# snails everywhere!



## surfnchk (Aug 15, 2010)

Hi everyone!
I have a community tank and only one mystery snail (gold). About a month ago I noticed one small brown snail. I noticed though 2 nights ago that there are now about a dozen or probably more little brown snails everywhere! I have no idea where they came from! I don't have live plans in my tank so I doubt they hitched a ride that way. Does anyone know where they came from and or what to do with them?


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## GreenPlanet (Oct 15, 2010)

Maybe from Gravel or Rock had snail egg.


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

Probably pond snails they could have came in with a fish it might have just been so small you couldn't see it, they are a pain to get rid of but they aren't really a bad thing, they will consume left over food and other stuff so unless you really don't like them you might as well live with them. If you cut down on the extra food it should help to control their numbers.


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## surfnchk (Aug 15, 2010)

Yes they are incredibly hard to see. I just don't want them to over run my tank. Right now it's not a problem. Besides the controlling the feeding, what happens if there are just so many of them? Do some fish eat snails?


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

Yea some fish will eat snails but I believe most of them are pretty large fish, a better natural option would be to use assassin snails they are snails that eat other snails , they are pretty hard to find but some places online have them sweetaquatics.com is one.


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## surfnchk (Aug 15, 2010)

Thanks for such quick replies! I think I'll look into the assassin snails if/when they get outta control. My friend has big cichlids and enjoy some snails. Thanks though!


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## car0linab0y (Apr 3, 2010)

cuccumber... leave a piece in the tank over night, pull it out full of snails in the morning. repeat as needed.


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## GreenPlanet (Oct 15, 2010)

Clowns,Yoyo loaches , Gourami They should work.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Don't worry about adding fish to eat snails.

If you control the food supply, they absolutely will not overpopulate.
If you overfeed, they absolutely will.

If you don't think you're overfeeding, but the snails are multiplying like crazy, then you really are overfeeding.


The only times I have snail outbreaks is when I have fry. (I'll admit- I tend to overfeed my fry.)

After the fry grow up, the snail population shrinks.


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## dfbiggs (May 19, 2010)

I have found if you keep on them you can get rid of them without buying anything that will eat them. Of course this is easier if you have less plants/ objects in your tank. During a cleaning if you take the time to pick all of the hundreds out or crush the tiny ones you can keep the numbers down. Then you want to keep an eye out for the clear jelly egg sacks normally in corners or on plants. I literally had hundreds and took the time to do this once..it will keep them in check.


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## Russell (Jun 28, 2010)

I also have eradicated snails with reduced feedings and pulling them out by hand. Just a side note on feeding, if your temp is at the standard 78 degrees most adult fish do not need to be fed multiple times a day or even every day as is stated on food containers. Most adult fish will do fine eating every other day and even have lower occurrences or digestive and swim bladder issues not to mention increased water quality. Snails were my wake up call to how much food fish actually need to be healthy and it is a surprisingly small amount.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

I had a similar issue with the snails, I dropped a piece of zucchini in just before bed and then in the morning took them out and there were a whole bunch of snails on it. I moved them to a one gallon tank they can just breed over and over and over again!


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## Chicklet (Feb 9, 2009)

Applesnails like Guppies only need one mating to produce many "hatch-able" clutches of eggs,
They lay clutches above the waterline, You can miss them if you don't look for them.
Takes about 2 weeks for them to hatch, If your applesnail was with other of its kind before you purchased it then you could very easy get lots of young from it...


Most all snails sold as Mystery snails are in fact an Applesnail.
they are very tiny when first born


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I doubt he has apple snails... probably pond or ramshorn.

If it's apple snails, he should sell them... lol.
Let a few grow up, and see how big they get. If it's apples, I'll buy some from you. 



Russell said:


> I also have eradicated snails with reduced feedings and pulling them out by hand. Just a side note on feeding, if your temp is at the standard 78 degrees most adult fish do not need to be fed multiple times a day or even every day as is stated on food containers. Most adult fish will do fine eating every other day and even have lower occurrences or digestive and swim bladder issues not to mention increased water quality. Snails were my wake up call to how much food fish actually need to be healthy and it is a surprisingly small amount.


Very true.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

Stores usually sell snail traps... they're only a couple of bucks


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## VTonic (Oct 20, 2010)

A really good way to get rid of snails is clown loaches. They eat snails like crazy, there beautifull, and best of all, CHEAP! I would recomend getting them from an LFS if you live near one. I dont really trust online shipping IMO. OH! BE carefull though. They grow to about a foot long ;-). Heres a link that has some interesting info about them.
Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Clown Loach


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

If you like your mystery snail I would not get assasain snails I am not 100% sure but I think the assasains will kill the mystery snail as well as the other snails. Personal I think a few snails are a good thing to have in your tank they make a good clean up crew.


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## Chicklet (Feb 9, 2009)

I have 6 clown loaches & I have (literally hundreds) of Assassin snails,
My clowns will only eat small snails, They don't bother any of the larger snails.

My assassins will eat small apples But not once they get any size to them.
(Just took another 400 + apples to my local fish store)

If your Assassins are very hungry they have been known to team up on a kill.

For a Very long time I raised Assassins and Apples together, Hoping they would keep the numbers down, it didn't work to well.


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

Thanks Chicklet for clearing that up for me. I always wondered if the assassins would be big enough to kill a mystery snail. Thats why I said I was not 100% sure. ; )


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## surfnchk (Aug 15, 2010)

Thank goodness I don't have assassin snails in my tank! I happen to like my mystery snail (I named him Speedy haha). I've cut the feeding down to once a day instead of two small feedings instead. I keep the water at a steady 76 degrees. I think when I do my next water change/gravel vaccum I'll see if I can suck any snails up and take some out by hand. I have zucchini/cucumber in there attatched to a veggie clip for my pleco too....but no snails found on it. 

If they turn out to be any apple snails I'll put them in a seperate tank and whoever wants some is more than glad to have them free of charge except for shipping, might be a while to see how big they get  Thanks everyone for such great responses and suggestions. I love this forum!


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

LOL I use to have a mystery snail they were fun to watch cruiseing across the gravel and glass. LOL


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## BettaBoy84 (Jul 25, 2010)

*Pond Snails*

I had the same problem with the pond snails!

Currently in my large planted tank, I have 3 Mystery Snails and 6 Junie Betta Wild Macrostomas. The infestation of pond snails occurred after introducing water lettuce just before the fall. The outbreak was intense about 5 dozen small snails were sitting at the waterline on the tank edge at any given time, not to mention the insane amount in the tank and on the pants...

After I introduced my mac (about 3 weeks ago) i have noticed all the small snails are gone! IM thinning these macrostomas have a taste for escargot. I guess they are very small snails, but I am sure this is what you are experiencing too..pond snails!

Well they are gone on my end!


Below is a pic of my tank before adding the waterfall filter, sponge filter and prior adding the macs...(you can see a few pond snails)


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

My malaysian trumpets crawl on my water's surface tension at night.. if you turn on the lights they get scared a bunch drop off and float down like rain.


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## churong (Oct 29, 2010)

dfbiggs said:


> I have found if you keep on them you can get rid of them without buying anything that will eat them. Of course this is easier if you have less plants/ objects in your tank. During a cleaning if you take the time to pick all of the hundreds out or crush the tiny ones you can keep the numbers down. Then you want to keep an eye out for the clear jelly egg sacks normally in corners or on plants. I literally had hundreds and took the time to do this once..it will keep them in check.


 
im not entirely sure but i remember reading somewhere that mystery/apple snails lay eggs outside of the water. i've seen "jelly-like" sacs (with a pinkish round center to them) in my tank before and didn't know what it is.


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## dfbiggs (May 19, 2010)

churong said:


> im not entirely sure but i remember reading somewhere that mystery/apple snails lay eggs outside of the water. i've seen "jelly-like" sacs (with a pinkish round center to them) in my tank before and didn't know what it is.


 
Mystery/apple snails do lay their eggs above the water surface they are hard kind of like honey comb and are quite large almost like a golf ball mass. Pond snails are the clear jelly almost pea sized blobs and are laid under water usually in tank corners or on plant leaves. Then the malaysian trumpet snails are live birth..no eggs just hundreds of tiny babies.


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## BettaBoy84 (Jul 25, 2010)

My pond snails have kind of subsided,...how do you get mystery snails to breed...will they just do their thing?


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## dfbiggs (May 19, 2010)

BettaBoy84 said:


> My pond snails have kind of subsided,...how do you get mystery snails to breed...will they just do their thing?


 
Well mystery/apple snails aren't asexual so you have to find out if you have a male and a female to breed. Just search online what to look for. You will have to flip them over and look up in their shell for parts. As long as you have a male and female and leave some room for them to get out of the water to lay the eggs you won't have a prob.


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