What to do with snails...

[Kaz]

Unwanted snails that is.

Do I kill them on site? Especially if I think that might be the only one so far?

Or can they be good?

The answer is killing, right?:18:

[Jacko]

What type of fish do you have? I find that alot of the larger fish love it when you crush up a snail, they'll dig right into it...

it also depends on the snail... if you like the way they look and don't mind if they multiply a bit, then don't kill it, if you don't like it... waste the little f-ers:hmm3grin2orange:

[korith]

Personally they are mynemesis, I kill them on sight.

Depends what kinds of snails you have, also whether your fish will eat them.

[geowashlaw]

yo-yo loaches are a nice small fish that will eat them for you

[KingFisher]

I like snails. They are in all my tanks. If their numbers start to get out of hand, I just scoop a bunch out. They eat algae and dead plant matter and help clean the glass.

[rich311k]

I like snails. They are in all my tanks. If their numbers start to get out of hand, I just scoop a bunch out. They eat algae and dead plant matter and help clean the glass.

I agree. They do not bother me at all. They are also a great signal if your over feeding the tank.

[PostalPenguin]

I have snails in my 29g but I kill them on site and after a I killed about 10 on friday I have not seen one since. The hydrogen peroxide treatments I was using for BBA seemed to drive them to the surface where I squished them with a fork.

I dont want any part of snails since I'd rather not wait and find out I have a pest species that eats plants.

[Z Fish Man]

I crush a few up against the glass every once and a while but they stay under control and don't bother me too much. My shrimp and fish seem to love the crushed ones though.

[Wild Turkey]

Most people who dont overfeed love snails. They are worth their weight for sure. If you dont already have an overwhelming snail problem my vote is to let the guy live, 99% of the time they are going to get into your tank eventually anyway.

[plantedlab]

Coolie loaches and dwarf freshwater puffers are also both excellent snail predators.

[Zilla]

Not everybody over feeds and not all that do not over feed like snails. I don't over feed my tank and I can't stand snails. I don't allow my cats and dogs to walk around covered with fleas because it's natural and I don't want snails in my tank either as they're the same as fleas in terms of their breeding habits.

The few that I had at one point were taken out and tossed in the trash. I wasn't willing to get a nasty infection just for the satisfaction of squishing a snail.

[Wild Turkey]

Thats why I said "most":hmm3grin2orange:

I dont keep them for the aesthetics, Snails are good for a lot of things but generally the aquarium looking natural isnt a factor for me. My tanks already look natural.

I keep them because they eat dead plants, algae, and some (mts) sift my substrate + a host of other things you would need to take care of by yourself other wise.

Snails in fw aquariums are beneficial unless you let them get out of control, and generally if you arent overfeeding snails arent going to be a problem.

Are you talking about water fleas?

[Zilla]

Sorry, I missed the Most part.

No, I was talking about plain ol' nasty blood sucking fleas found on warm-blooded animals. There are dog and cat owners out there that believe that such things are part of owning a dog or cat. That is until their homes become infested with them and their pets need a blood transfusion because of so much blood loss.

As for snails, I've come to the conclusion that people either like them or they don't, while the third group just tolerates them because they are too lazy to deal with them or can't be bothered.

I pulled everything out of my tank sans the plants and fish yesterday and found a snail floating around in the bucket I had everything soaking in this morning. Feh! I can't figure out where it came from as I haven't added new plants to the tank in weeks and they always get a 40 minute bath in PP before I add them.

The only new thing in the tank was a house thing I bought to hide a air stone I leave plugged into a emergency air pump if the power goes out. The box had been opened, so maybe it was left over from the previous owner. (?) Wherever it came from, it was dead. Apparently snails don't like scalding hot water, but now I'm on snail watch as I don't know if it was just one or if there are more.

[smaug]

Hate them or love them,snails are a fact of life in most tanks.If you got plants you will most always get trumpet snails and when you do you will never be rid of them.Nor should it be that big of a deal,they clean up xtra food,they eat small amounts of algae,I really find it comical to think of fish keepers watching there tank like a sniper,,,,,,,,,,,,,,waiting,,,,,,,,,,just waiting,,,lmao.Good luck in the quest:hmm3grin2orange:

[KingFisher]

Not everybody over feeds and not all that do not over feed like snails. I don't over feed my tank and I can't stand snails. I don't allow my cats and dogs to walk around covered with fleas because it's natural and I don't want snails in my tank either as they're the same as fleas in terms of their breeding habits.

The few that I had at one point were taken out and tossed in the trash. I wasn't willing to get a nasty infection just for the satisfaction of squishing a snail.


Fleas are a parasite , snails are not. If you don't like them, that's your personal choice, but they can be a beneficial part of the aquatic ecosystem in your tank. In a balanced system they will not overrun the tank and will help clean the glass and clean up any hidden food and dead plant matter. I don't see them as some type of plague or infestation that needs to be eradicated.

[Kaz]

Well I tried to kill them back on the beginning of page one, not activley I just tried to scoop it off the glass but I ended up just knocking it in the gravel/sand.

If I see it again the I'll leave it be though.

[fibertech]

I have bladder snails in my planted tank. Do I like them? Not really, but they do a good job with what they do, so I leave them alone.

[kennedpa]

yo-yo loaches are a nice small fish that will eat them for you


Im just saying loaches.... not mentioning what type :-O