# Who is this?



## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

Ok, in the middle of an incident last weekend (see 4dead but why? tread)
this little guy came up the glass.
He is tiny less than 1/4 inch in lenght.
But I have no idea where he is coming from or what he could be???
Any idea would be greatly appreciated.
That pic is 10x zoomed! compare him to the wood behind and to other pic of my complete tank for size comparason if you like.

He almost look like a minuscule burrying snail but how could that be???
Any help would be appreaciated.
thx,

a.


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## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

*pic.*

here he is...


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## MacFish (Jun 15, 2006)

You have plants? Could be a stow away


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Its a trumpet snail.

They're pretty harmless. The numbers usually dont get rediculous but if you get an overpopulation of them they can really increase nitrates a lot more than you'd like.. as well as removing a lot of calcium from the water to build their shells.

You can just pick through your gravel to see if you can remove any more of them. Loaches eat them but you need a reasonable size tank with a fairly strong current to make them happy. Odds are you dont have many so I wouldnt worry right now


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## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

*Pablo*

Thx Pablo,
How do they reproduce?
Would "vacuming" the tank remove them?
I use a small pump and a piece of hose to poke at the gravel remove residues would they be sucked up in the process?
So that has to be that he was on a plant from the LFS right?
dam.
a.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

probably a plant yup. Vaccuuming wont get them. You're pretty much stuck with them now unless you basically melt them with something, like copper or an oxydizing agent, which would require a lot of riggamaroll, and even then the eggs would likely survive, being protected by a mucous sac..

The best thing you can do is to go through every inch of gravel you can without messing up your plants, and feeling for snails, removing all the ones you can and flushing them or whatever, and doing it often. This will maintain low numbers.

If you have a reasonably high current you could get a couple of small loaches, they'll kill of the snails. Something like maybe horseface loaches, just a couple..


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

what youre doing to the intake there is no good for your eheim btw. Too much back pressure. If anything use a thin sponge with big pores.

your tank looks like it could handle a couple of small loaches..


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## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

*Pablo (again)*

Hey thanks again,
I saw only one so far and now I do not know where he is.
Loach note taken thanks,
Would the loach go after my Ivory snail too?
These LFS are criminal to sell you plants that are infecte like that Brown algea snail I will be sure to let them know what I think of that,
Does everyone tolerate this kind of sub-standard service?

a.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

I don't think there is one store that can guarantee a no snail policy. Snails and plants goes hand in hand.
Anyway, you should've pull that little guy out while you had the chance. Keep an eye out for it. Once they establlish themselve. It's impossible to get rid of them.
Loaches won't get rid of them. They only keep the population down and keeps the trumpet snails hiding in the gravel. They problem with loaches is that they will dig all over the place. That means some of your plants will get messed up and some plants will get unrooted by the loaches. ....
Oh and also, loaches will go after your ivory snails too.

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## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

*darn*

darn thing to think I had it right there on the glass, do they get out of the gravel under light or are they active in the dark???

If there is on ly one can it reproduce by itself???

a.


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## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

*Pablo*

Hi Pablo,

That filter cloth is very thin, I thought about the flow restriction but I do not think this is thick enough.
Thank you for the I appreciate.

Alain


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Coyote24 said:


> Does everyone tolerate this kind of sub-standard service?
> 
> a.


Yes... mainly because we realize that removing snail eggs from every single plant on an industrial scale is impossible, and we realize that if we want snail free plants, we have to learn to clean them ourselves, or not have plants... or have something that eats snails.

And yes any fish that likes little snails likes big snails too


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

Trumpet snails are very difficult to ge rid of. They hide in the gravel and come out at night. Put a small piece of meat in the tank before lights go out. In about an hour or so check out the meat. You will find quite a lot of snails attached to the meat. Simply take it out and you've reduced the snail population. You can repeat the process untill most of the snails are removed.
I like them because they keep the gravel turned over and clean.
New plants soaked in Alum for about half an hour will get rid of all snails and their eggs.


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## Coyote24 (Jan 26, 2007)

*you know*

If I had a LFS I thinkI woudl have a bucket with a solution liek Alumn at the ready and when a client buy the plant I would soak that before asking the guy for his $$
On the other hand Pablo is right I should have been more careful.

Finally well I guess Moon found a positive side on the apparition of this little guy in my tank...
a.


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