or barb might just have eaten them. Pond snails don't have very hard shells at all and when I first had them I saw my adult angels eating the little pond snails. They have tried with Malaysian Trumpet Snail babies but the shells are too hard and they spit them back out.

If they were larger they are still in there somewhere. I still find a few pond snails and eggs in my filters. When you cut down on feeding your fish snail populations drop due to less available food.

 

[KPCustoms]

Ya they weren't that big there was just hundreds of them the bottom was almost completely covered I just counted and there are only like 3 bigger ones. Still thinking about getting the loach though I have wanted one for a while anyway.

 

[Rivercats]

Can you post a picture of them. Were they out towards evening and gone in the morning? And have shells like a dunce cone? If that is the case they are good snails, Mayalasian Trumpet Snails. They are actually live bearers and give birth to one baby at a time. If your tank is loaded with them that is an indication you are overfeeding your tank. MTS's live in the substrate, forage, and aerate the substrate. At night they come out to forage in the tank, then come morning light they go back into the substrate.

 

[KPCustoms]

Ya that's them the dunce cone spiral shaped ones ill take a picture when I get home. The fish eat all the food that I put in there is no bottom feeder in it. Idk if maybe that has something to do with it. If they are good I guess I'll just leave them alone.

 

[Rivercats]

I don't mind them and I have a 220g tank. They are rarely seen during the day and they help clean the substrate so I leave them alone.