Snail Outbreak

[tbay2005]

Help! I have had a snail outbreak in my 30gal tank.

What can I do to get rid of them? Do I have to go as far as getting rid of the live plants and switching out the gravel?

I am trying the cucumber in a baby jar trick tonight to see how many I can trap but I read that that will not get rid of them, just help control them.

Also, will having an outbreak like this harm the fish at all?

Thanks

[toddnbecka]

The newest snail control method is to add some assassin snails to the tank to eat the "pest" snails. I do know they're available in Canada, but they may be hard to come by.
The simplest way to control snails is to cut back on feeding the fish. Outbreaks are directly proportionate to the amount of food available (whatever the fish don't eat.)
Copper sulfate (Had-a-Snail) solution will kill snails, along with shrimp or any other inverts in the tank, won't hurt fish or most plants. A piece of copper (coin, small pipe fitting, etc.) placed in the tank or filter will also work, just more slowly.
Live snails aren't generally a problem for fish unless there's so many that they overload the biofilter capacity.
If all else fails, patiently pick them out and squish them in your spare time.

[johnpeezy]

OKay this method works to reduce population of snails but not eradicate them.

also this method will involve buying fish (partily optional, but there isn't any fun in it)

step 1.) Go to LFS

step 2.a) Buy 2-3 botia stritara
step 2.b)Buy a pea puffer, for an empty existing tank (optional)
step 3.) go home, Acclimate fish and introduce to your tank

step 4.) Go to super market

step 5.) buy small zuchinni

step 6.) go home peel and cut in half lengthwise

step 7.) shove a WELL RINSED spoon through zuchinni

step 8.) wait until next morning

step 9.) remove zuchinni w/snails from the tank then remove snails from zuchinni

step 10.a) feed snails to puffer fish.(optional)
step 10.b)flush snails down toilet.

step 11.) use zuchinni once more and repeat

after that you should have a large portion of snial removed from the tank, and hopefully most of the bigger ones. If the botias do there job they should take care of the smaller snail running rampant around the aquarium.

and the steps with the pea puffer, yeah well. Thats just fun to watch.

[CAllain]

My suggestions would be:

1. Reduce feeding, snails often multiply when there is excess food available.

2. Squash any snails on the glass - it's kinda fun and it means that your existing fish can eat them. Or, if you don't want to squish them, just pick them out of the tank.


I wouldn't recommend buying fish just to eat snails, as they're often not guaranteed to, other than the puffers and they can also be fin nippers.

[Mvjnz]

I would just leave them personally. They used to bug me when I was new at it too, and I used to squash them.

But now I just think 'so what if there are snails? They don't hurt anyone'. I have heaps of big pond snails in 2 of my tanks, and they basically don't touch plants at all, but they do eat algae and leftover food. I just treat them like I would treat my mystery snails now. (Apart from occasionally feeding some to my loaches as a treat.)

So just don't worry about it. They don't do any harm.

[Gemstone]

I would just leave them personally. They used to bug me when I was new at it too, and I used to squash them.

But now I just think 'so what if there are snails? They don't hurt anyone'. I have heaps of big pond snails in 2 of my tanks, and they basically don't touch plants at all, but they do eat algae and leftover food. I just treat them like I would treat my mystery snails now. (Apart from occasionally feeding some to my loaches as a treat.)

So just don't worry about it. They don't do any harm.

I agree with you...although they tend to freak my husband out no end...

[Tolley]

step 2.a) Buy 2-3 botia stritara

Loaches need groups of atleast 6.

[bluekrissyspikes]

yes, loaches need a group of at least 6 with more current than a normal tank has. people should not be recommending someone get a fish just to eat snails when we don't know how big the tank is or what else is living in the tank. also, depending on the size and type of snail botia may not even want to eat them. feed less to your tank and you will have less snails. pick out the large ones if you can find em. doing the lettuce or cucumber trick regularly will help. if the snails are mts they will be quite helpful and useful members of your tank. if they are apple snails you can pick out the egg clusters. what do these snails look like? you can use different medications to poison the snails but this may cause an amonia spike in the tank and make it so that in the futur you can't keep any inverts so i wouldnt' really recommend that either. the snails will not harm your fish.

[johnpeezy]

yes, loaches need a group of at least 6 with more current than a normal tank has. people should not be recommending someone get a fish just to eat snails when we don't know how big the tank is or what else is living in the tank. also, depending on the size and type of snail botia may not even want to eat them. feed less to your tank and you will have less snails. pick out the large ones if you can find em. doing the lettuce or cucumber trick regularly will help. if the snails are mts they will be quite helpful and useful members of your tank. if they are apple snails you can pick out the egg clusters. what do these snails look like? you can use different medications to poison the snails but this may cause an amonia spike in the tank and make it so that in the futur you can't keep any inverts so i wouldnt' really recommend that either. the snails will not harm your fish.

you know I have read conflicting information regarding the ammount of loaches in an aquarium, I have two in mine no aggression between the two and they hang out and have a good time.

As far as loaches like a heavier current then most people have in there tanks, I have also read that zebra loaches actually like slower moving waters again more conflicting reports there too. I have had my zebra loaches in two diffrent tanks with to totally diffrent styles of filtration. One of which simply had an underpowered hang on back filter with next to no current. The other a multi filtered heavy current blackwater tank to simulate a river (as best as an aquarium will let me do). I have saw no diffrence in behavior between the two.

As far as me reccomending 2 or 3 zebra loaches in a 30 gallon tank. well, the post stated it was a thirty gallon tank and you are correct I should have asked what type of community the aquarium was housing.

I personally feel people shouldn't generalize the tank conditions of a fish species with the entire family, especially when there placing exact numbers of how many can be kept in captivity at once. I mean really, why is the magic number 6? I usually hear five, the reason why is because its the next highest odd number then three, personally I have had less confilts with schooling fish that I have kept in pairs rather then schools and it depends from species to species.

Clown loaches seem to be less tense when kept in larger numbers they feel more secure. Skunk loaches can be so overly aggressive they can be kept singly and still act secure. Zebra loaches are very timid usually found lounging at the bottom of the tank looking fat and happy, I mean if you want to see some quarrels break out among the zebra loaches by all means keep them in a group of 6 but I personally will stick with the excessivly peacful pair as in 2 zebra loaches that I have in my apistogramma cacuatoide tank soon to be removed because I'm going to start breeding up again, zebra loaches have a knack for eating eggs.....and snails.