SNAILS

[bighit22]

im sure this question has been asked many times over, but i want your opinion. I have about a billion snails, i think theyre generic (come with aquarium rocks or somethin), but i dont want them! A few dont bug me, but when i get about 20+ its kinda aggravating. Other than loaches, does anyone have an easy suggestion to get rid of them. I probably wont mind doing it (whatever the solution is) a lot, i just dont want them getting a good hold on my tank.
Please help

 

[jumpfreak26]

I read somewhere else on this forum that the easiest way would be with a net belo your prey and and pluck em off into the net, them dump em in a cup and let em sit in the sun.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You can stick in a piece of cucumber or some such, and leave it in overnight, and pluck it out with a bunch of snails on it the next morning...

 

[tank_angel]

lettuce works also

 

[calikas]

snails breed that much?

ive been thinking of getting some,is this a mistake?

 

[bighit22]

I thnk in your case that would be fine. I have some that I didn't buy and I dont like them. But if its like not a generic snail, im sure you will like them. Make sure you like them because they breed like crazy.

 

[Toam]

If your having a serious problem with them breeding out of control, check your feeding, if a lot of flakes or pellets get to the bottom, that's fuel for the snails passion fire. In other words watch the feeding, and water levels, snails will breed like rabbits the minute you let extrra food reach em. Definitely go with the cucumber retrieval method, I'll throw in an algae tablet overnight, and in the morning I get a little ball of snails that I scoop out with my net, takes care of most of em. I've also heard of some chemical treatment, but I am not informed on that stuff at all, so I won't comment on it more than to say you could look up more on it, Snail B gone i think it's called>?

 

[jumpfreak26]

calikas, If your getting snails like at petsmart, then no they probaly wont bred as much, these are just ponds sanils, in which they can breed by themselves i think. so if you buy an apple snail or something like that, you should be fine
AS for the chemical treatment, i would not use it IMO, because it uses copper or something ot kil tthem, and ive heard that its not too good for your fish, so dont use any chemicals

 

[bighit22]

thanx toam. I think i have been overfeeding a little. There are particles that make it to the ground. Calikas, your snails will breed no matter what. But it is true. They will significantly less. You should be fine.

 

[jumpfreak26]

actually, apple snails and specialty snails like that, i beleive you need a male, and female, or a pair, at least to breed, only pond snails can breed withthemselves, ill look it up

 

[jumpfreak26]

Here it is http://www.applesnail.net/content/multi_languages/english.htm

 

[bighit22]

so um. no offense, but what about my problem? Does anyone have any further suggestions? I really dont want to have to buy a product if that can be helped. I will try some lettuce tonight.

 

[WickedQueen]

cooked (soft and cooled) cucumber, green bean, lettuce in the tank will attract them, as they flock to it, net them out of your tank.

If you have snails (apple / mystery or cana- and you do have to have a male and female to mate) and you have a breeding prob, they lay eggs above the water line. When you see an egg clutch just remove it.

 

[jumpfreak26]

well sorry , calikas asked so i answered.
I have read from others that they say they have the best luck with cucumber, i have also had them flock to a peice of drift wood too, but most people have had luck with cucumber

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

I heard the clown loach kills snails.

 

[jumpfreak26]

Think you missed something gerald, but yeah those are a good choice

Other than loaches, does anyone have an easy suggestion to get rid of them. I probably wont mind doing it (whatever the solution is) a lot, i just dont want them getting a good hold on my tank.
Please help

 

[Pure]

Clowns eat snails, but the problem with them is the get HUGE and are schooling fish. So large tanks will be needed to keep them.

I've tried every method mentioned, I've even gotten fed up and did a 10xs the recommended dose of copper sulfate (I think that's what it's called). The same base copper in the snail B gone stuff and in copper safe ich medication. None of this worked 100%

Some tanks the copper killed them but took a VERY VERY long time, other tanks it didn't touch them. Hell I've even baked my gravel at 350 degrees for an hr trying to kill MTS...A MONTH later found surviving adult MTS in that tank.

The only thing that I have found to work 100% is to dump your gravel, take down the tank and bleach everything!

Having a large cycled SNAIL FREE sponge filter makes setting the tank back up painless.