# Where did those snails come from!?



## RWaltman (Apr 27, 2009)

I have a 30 gallon tank and somehow I got snails!? they are about the size of a pea maybe smaller and I have only spotted two so far...i did not add them, but did add outside rocks (I washed all them though)...any ideas on how or why this happened? One of my fish got a white fungus on his back as well...he is currently in the "hospital" tank being treated for fungus...seems to be doing fine....but I'm still curious what these snails mean...I was going to get a loach to get rid of these snails...is this the right idea?


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Did you add any plants to your tank?
They often hitchhike in plants and will be so small you do not see them. I have snails in most of my tanks and really do not see them as a problem. They will help eat leftover food in the tank and unwanted algae.


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## froglady (Apr 12, 2009)

ive got unwanted snails before from plants I brought home from the pet store. so maybe you got some hitch hikers from a plant.


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## RWaltman (Apr 27, 2009)

yeah I'm guessin' its the plants...whats the harm in them? should I be concerned?


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## Sageo3000 (Apr 23, 2009)

eating them is the only solution.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

RWaltman said:


> yeah I'm guessin' its the plants...whats the harm in them? should I be concerned?


First, I like Sageo3000's suggestion--get ready for escargot for dinner.

To the snails, most of us think they are helpful in eating algae and uneaten fish food. Some loaches will eat snails, but the best solution is not to be putting fish into an aquarium just to eat snails but to deal with the reason they are there. If they become too many, it means they have too much food, so something is wrong in your aquarium at that stage and that is what should then be addressed. But at this point, I wouldn't suspect that, as a few snails are healthy as I've mentioned. If you really don't want them, pick them out. But I would leave them as a natural (and useful in my view) part of the system.


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## AmyK (Feb 19, 2009)

On a similiar note, (sort of) what is a good snail to have in an aquarium that doesn't reproduce like crazy??


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## Twistersmom (Dec 9, 2008)

Do you know what kind of snails you have?
Malaysian tumpeter snails, bladder snails, and ramshorns are the ones that most often hitch hike in plants.
Nerite snails are good ones to have, great algae eaters and rarely reproduce in fresh water.
Mystery snails are also nice, they lay large egg clutches above the water line, so if you are not looking to have more snails the eggs can easily be removed.


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

Your rocks wernt prepared right, you gotta boil em for about an hour or so, then bake them at 350 for about an hour, washing off does nothing.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Boiling rocks may cause them to explode (as some other posters on this forum have indicated), not sure if baking will do the same, but it is not necessary. Washing in very hot water with a scrub brush would remove anything on the surface like parasites which is all that really matters, and snail eggs, although I doubt this is how they arrived; plants, as someone suggested, is the usual carrier. Washing plants carefully in water with your fingertips will remove smail eggs and tiny snails, assuming the leaves are large enought to make this feasible.

Mystery snails can get large and I have not seen them recommended for basic tank snails. They also contribute to the bioload, and the bigger they are...

Good normal snails in aquaria are Malaysian livebearer (sometimes called trumpet or horn of plenty snails because they are long and ridged like a horn of plenty) that burrow throughout the substrate keeping it cleaner and less chance of anaerobic conditions than otherwise, and the common pond snails will graze leaves and everything for algae and uneaten food. All snails will reproduce (unless the water is too soft and acidic, because they lack the necessary calcium for their shells) but will remain within manageable limits provided the tank is properly maintained and they don't have more food than what they can find. A population of snails within reason is another sign of a healthy aquarium.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Yes, I agree with Byron on the snail issue. Most snails I can do without as I don't want my plants being chewed on. I've got Malaysians and they are nice as they leave the plants alone and stir up the sand for me. 

Getting a single loach to control a snail population is never a good idea. Loaches need to be kept in a "group" setting in order to truly thrive. A single loach is a lonely loach. :-(


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## Fishin Pole (Feb 17, 2009)

Just to reitterate something already posted, DO NOT boil rocks,as Byron stated they can explode.........I'm sure it doesnt happen often, but it can happen.......I remember in the 80's someone was killed by exploding rocks in either Washington state or Oregon...cant remember which...............Best way to clean rocks would be a scrub brush and elbow grease............Scrub and rinse,Scrub and rinse,Scrub and rinse,Scrub and rinse.........I myself have had some hitchhiker snails, but as was stated, if you dont overfeed your fish, your snail population should be kept in check........I pick some of mine out of my tanks and feed them to my african cichlids on occasion


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## adiumroot (Apr 13, 2009)

A safer alternative to boiling rocks/pebbles is to pour boiling water on the stones for about 30 seconds. Let the stones stand in the hot water for a few minutes before taking out. Make sure the stones have cooled down before adding them to your set-up.


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## JokerBoyX (Mar 31, 2009)

whitedevil said:


> Your rocks wernt prepared right, you gotta boil em for about an hour or so, then bake them at 350 for about an hour, washing off does nothing.


only follow these instructions if you intend on commiting suicide!


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## princesuhaib (Apr 1, 2009)

They will be your worst nightmare in my opinion, You can buy a puffer fish, he will take care of all of them for you


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