Incredible population of MTS!

[smaug]

My 58 gal planted tank is overrun with mts snails.I have never seen anything like it myself.The substrate is at least 40% snails,probably 50% or more toward the front of the tank.Has anyone here ever had so many or seen a tank with so many?I would love to get a pic of the density level but atm I dont have a camera.

[Zilla]

Ick!

Do you overfeed? And have they busted your filter yet?

There was a article about MTS last year in TFH. It showed pictures of MTS packed in tight in a filter box. There were so many that they broke the filter impeller. Gross! I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it and I as a rule don't mind bugs, worms, snails, ect. Grubs are kind of nasty, but I can deal with them as long as I have gloves on.

[tanks4thememories]

My 58 gal planted tank is overrun with mts snails.I have never seen anything like it myself.The substrate is at least 40% snails,probably 50% or more toward the front of the tank.Has anyone here ever had so many or seen a tank with so many?I would love to get a pic of the density level but atm I dont have a camera.

OOOO is there a way you can sell me some? I need a bunch.:help:

[Sharkman]

yea would you care to ship some over the east side of PA. my assassin snails would appreciate it!

[smaug]

OOOO is there a way you can sell me some? I need a bunch.:help:
Your jk right?

[Rhaethe]

They may not be kidding, lol. I know some folks love having them in the tank to keep the substrate aerated as well as be a tasty snack for some fish species.

[smaug]

They may not be kidding, lol. I know some folks love having them in the tank to keep the substrate aerated as well as be a tasty snack for some fish species.
I wish there was a fish that could dent these muthas!I have 2 yoyos in there and they dont even touch them.A puffer is fast enough with a sharp enough beak to bite off there feet.I feed my fig 8 puffer the ones I get from my 58.I would try the assassins but I worry there much bigger exposed area would allow my yoyos to get them.

[tanks4thememories]

Your jk right?


No seriously I would love to get some. They are good Bala Shark treats and they are also great at stirring sand tanks.

[Rhaethe]

I wish there was a fish that could dent these muthas!I have 2 yoyos in there and they dont even touch them.A puffer is fast enough with a sharp enough beak to bite off there feet.I feed my fig 8 puffer the ones I get from my 58.I would try the assassins but I worry there much bigger exposed area would allow my yoyos to get them.


The couple times I tried MTS, my single sparkling gourami had them flipped and stripped before the day was out :hmm3grin2orange:

He still gives the two nerites I have (3 times bigger than he, mind you) the hairy eyeball.

[smaug]

You guys are talking about the little pointy varietys right?Nothing can bite through there shells but puffers.

[tanks4thememories]

You guys are talking about the little pointy varietys right?Nothing can bite through there shells but puffers.

Nope my Balas love them they suck em out like oysters...lol

In the past ive had 3 Balas go through 50 of them in about 3 months!!! Im itching to see what the 6 I have now will do...lol

[smaug]

Send me your bala!

[Rhaethe]

Yep. What I mean by flipped and stripped is shown in this video:

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Sid grabs hold of the meat of the snail before it can retract and slurps it out of the shell. Very much like the dwarf puffer in the video. They are almost the same size, too.

[tanks4thememories]

Send me your bala!

heheh im trying to figure out how I can get you to send me some MTS...lol

[tanks4thememories]

Yep. What I mean by flipped and stripped is shown in this video:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Sid grabs hold of the meat of the snail before it can retract and slurps it out of the shell. Very much like the dwarf puffer in the video. They are almost the same size, too.


Gosh puffers are sooooo cute...its the eyes...lol

[smaug]

Yeah,I know puffers do it but I have never seen anything else be able to get a grab on mts,Im a bit doubtful and would simply have to see any other fish do it,the best way for me to become a believer would be for you all to send me your mts snail eating fish lol.
That dwarf puffer vid was cool.If I had a batch of them they would be the fattest puffers on earth!!

[tanks4thememories]

Yeah,I know puffers do it but I have never seen anything else be able to get a grab on mts,Im a bit doubtful and would simply have to see any other fish do it.


Well send me some ill pay shipping and ill videotape it for ya...:)

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Rhaethe]

I tried taking a video once. Came out far too blurry .... and then I decided to try to wean Sid off of snails so he'd stop pecking at the nerites, so I've not procured any MTS since then.

[smaug]

I just watched that vid the whole way through,they are mezmerizing to watch.My fig 8 is a blast on these things,I cant get pics of him,he is just way to shy.

[Rhaethe]

Yeah, I love the way they just circle-strafe around the unsuspecting snail ... the entire time giving said snail the "I'M A GONNA EAT YA!" hairy eyeball look.

[toddnbecka]

Years ago I had a 30 set up with a pea-size gravel substrate and UG filter. I didn't have any clue there were so many snails lurking in the gravel until I happened to turn on the lights and look in the tank one night after it had been in the dark for several hours. The entire gravel bed surface was covered with them, and there were more on the larger rocks, glass, etc. It actually looked like the gravel was moving. Never before or since have I had that many of them in any of my tanks. They're currently confined to the 10 gallon, for unknown reasons they seem to have died off in the other tanks. Plenty of empty shells but no live mts, just ramshorns running amok now.

[Northernguy]

Thats why I switched to sand.I had a pond snail infestation.
My gravel was moving too.
When you have a few in the tank its not so bad but when they get thick its kinda gross!lol

[souly]

I hvae two very small snails in my tank with Grey shells. I need see pics of these snails to make sure I wont have to wrry about this lol

Edit: I googled them, and that is not the snails in my tank....

[VoidParadigm]

@Souly - There are dozens of different species called Pond Snails. Just because yours aren't the same as one person's "Pond Snail" doesn't mean you won't get an infestation on your hands. =P :hmm3grin2orange: I have two species of "Pond Snail" in my eight gallon, for example.

In any case, I bet my planted Twenty would be the envy of any snail-hating Aquarist. The numbers have never exceeded four. Had a problem in my 5 gallon for a while, but they failed at competing with my shrimp for food. *shrugs* 1 foot vs. 6 legs... easy to see who'll get to the food first! :lol:

[souly]

I've just those two...for about....6 months now.....

[VoidParadigm]

You're likely fine, then.