It's a Snailpocalypse!

[shadoh]

Just wondering what everyone does to rid their tanks of snails. I've spent months fighting hair algae, then blue/green algae. Now I have that under control and the tank looking nice, the snail population is out of control. I easily collect a handful of snails each morning only to have them replaced just as quickly.

I got up this morning to find half of my favorite plants have been eaten through at the base and the tops floating on the surface. I want to get things under control before replacing them, but worry there will be nothing left. Please help!

[Fletch]

Snail trap. Also the clown loach is a good option. :-).

[Sarah]

I've personally never had too much of a trouble with snails (although remember parents saying so, but this was when I was just learning to walk).

So can't help you there, personally I'd tear the tank down and rather than burn it, sanitise, dip everything in PP and hope for the best. But then you'd have to re-cycle.

[Marianne]

I wouldn't get clown loach, they get way too big. Pakistani loach or any of the other smaller species will do the same job, and they're cute :)

[Fletch]

My Pakistani loaches didnt eat enough to dent the population. Bought 4 clown loaches, six months later when I had no snails, returned them to store for credit.

[forever_and_a_day]

increasing CO2 helps. i only see the occasional snail now. not sure if they went into hiding or died, but at least i never see them anymore, so i'm happy

[Matt_95]

First we need to know what sort of snails you have, Google rams horn snail, pond snail, mini rams horn and MTS if you don't know what they look like... Control is different for every species. If your snails are repopulating that fast though it means your over feeding, cut back on feeding a lot and a heap of them will die off, they can only use what you add in, they really shouldn't be eating your plants, are you sure something else isn't gong on?

[Yanagi]

I've had clown loaches - helpful slightly, but dug up everything so counterproductive. I've had pakistani loaches - they did an AWESOME job but they grew like wildfire and 5 out of 5 of them ripped the fins of my fish when they got bored and started hunting my tetras.

DWARF CHAIN LOACHES FOR LIFE <3 Worth paying through the nose for them, it really is.. IME.

[Fletch]

I find it amazing that we have all had so many different experiences with the same fish.

Not much help really, we all contradict each other. Lol.

[SiameseFightingFist]

I was thinking of getting some yoyo loaches for the snails but now I don't know anymore.

[shadoh]

Matt, I've got both pond and ramshorn snails. And yes, I am 99.999% sure it is the snails. They cover the plants, them move on when there's nothing left. I think the best thing to do is employ a 3 pronged attack - loaches (will continue research on which one), traps and CO2...

[Bettarazzi]

I meticulously removed a ramshorn snail plague manually. Although I've never had as many as you have. A handful every day? That's a lot. But surely there can't be that many handfuls? Try sinking a bottle with some zucchini stuffed in it but you need to lift the bottle early in the morning before lights go on. I haven't tried it. I think I read it somewhere.

Copper will also kill them.

[Matt_95]

If you are going to gas them with CO2 you will need pressurized CO2' the tank will need to be sealed and it will need to be blasting out for days to kill them... That's really strange they are eating your plants, they usually only eat dead or dying plants matter, they will be attracted to dying plants and eat it as it dies however... That is very strange if they are eating them. Try dosing with No planeria, it will knock a fair few back and cut back the feeding, if you use something to kill them off they will return unless you fix the root of the problem.

Be careful if your using copper, they can withstand doses used to medicate fish and I wouldn't attempt to keep shrimp in a tank after you have doused copper, the substrate absorbs it and so does the silicon. Reefers wont ever add invertabrates to tanks that have ever been exposed to copper.

[les]

Hey Jarrod

No planaria realy works wonders as does snail traps I cut a plastic coke bottle so that the top is inverted and glue it in place and put some steamed zuchinni in it make it steamed becouse as Mighty Matt said they realy like it decaying. I havent had them hit the healthy plants only ones that are on there way out. I do agree with matts theory of overfeeding when I cut back snails wernt so much of a prob

Good luck, and I do know the fustration of it all

Cheers

Les

[Neffy]

This is my problem every morning as well, bucket loads of snails i hate it

i like the trap method =D might give that a shot!

[shadoh]

The thing is, I'm not overfeeding, if they were full, they wouldn't be eating my plants. I noticed hundreds of baby ramshorn snails last night in my other (3 ft) tank - too tiny to pick up by hand- will have to make a trap for that tank. No overfeeding in that tank either - only one betta in it while cycling and only gets 4-5 micro pellets a day which are all eaten before they hit the ground.

[les]

Hi Jarrod

I think then if its not a feeding prob and you have so many small snails use No Planaria, Jodie stocks it and as long as you dont have shrimp in the tank it dosnt affect Betta from what I have seen I know how frustraiting snails can be as I had a big prob myself but now I cleen all new plants by soaking in a bleach solution 1 part bleach to 19 parts water for 10 Min then rinse well that also getts rid of hair alge. I hope you find a way to reduce them if not exterminate them

Cheers

les

[Matt_95]

Actually, you can have shrimp in the tank, it was developed for shrimp keepers as something they can use as copper is more toxic to shrimp than snails. You may need to OD the no planeria as snails are way tougher and you may need to does twice the recommended time, a heap will still survive though.

[shadoh]

Will try loaches and traps until I can get my hands on no planeria.

Shun the non believers!!!

On the Glass:

On the plants:

My once lush 4ft tank:

Before:

After:

[shadoh]

Before:

After:

[Matt_95]

Have you changed anything in the tank? I notice it is the bottom leaves going, this often happens to stems when not as much lighting reaches their bases or water current isn't as good as it could be around the base of the stems, my guess is something has changed, maybe the lights have gotten older or the filter has slowed down a bit, if the snails were eating it whilst still healthy they would eat the whole thing not just the bottom leaves, I would guess some change has caused the lower leaves to die off and the snails are eating them as they die. It's happening in my tank as well ATM while I wait for new gear...

[shadoh]

Nothing major has changed. The only dramatic change is the algae is gone. This tank has always had next to no current. The snails seem to start at the base, work their way to the top of the stem, then devour the stem. I had some of that floating plant from Paul that was growing really well and had given me many generations of pups. One night I noticed holes in the leaves. I looked underneath and saw lots of small snails. It was 1am, so I figured I would leave it till morning. Got up the next morning and the majority of the leaves were gone. The few that were left had been severed from the main plant. That was the beginning of the end.

[Matt_95]

That's the way the stems go, the tubes in my light are getting old, that's why mine is doing it, how old are yours? There was no soft spots around the water sprite where the snails where eating it?

[shadoh]

My tubes aren't that old. I'll swap them over anyway and see if that makes a difference!

[Matt_95]

They need to be changed every 3 months I think it is... Or maybe 6. Try wiping down the splash gaurd also.