# Snails!!!!



## Camper (Feb 7, 2009)

Hi I recently saw a couple snails in my tank, whats the best way to kill it? should I just use my finger to press on it or is there a product that I can get to kill it.

Thanks

Jim


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## zenkeri (Jan 17, 2009)

*what kind of snails?*

Hi camper: there are several ways, death by fish, death by finger, death by chemicals, u can use any number of types of loaches they do a good job w/ the adult snails.
squish them w/ your finger and feed them to your fish or boil a piece of lettuce and place in tank, in the morning you'll find many, many, many snails on the lettuce" unless you have fish that already ate the lettuce", just pick it all up in one step and dispose, finally I've use a produce call I think "no more snails" its a small bottle and u only have to use 1 drop per 5g if I remember correctly, however this stuff is not the best for Shrimps as it contains copper as one of the ingredients. I personally use Clown loaches they do a great job except they dig and make a mess.


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## Camper (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks Zenkeri I will try some of those methods that you have mention, wish me luck.


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## redclove (Feb 26, 2008)

If you only see a handful, I'd stick to the squishing method, if you stay on it for a week or two you will take care of it.

In my mind, chemical solutions should always be avoided when possible.


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## Plaid (Nov 10, 2008)

In my opinion, and in my experience with "pest snails", I just want to offer a different angle on them.

Are they such a bad thing?
All of the pest snails you get around here are either Red Ramshorns, or Pond Snails, or Malaysian Trumpet Snails.
The last one is considered very helpful to most planted tanks, and I would love a few myself.
Pond snails stay fairly small, and do not eat plants, in my experience.
Same thing with Ramshorns.

I also used to fight a war on snails. Then I joined the Barr Report website, hosted by Tom Barr. In case you don't know of him, his word is pretty much canon around the planted tank community. If your plants are healthy, the snails don't eat them.

Although the snails can be ugly, they are also fascinating. Think for a little bit about the physiology of a snail.

And besides, if you don't overfeed, the snails shouldn't reach plague numbers.

And as for crushing them, be careful you don't cut yourself. The bigger ones can leave a mark on you. Also, they MAY release their eggs when smooshed. Not sure how valid this is, though.


Just a different input.
Wes




PS, regarding chemical solutions:
Do you really want dozens of copper-ridden, rotting snail corpses buried in you gravel and hidden behind plants? Redclove has it right. In this hobby, the only chemicals you SHOULD need are fertilizers, dechlorinator, and (rarely) medication.


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

i have mts in my tanks and they are a godsent. they keep my sand airated(sp) prune my plants for me, eat up any extra food, help with some types of algea and they are fun to watch as well. if i find i have too many of them i take them out using a jar or baggie with a peice of algea wafer in it. also, if they are mts you might hurt yourself trying to smoosh them.


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## Camper (Feb 7, 2009)

I found more stuff in my tank now, instead of snails...I found a lot of very tiny/ micro white bug like in my tank now. What should I do? 

Thanks

Jim


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

If they move in jerky motions through the water then they are cyclops, a type of copepod. Like white specs of dust. They are harmless and food for some fish.
http://www.waterwereld.nu/cyclopseng.html


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

feed a bit less and do more water changes if there are lots of them. mostly any type of 'parasite' can be cut to a minimum by cutting out overfeeding and frequent gravel vacs to suck them out


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## Camper (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks for the fast reply guys. Does the shrimp eat the cyclops?


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

i don't think so. snails primarily eat plant matter(algea ect) and will scavange dead tankmates but i don't think they hunt parasites. the snails may eat them though, or at least eat most of the food that the parasites would eat.


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## Plaid (Nov 10, 2008)

By calling them "parasites", you're scaring yourself. You're certainly scaring me.

Shrimp will certainly eat your... unwelcome guests, but they cannot be depended on to eat them in any number. If they can catch them, they may eat them, but shrimp are in no way going to solve your problem. 

Snails don't hunt at all, and are completely harmless to inhabitants of your fish tank, except for algae bits and some biofilm. They eat dead/dying leaves, and dead/dying fish. And fish food.

I'd focus more on finding out what your guests are. If you can deal with them being there, and you're not having any fish/shrimp deaths, then just let them be, but watch your feeding. If it IS cyclops, they are completely harmless.

Wes


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