Snails in tank!

Jwoody

Medium Fish
May 14, 2010
77
0
0
#1
Hello all,
Today I just got back from vacation and noticed two small snails in my 20 gallon high fish tank, the only thing that is in it right now are two small gourami's and an algae eater, I was wondering what would be the best way to get rid of the snails assuming that there are more than just the two that I saw.

Thanks
 

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#4
Hello; Snails are proven to be very beneficial to have in tanks in my experience.
They can be. Some snails reproduce like rats/mice and are a huge problem. If you are unsure what type it is its best to eradicate it soon. If you want snails do research before you decide to purchase or keep as well. I had one snail infestation and would not wish this problem on anyone. I thought the same thing!! Snails will help the tank, boy, was I so WRONG!!! I ended up buying two 10G temporary tanks while I took my 40G long all the way down to nothing and let it set for a week after bleaching and vinegar treatments to the the tank to get rid of them. This was my 1995 tank disaster LOL.
 

skjl47

Large Fish
Nov 13, 2010
712
0
0
Northeastern Tennessee.
#5
Hello; The benefits of having snails have always far outweighed any negatives. The population of snails can be controled in several ways, with the best being careful about overfeeding the fish. An excessive number of snails is likely a clue that there is a lot of extra food available and it may be some benefit in that they are consuming the excess in place of the food spoiling in the tank.

I have not, however, kept every type of snails and it may be that the ones you have are not so desireable. Perhaps you can describe them or snap and post a photo.

I always try to have live plants in my tanks and find snails a great boon in planted tanks. In a little over 50 years of keeping planted tanks I only had one setup without snails. It may have only been a fluke, but that tank wound up with some of the worst algae problems that I have ever encountered.

You likely do have eggs or very small snails in the tank.

There have been several posts and threads on the subject of snails that can be searched on this forum. Some do not want them at all. They are found in the natural aquatic environments and seem proper to have in my tanks. Good luck with which ever path you choose.
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#6
The benefits of having snails have always far outweighed any negatives. The population of snails can be controled in several ways, with the best being careful about overfeeding the fish. An excessive number of snails is likely a clue that there is a lot of extra food available and it may be some benefit in that they are consuming the excess in place of the food spoiling in the tank.
I could not agree more with this. I have always found snails a good indicator of the feeding level of a tank. Whether a planted tank to enjoy or a fry grow-out tank, snails are a good way to know if you are overfeeding.
 

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#8
Snails are good, every tank I have has snails. BUT THEY ARE IDENTIFIED!!!!!!!!!!!! My disaster in 1995 was when I bought more plants to add to my already well planted tank. I had hitch hikers, pond snails and ramshorn snails. These snails DONT need food, they devoured my plants and multiplied like the national debt!!!!! Hundreds of dollars worth down the drain. If you want to keep snails you are best off with trumpet snails, rarely do they eat plants and only multiply if there is ample food. Second choice is the apple snail, they eat some plants though so be careful. Snails are awesome, don't get me wrong on that fact. The fact I am trying to get across is that some snails can be pests and not pets. Snails come in different types, just like fish come in different types. When they say snails are good and do not tell you what snail they know are good is like saying a fish is good for your tank so you go buy a random fish (oscar) and put it with your guppies because fish are good. Disaster RIGHT!!!! Snails are not good for your planted tank either, many eat plants like the ramshorn and the pond snail. Trumpet snails on the other hand are great for planted tanks. Just saying snails are good for tanks is WAY BAD ADVICE if you do not tell them what snail is right for a tank type. Its like saying fish are good for tanks filled with water. The right snail for your tank will be awesome, the wrong snail can be an overwhelming burden. That is why I said if you are unsure of the ID of the snail you should eradicate it to ensure you do not have any problems.
 

skjl47

Large Fish
Nov 13, 2010
712
0
0
Northeastern Tennessee.
#9
Snails are good, every tank I have has snails. BUT THEY ARE IDENTIFIED!!!!!!!!!!!! My disaster in 1995 was when I bought more plants to add to my already well planted tank. I had hitch hikers, pond snails and ramshorn snails. These snails DONT need food, they devoured my plants and multiplied like the national debt!!!!! Hundreds of dollars worth down the drain. If you want to keep snails you are best off with trumpet snails, rarely do they eat plants and only multiply if there is ample food. Second choice is the apple snail, they eat some plants though so be careful. Snails are awesome, don't get me wrong on that fact. The fact I am trying to get across is that some snails can be pests and not pets. Snails come in different types, just like fish come in different types. When they say snails are good and do not tell you what snail they know are good is like saying a fish is good for your tank so you go buy a random fish (oscar) and put it with your guppies because fish are good. Disaster RIGHT!!!! Snails are not good for your planted tank either, many eat plants like the ramshorn and the pond snail. Trumpet snails on the other hand are great for planted tanks. Just saying snails are good for tanks is WAY BAD ADVICE if you do not tell them what snail is right for a tank type. Its like saying fish are good for tanks filled with water. The right snail for your tank will be awesome, the wrong snail can be an overwhelming burden. That is why I said if you are unsure of the ID of the snail you should eradicate it to ensure you do not have any problems.
Hello; I find things in this post to agree with such as that some snails can be pests in the sense that they sometimes eat the live plants, so it is a good idea to determine what they type they are if you can.

I cannot comment directly about pond snails eating plants, but have a long experience with the ramshorn and trumpet type. The ramshorns do not eat the majority of my plants at all and have generally only snacked lightly on the more delicate plants such as an amazon sword. I find this tends to happen when they get to around nickle size and in my case they don't do it very often. At that point I either move them to another tank or crush them with some plires and feed them to the fish. This is a known source of fresh live food that my fish have enjoyed for decades. The trumpet snails are live bearers and will stay in the substrate during the day and venture out in the dark. They are sort of like the aquatic equal of earthworms in that they burrow thru the gravel to find food and provide some of the same sort of benefits.

To the OP, There are a lot of very diverse opinions about the methods of fish keeping and you will find most of them in threads on this and other fishkeeping forums. Do some searches. In the end you will have to choose a way of doing things that suits you. So far in your thread I have posted about a problem tank without snails and another has posted about a problem tank with snails. Being slammed on these threads is a somewhat common experience, I have enough time in the hobby to know what has worked for me and try to offer what advantage my experience my offer.
 

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#10
Hello; I find things in this post to agree with such as that some snails can be pests in the sense that they sometimes eat the live plants, so it is a good idea to determine what they type they are if you can.

I cannot comment directly about pond snails eating plants, but have a long experience with the ramshorn and trumpet type. The ramshorns do not eat the majority of my plants at all and have generally only snacked lightly on the more delicate plants such as an amazon sword. I find this tends to happen when they get to around nickle size and in my case they don't do it very often. At that point I either move them to another tank or crush them with some plires and feed them to the fish. This is a known source of fresh live food that my fish have enjoyed for decades. The trumpet snails are live bearers and will stay in the substrate during the day and venture out in the dark. They are sort of like the aquatic equal of earthworms in that they burrow thru the gravel to find food and provide some of the same sort of benefits.

To the OP, There are a lot of very diverse opinions about the methods of fish keeping and you will find most of them in threads on this and other fishkeeping forums. Do some searches. In the end you will have to choose a way of doing things that suits you. So far in your thread I have posted about a problem tank without snails and another has posted about a problem tank with snails. Being slammed on these threads is a somewhat common experience, I have enough time in the hobby to know what has worked for me and try to offer what advantage my experience my offer.
I understand completely and agree with you. If my post seems slamming to anyone I am sorry and apologize. I just want to point out that "snails" is a generic word like fish. I assumed generically that "snails are good" when I seen them in my planted tank. I knew then that one should ALWAYS research a fish before you get one. That thought never even registered with me about a snail until it was to late. So before buying or upon discovering new life in your tank research and ID. to be sure what you are getting or what hitch hiked into your tank. I am blessed with the benefits of snails but I have also been cursed by them as well because I fell victim to the saying "snails" are good for your tank. When really there are "certain types of snail" that can benefit your tank. I think its wonderful that people are so helpful here and free giving of experience and info. Once again if anyone was offend I am truly sorry. I only meant to point out that snails should be referred to as its species type as we do fish and not just as snail. Any good advice it worth being specific to detail.
 

Thyra

Superstar Fish
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#11
I really didn't think anyone was "slamming" anyone, I just thought it was an interesting discussion based on experience. I agree with knowing what goes into the tank so one has some idea of the outcome and how much maintenance it might or might not cause. My concern is having them multiply, not finding enough food, then dying and polluting the tank - particularly if I don't have the kind of fish that will munch on dead snails. I have heard on this forum that if I have just one "Mystery" snail in a tank, it won't reproduce and I have also heard that it will. I also haven't been able to learn for sure whether "Mystery" and "Apple" snails are the same. I had one about a year ago. It lived about a week and was in an established tank with' among other community fish, otos and neons. I haven't approached the idea since.
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#13
I have heard on this forum that if I have just one "Mystery" snail in a tank, it won't reproduce and I have also heard that it will. I also haven't been able to learn for sure whether "Mystery" and "Apple" snails are the same.
Apple and Mystery snails are one and the same. This website is helpful to learn about them.

The Apple Snail (Ampullariidae) Website

You need a male and female to breed, so a single one will not be able to reproduce. However, if a female was with a male, they can store sperm and lay fertile eggs for awhile when alone (just as some livebearer fish do).
 

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ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#14
A lot of the time, "good" or "bad" is a matter of opinion. At first I absolutely hated them, but once the population evened out, I began to see the benefits- but see, that took me a good year of being frustrated by them :p ! To keep the population low- if you just want a few, just crush one on the glass whenever you see it. The fish will eat it. Or, like bob said, try some copper..
 

Denn

New Fish
Jul 17, 2011
5
0
0
#15
If there was only two of them, I would leave the small snails alone. But however, if they get too big, it will start to become a nuisance as the live plants leaves will suffer. The choice is yours.
 

Jwoody

Medium Fish
May 14, 2010
77
0
0
#16
Yes they are just ramshorn snails, they dont seem to be doing any damage to the plants, they probably just came from the pet store, but I am being very carfull with feeding the fish, I have cut back, but thanks for all the help guys!!!