# Snails .... Should I leave them there?



## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

Both my tanks are with fish/shrimp now, and the algae issue seems to be gone, too. 

However, I noticed there're quite a lot snails in both tanks. It must be coming from the plants/fish/shrimps I bought. There're at least 4 or 5 bigger ones in each tank now, like 2 or 3 mm long; there're also some smaller ones (less than 1 mm).

Would it be an issue? Should I leave them alone, or should I pick them out?

Thanks, as always!


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## TorontoPlantMan (Aug 16, 2013)

baishui said:


> Both my tanks are with fish/shrimp now, and the algae issue seems to be gone, too.
> 
> However, I noticed there're quite a lot snails in both tanks. It must be coming from the plants/fish/shrimps I bought. There're at least 4 or 5 bigger ones in each tank now, like 2 or 3 mm long; there're also some smaller ones (less than 1 mm).
> 
> ...


It's more of a personal preference thing I find when it comes to snails, some people love them and some hate them. Me personally I love and hate them because they do eat some algae but they also eat some of my plants which I absolutely hate. Also snails re-produce like crazy so 3-5 snails can easily turn into 40+ before you know it.


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

Snails are a great clean-up-crew. They eat all kinds of algae. They're only a problem if you over-feed and this can easily be corrected.

Below are the 3 most common available snails.
The Ramshorn & the MTS a.k.a. Malaysian Trumpet Snail don't really eat your plants. 
The larger Spixi snails however, do eat plants. Spixis are also known to eat hydra.

Ramshorn photo from www.redramshorn.co.uk









Malaysian Trumpet Snail photo from www.aqualandpetsplus.com









Spixi a.k.a. asolene spixi from www.grandvalleyaquariumclub.org


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## mistersprinkles (Nov 4, 2013)

Lest we forget the lowly pond snail









That's the one I see on plants most often.


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## JNSN (Nov 4, 2013)

I suggest purchasing a couple snail eaters at the very least to keep the population controlled.


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## mistersprinkles (Nov 4, 2013)

Assassin snails work well in small spaces for controlling other snails. They may also harm small shrimp from what I've read.


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

JNSN said:


> I suggest purchasing a couple snail eaters at the very least to keep the population controlled.


What is a snail eater? Will they harm the shrimp?

I believe I have ramshorn and pond snails.


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## SKurj (Oct 26, 2011)

which kind of snail do you have? the ones like a cone shape the Malaysian trumpet snail are great to keep. They are an indicator of overfeeding and at the same time they consume a lot of the solid waste you would need to be vaccuming. Simply reducing the amount of food fed will reduce their numbers, but I count them a blessing myself, I am trying to encourage them in all my tanks. If your tank is planted they will also consume dead leaves etc, they will not touch live, only that plant matter that is rotting which IMO makes these snails a big boon to planted tank fans...


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## baishui (Jan 7, 2014)

There might one cone shape one there, but I am not sure. I actually love those snails.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I am generally content to let pong and ramshorns be. If you have a lot, feed the tank less and pick some out. There is often people on the forum looking for snails to feed their fish if you want to do a bit of charity.


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## JNSN (Nov 4, 2013)

colio said:


> I am generally content to let pong and ramshorns be. If you have a lot, feed the tank less and pick some out. There is often people on the forum looking for snails to feed their fish if you want to do a bit of charity.


I am one of them 

I'll buy batches of snails if you're within a reasonable distance from me


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Fwiw, the spixi snails themselves are carnivores who eat many other snails. They'll eat bladder snails, pond & ramshorn & even Mystery snails. They don't drill the shell like assassin snails do though. 

Instead they grab the foot and once they get hold of it, the snail they've grabbed is doomed. I keep them in one tank, in case I need one to eat hydra. They're attractive, and despite their cannibal habits, there are always a few bladder and ramshorn snails in their tank as well. Spixi's don't seem to bother MTS snails much, perhaps because they spend so much of their time burrowing below the substrate.

Mystery snails, I find, are attractive, eat dead stuff of all kinds, animal or plant, and come in nice colours. Easy to control numbers, they lay eggs above water where you can remove them if you don't want them hatching. Never seen one damage a live plant. There are also Giant Columbian ramshorns, which look like regular ramshorns in shape, but are much bigger. Related to Mystery snails, but lay eggs under water. The egg clutches are quite large, loose, messy looking clumps. This makes them easy to spot and remove if you don't want them hatching. 

A note - never allow Spixi snails to share tank space with Giant ramshorns, they can cross breed and produce a plant eating monster hybrid snail.

Most snails lay eggs either under water or inside their own shells. MTS snails do this, as do many of the larger Tylo' species. The larger species tend to give birth to one baby at a time, and the MTS give birth to several tiny fulled shelled babies at a time. MTS release their young at the water's surface at night. Great little algae eaters, don't harm plants at all.

I think the common pond snail will eat live plant material, but bladder snails usually don't seem to bother them too much. Bladder snails rarely get much over a quarter inch in size, most often a dark brown, and quite fast, as snails go. Much faster moving than other pond snails.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

With Ramshorn and Pond snails I just squish them against the glass of the aquarium and let them fall to the bottom and the fish have a snack.


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## blackmajik (Jan 23, 2014)

bob123 said:


> With Ramshorn and Pond snails I just squish them against the glass of the aquarium and let them fall to the bottom and the fish have a snack.


Sounds mean but I had a chuckle reading that.


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