Snail removal?

[RobD]

Okay, I have a tank full of ramshorn, and I really don't want them. Every night I pick out a couple and give them a nice tablesalt bath. I'm moving my equipment and fish to a new bigger tank, and I'd rather these guys not make the move. I've given as many as I can as gifts to co-workers, and they are telling me "No more" at this point.

So tonight, I was cleaning out my Eheim and I found dozens of these things growing in the filter. I did my best to keep them from going down the sink - last thing I want is them growing in my pipes. To "sanitize" my filter means losing my bacteria colony. I would hate to do it, but my bio-load is light at this point since I lost 4 of my 5 rams to a 160ppm nitrate spike a few days ago.

I'm not against chemicals at this point. Is this my only option to 100% eliminate these pesky little critters? If so, what is the best "nuke 'em dead" choice? I do not want to buy loaches to eat them because I'd rather not keep the loaches as part of my fish community. Baiting with the shot glass isn't a choice, for that means they are still there.

HELP!!!

[twoluvcats]

if you really want to go the chemical route, anything with copper in it will kill them...Had-A-Snail, Coppersafe...but even then you run the risk of tranferring a egg clutch and having them in your next tank.

you could try scrubbing the crap out of your filter media in old tank water...the eggs come off pretty easy and the snails will wash right off...that way you won't clobber your bacterial colony completley.

[discus4everGrl]

do you have live plants in your tank? If you do, when you transfer, give them a 1/20 part bleach dip and rinse very well. also, clown loaches love to eat them.