Snails in filter media

[Pete w]

I have a 29 long tank that has been set up since August 2012. All fish are doing well. I have 2 hang on the back filters on whisper 30 and aguatec 20-40 filter. I change 5 gallons of water every week.
I was changing one filter media every other water change then I read on here to leave the filter media and just rinse it off. I started to do that when I took the media out last time to change it it had about 10 tiny snails In it is this a good thing or a bad thing? Media also looked cleaner the. I the past.

Snails are little grey snails believe they are pond snails. I do not mind them In the tank for now. I am little worried about a population explosion. If this happens I was going to get either clown loach or Asian snail

Sorry it was long winded but I was trying to put as much info in as I could

Pete

 

[Rivercats]

It's quite common for snails to get into filters and feed, therefore cleaning up, the media. I once had a colony of MT Snails in my Fluval 406 that was set up solely as a biological filter. I always have to pick some snails off when I clean my filters.

 

[Pete w]

So then it a good to leave them on there. I understand they eat the stuff on the filter but what about the snail waste?

 

[Rivercats]

Pond snails are small and babies are tiny so their waste isn't even worth counting IMO.