# snail removal ideas please



## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

15 gallon local nano local contest tank. stock is half a dozen male feeder guppies, 2 ghost shrimp and 5 assassin snails

The snails are taking over. I have about 5 assassin snails in there and I tried putting slices of cucumber in and only got half a dozen or so.

manual removal would not do much as the tank is very planted and I would only really have access to the glass.

One option is putting in 3 smaller clown loaches, 2 to 3 inches, but being only a 15 gallon they might not be too happy and concerned about the extra bio load. I also have 3 about 4 inch or so yoyo's which would be even more of a bio load. Also with adding these fish I would have to find all the assassin snails and move them. Also it would probably take weeks for any of these fish to put a good dent in the snail population.

This tank has only been setup for a month and it has had a snail explosion.

I am thinking my best option would be to move the assassin snails and shrimp, seed it a bit extra and put in the 3 clown loaches but I am hoping for a better option to try.

Looking for some ideas that are dirt cheap and risk free


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## default (May 28, 2011)

You could find what they're eating whether its algae or more excess food, I ve seen snails in some of my tanks, but they just kill themselves off due to limitation in feedings. I fed less and reduced algae in the tank and within a month they all disappeared - this has happened in three tanks and this would be the cheapest way, you could take out the fish and not feed the tank anymore - reduce photo-period and stay on top of you fertilization regime to keep plants healthy and algae down. The snail population would slowly decrease, the more you have now the faster they'll die due to faster consumption of available foods. And the assassins will pick off the remainders.

If not, the faster route is take out your shrimps and assassins, add some dwarf botias or other smaller species (zebra, yoyo, red tails, and any other small one really - except kuhlis and dojos) would also suffice.
I believe the ones I'm referring to, are nicknamed dwarf botias? Lol and they are nasty little guys.
I would start off smaller, even if you have a 3-4" loach, I find the smaller ones are better at picking off snails, especially cause they can find and eat smaller snails. And don't put clown loaches  they're so skittish when small and they get big! These dwarf loaches could stay in the tank if you needed them to!


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

By adding the clown loaches to the tank would not have a huge effect on the bio-load but try and remove your shrimp and assassin snails. Also reduce the amount of food your feeding the guppies. Good luck.


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## nokia011 (Dec 5, 2011)

try pea puffer


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

You could also treat the tank with Flubendazole, this will kill all inverts in the tank, including any parasitic ones the fish or tank may harbor, but won't harm the filter bateria or plants. Just make sure you remove any inverts you don't want to kill. You want cheap? I can even give you some of this medication for free if you want. I just ordered it and it needs to be used within 3 months after opening the package, and there is too much of it for me to use up that fast. So no use of it going to waste if someone could use it. You would just need to come and pick it up if you want it and it's not too far.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I would want to put the assassin snails back in and I don't live in the GTA, I'm in Kingston


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## Lisasaquariums (Aug 16, 2013)

How long have you had the assassins in there for? I have used them before to help one of my tanks and it took a couple weeks before I started to notice a big change.

-L


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

They have been in there for about a month now, I am being more careful with feeding, well not feeding too much and the snail population is going down


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

You could try a smaller species of loach, like the yoyo loach or dwarf chain loach. Alternatively, you could remove the shrimp and snails, add something with copper in it(which would kill the snails and loaches if you added them) do heavy water changes for about a month then add back the shrimp and snails.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

You might also try spixi snails, which, to my sorrow, I learned will eat most other snails. Certainly ramshorns and bladder snails, even the odd mystery snail, and at least one nerite.

They are nice looking, but brightly coloured. Varying stripes on a beigish background. Related to apple snails. Don't eat plants.


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## Lisasaquariums (Aug 16, 2013)

Fishfur said:


> You might also try spixi snails, which, to my sorrow, I learned will eat most other snails. Certainly ramshorns and bladder snails, even the odd mystery snail, and at least one nerite.
> 
> They are nice looking, but brightly coloured. Varying stripes on a beigish background. Related to apple snails. Don't eat plants.


I've never seen Spixi Snails before. I looked them up they sound really cool!


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Another option (you can do this in addition to several of the others) is to put some favourite snail food in a bottle and put the bottle in the tank. When it is full of snails, remove it, and repeat.

Something like cucumber might work. Anyway, if you get a fish in the bottle, no problem, just dump the fish back into the tank. The snails will stick to the inside of the bottle anyway.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I tried the cucumber thing, didn't get many. I have been very careful with feeding and that seems to have greatly reduced the number. Maybe the assassin snails can soon get it under control.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

That comment on spixi snails was supposed to say they are NOT brightly coloured. They are attractive, with quite variable striping, and don't get so large as mystery snails do.

Most assuredly they eat ramshorns, bladder, pond and in my experience, also mystery and nerite snails, though perhaps fewer of those last two.

They don't drill the shell like assassins do, instead they grab the foot before the snail has a chance to close the door, or retract it out of reach, and from then on, dinner is served. I now keep spixis alone in one tank and any small snail that may end up in there with them does not usually last long.

I got spixis and a large number of blue ramshorns from Jackson one time, quite awhile ago now. Unfortunately, due to miscommunication, I didn't know the spixis would eat ramshorns. They all went in the same tank and within just a couple of weeks, [ maybe 3 weeks ], the blues were gone. Kept finding their empty white shells. Since there were no shrimp in the tank at the time, I really wondered what was cleaning out those shells so efficiently.

Then I started finding empty mystery shells, and a couple of nerites too. There was a mention about the spixi's cannibal habits here somewhere, which solved the mystery about the cleaned out shells. I must say, Jackson was kind enough to give me some replacement blue ramshorns when he found out I hadn't known they shouldn't be kept together.

If you have mystery snails and spixis, keep an eye out, because a spixi is easily mistaken for a striped mystery of similar size at a quick glance, though close up you do see the differences between them.


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

Fishfur,

the best and most benign snail eradication are kubotai loaches. Clown loaches will bother other fishes when they get bigger, and can be a little aggressive. I have a planted tank, and the snails came with a plant I bought. I didn't mind the snails at first, but within a few week became... ummmm LOTS. hundreds. manual removal wasn't doing the job. 

so I bought these guys, 3 because they are social animals. within 2 days all the snails were gone. I mean GONE. nothing. nada. I woke up one morning. even tiny ones. I have used clown loaches to control snails. but never seen anything as efficient as this. some clowns will refuse to eat snails. 

I have some slow moving gobies in the tank, croaking gouramis, and tiny rasboras. they don't bother any of them. Highly recommended.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Just looked up that loach and they sound just like yoyo botia, must be very closely related. I have never seen these around here in Kingston but yoyo's are easy to find.


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

oh don't get yoyo loaches. the personalities are very different. I have kept yoyo loaches, chain loaches, etc. two things - yoyos don't do an efficient job of snail eating, and they are bullies on similar size and smaller fishes. Clown loaches are a bit less bullies compared to yoyo. but they can get huge. Kubotai loaches don't get big. mine are 2.5"-3" length after 6 months and lots of food.

They are not that exotic, they are breeding them in Thailand - call the fish stores around and see if they have it in stock. I see them quite frequently in the stores here, didn't have a need to buy them till earlier in the year, and fits in with my Burmese biotope tank.

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-kubotai


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

Hey fishfur, I saw the Kubotai or Burmese Border loaches at Big Al's North York today. $11.99 each and there's a 3 for something deal. It's about what I paid for in spring. Personally this is the best snail-eradication program I've ever done. and they don't bother any of the fishes including babies! My tank's has had baby gouramis and a rare Indonesian goby bred in there since having these guys.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Nice to know, but I'm not the one trying to get rid of snails. I'm actually building custom made spawning areas for my Mystery snails, underneath some aquaponic troughs I'm setting up.

I don't worry much about the bladder and ramshorn snails, as any that end up with the spixis will be eaten at some point, and those that end up in the tank full of other snails have so much competition, they don't do too well.

I do wish I could find those very small dwarf loaches, the name I'd have to look up again. They are said to be interesting, relatively easy to keep and the size works with the other fish I have. Not often seen, probably very expensive too.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

for mystery snails, just let your water level drop an inch and they will lay eggs at the top of the tank, that simple.


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

Wools, you are right fish fur. So whoever wants to get of snails fast just borrow kubotai or Burmese border loaches. Be warned they are hard to catch. 

By the way mods should put this up as a sticky. Lots of good info on snail strategies


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

Bayinaung said:


> Hey fishfur, I saw the Kubotai or Burmese Border loaches at Big Al's North York today. $11.99 each and there's a 3 for something deal. It's about what I paid for in spring. Personally this is the best snail-eradication program I've ever done. and they don't bother any of the fishes including babies! My tank's has had baby gouramis and a rare Indonesian goby bred in there since having these guys.


 Hey, do these loaches eat eggs at all? I wonder if they would be safe in a breeding tank with apistos or rams.


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