# Snails.. how do I get rid of them?



## jamezgt (Feb 17, 2009)

So I bought a 135 gallon this weekend with gravel and driftwood, and I added two amazon swords in the tank with it. Four days later (today) I came downstairs and found 6 (1cm) snails on the driftwood, swords and gravel. They are repopulating fast. Can someone tell me if they are harmful to my fishes, and how to get rid of them?

Thank you!


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## FishyCracker (Feb 5, 2009)

Depending on what your plans are, you could get some fish to get rid of your snails. Some Clown Loaches would do the trick.


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## jamezgt (Feb 17, 2009)

FishyCracker said:


> Depending on what your plans are, you could get some fish to get rid of your snails. Some Clown Loaches would do the trick.


Whoops - I failed to mention that I have six red belly piranhas. The driftwood that I bought had some sort of grassy plant on it, I'm assuming they came along with the driftwood.

Are they harmful in any way, would my piranhas eat them, and how can I remove them?


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

pick them out? lol

There is a product you could buy called "Snail B Gone". Although if there's a lot it could cause ur tank to crash or so I was told from a big al's employee when I asked about it. I don't know if it can hurt the piranhas though. As for the snails hurting anything, it's unlikely. Depending on the type of snail they will either eat left over bits (if there are any), eat algae or plants. Maybe the fish will eat them, piranhas eat just about everything else don't they?

Good luck
Ross


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## jamezgt (Feb 17, 2009)

I'm going to boil all the driftwood that came with the aquarium, as well as remove all the java moss that's on the driftwood. Hopefully that would get rid of them - thanks guys!


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## sawman88 (Sep 29, 2008)

lol pirhanas? you need not worry about snails. i would not recommend the chemicals.. one thing i do is throw in a pice of lettuce or cucmber and in the morning it will be covered in snails.remove the food and repeat.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

that isn't likely to get rid of them "all", it may get rid of any snails still on the wood or in the moss, but if any got off, which is very likely. Good luck though


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

If they are pond snails they wont really hurt anything and you fish might eat them . You can try to put a piece of zucchini in there and take it out when the snails are on it . Put a piece in the microwave for 2 minutes then cool it and put it in your tank it should sink. Once the snails are bigger though they will lay eggs.


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## aquanic (Oct 7, 2008)

*snails, snails, snails.*

I have a few baby pond snails roaming around my two 55g, whenever I see one I crush it. Pretty simple solution, but it seems to be working as every day there's less and less. Today I found none. I'll see what tomorrow brings. Aquanic


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## ozi (Aug 23, 2007)

i would just let the snails in there.
they will be your cleaning team after the mess your piranhas make when feeding. though whenever you notice the snail population is getting to big, do what the others adviced you and you can collect most of them that way.
you can then crush them and feed them your piranhas


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Good cleaning crew, just leave 'em be.

You overfeed? They clean up!


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

I used to have lots of pond snails in my 55 gallon tank. At first I hated them, but I got used to them. And as Chris S says they feed on whatever left overs they can find. They don't seem to eat plants either so that's good to


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

every time you see snails come up for air get your net and bother them they will let go and you can net them .
picking them with fingers is impossible ...
I just cleared my tank of snails last night with the net and now Im snail free with the odd 1 coming up for air !
Now to wait for eggs to hatch to get em lol
much easier with a small net !


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## dori (Feb 21, 2009)

Leave them be... cycling with fishes may be inhumane, killing snails is too IMO as they are not a parasite.

When I started out I actually went to a pond looking for snails. Pond snails were half milimeter in diameter on back of leaves and rocks. I took 20 or so that grew and reproduced and populated my tank to a balanced number. They keep it clean and are fun to watch! They don't eat any plants and don't grow bigger then 1cm in diameter for some reason.

I also got a small ramshorn (half cm diameter) about 6 months ago that I never saw, and it might have reproduced because I just saw another one of same size last week but this one had a translucent shell (my home-bred snails tend to have this... may be due to lack of calcium, dunno). Either way, they don't reproduce nearly as well as pond snails.

And blossom... I thought aquatic snails breath through their skin.. they don't need to get to the surface (at least the case for pond snails). They can thrive in very stale low-oxygen water too.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

WELL I guess eating snails is inhumane too yet millions eat them .
When the snails make more poop then your fish its time to feed them to the dog or toss them in the garbage!!!!
It is not healthy for your system to be overrun by snails !


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## jamezgt (Feb 17, 2009)

Alright guys thanks for the information. There's like 5 in there right now, and they're coned shape. I think they're trumpet snails? They're not doing any harm they're just chilling in the gravel eating some stuff. Here's my tank now after a week!


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

OH very nice tank ....
and I never take the trumpets out  
Oh I love your tank!!!!!!!!!!!


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## jamezgt (Feb 17, 2009)

blossom112 said:


> OH very nice tank ....
> and I never take the trumpets out
> Oh I love your tank!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks!

Are trumpets the best type of snails to clean the tank?


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I think so as they stay in gravel and clean it ....just my opinion ,but I hate dirty gravel ! think Cid is even selling some for a coffee lol 

I do keep fancy snails too tho .... red rams and spixies and trying to get a few more types fancy ... So I try to get the pest ones out


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## jamezgt (Feb 17, 2009)

I just counted right now, and there are atleast 20 in there. I don't mind having a couple, I might have to do the cucumber trick tomorrow night!


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I know my dogs love to eat them lol It like they know when its snail picking time .

The snails are eating all the zebra food b4 they get a chance  that tank is next !!!!


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

dori said:


> And blossom... I thought aquatic snails breath through their skin.. they don't need to get to the surface (at least the case for pond snails). They can thrive in very stale low-oxygen water too.


There are two main groups of pond snails - *pulmonates*, which breathe air using their lungs and *operculates* which get their oxygen from the water, using gills.


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## dori (Feb 21, 2009)

oups ya... I musta been thinking about frogs or something. Gills it is and for some reason I thought there is only 1 sort of pond snail... so I was mighty wrong. My pond snails that don't get larger then 1cm diameter are awsome... gills, small, cleaners, docile, prolific, ... they might be slightly too weak as in they can't chew algae nor fungus nor anything... I honestly don't know what they eat, but they keep the glass impeccably clean.


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