Invertebrates & Rid A Snail?

[aquasteph]

Ok basically I have a lot of pest snails and I'm really getting sick of it. I have "Rid A Snail" It's a bottle of blue stuff basically but according to the instructions it will harm my invertebrates. So my plan is to remove my ghost shrimp & mystery snails and put them in breeders in my crab tank for the time being.

Here's my question: How long should I wait to return my invertebrates to the tank? And do I need to do a water change first? What percent?

:help:

[korith]

You might have a problem. Snail killing products are usually lethal to inverts, long after they have been added to the tank. You'll need to do a few large water changes. You need to remove as much of the rid a snail product as you can. The tank may not be safe for inverts for a long time. I think the active ingredient is copper in it. It affects the larval stage in shrimp and is pretty much just lethal to snails.

May want to make a snail trap of some sort, like a water bottle, cut in half and then inverted. Place some food in it, and the snails start congregating there. The shrimp should jump out of the way when you grab the bottle. You'll probably never be rid of the snails this way, but should be able to cut down on the numbers. I'd avoid using chemicals in any tanks you want to keep inverts in.

[Alfcea]

The blue stuff is copper sulphate (CuSO4). It will kill all invertebrates. Cu, as an element, will not be degraded to simpler substances, so once it is in your tank, basically the only way to eliminate it is by several, large water changes. Does your water conditioner indicate that it contains "chelating agents" or that it "makes heavy metals safe"? If it does, I would overdose it with every water change (50% daily) and add charcoal to your filter for two weeks. I would then put the shrimp back in the tank. I have treated a snail infestation with CuSO4 in the past and now I have shrimp too. It is doable, but you have to know what you are doing.

You might also want to take a look at this (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/snail/coppersnail.php).

[Algenco]

If you use the "had a snail" you might want to try THIS (http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/CupriSorb.html)

[Northernguy]

I tore my tank down and replaced my substrate to get rid of my snail infestation.
I wanted sand anyway!lol Rinse your filter a few days before the change if thats what you decide.You have many snails and eggs in there too!:22:
I also washed all my decorations and driftwood in hot tap water to kill off any snail eggs.

[aquasteph]

alright
lots to digest! i will rethink this.

thanks for your advice all of you!

[plantedlab]

I have found that a couple of dwarf puffers will wipe out a snail problem.

They will also eat the baby shrimp, so it will slow down your breeding. But if there is enough cover, the colony will thrive. I have some in my 55 that will sometimes "visit" the 30 gal shrimp colony do deal with the snails. When I do this I keep them in there for at least two months to minimize stress.

[Wild Turkey]

I agree with Al, if you use those type of "meds" you will need something to absorb the copper or you wont be able to put the inverts back without risking their lives

[rich311k]

I would go with manual removal. Taking them out and limiting feeding in the tank will keep them under control. Try putting a leaf of lettuce in the tank and remove the leaf in the morning, it should be covered in snails.

[Wild Turkey]

I would go with manual removal. Taking them out and limiting feeding in the tank will keep them under control. Try putting a leaf of lettuce in the tank and remove the leaf in the morning, it should be covered in snails.
:goodpost: :yeahthat: