# Why Do We Need Snails In Our Tanks???



## AquaShrimp (Jun 3, 2008)

*What's with the snails in our tanks? Well we need snails, not for beauty or interest, snails eat algae, why? it's another addition to the snail's diet, any kind of snails eat algae, keeping snails in your tank will give you a healthy reef, aquarium, or whatever tank. How many snails do i need for my tank? well, it depends on how many gallons you have and how much algae grows, for my 55 galon tank...i would need at least 15 snails...I know, sounds like a lot, but they're for a small price, depending on what store you use...Any kind of snails are fine, as long as they eat the algae out of your tank...for more questions, reply in my thread, or send me a private message...:icon_smil :redface: :smile: *


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## sWozzi3 (May 30, 2006)

imo snails make no impact on the amount of visible algae in your tank, they eat your plants and multiply very rapidly, once they have taken over your tank your in trouble, copper apparently knocks out the big ones and kills the little ones so you can siphen them out but just leaving a few in there alive means hundreds more in a couple of months so get some loaches to eat em up or go to lengths to make sure you don't get any in the first place (perhaps treat new plants in copper before placing in the tank)


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## Jace (Feb 20, 2008)

Well, they were really beneficial in my case. See I had to leave for a month to go to Field Training and there was no one to take care of my tank. In my experience snails only eat dead/dying plant material, I've never had them eat any of my plants that were still thriving. Now being gone for a month left a lot of time for plants to grow/die off and not be trimmed. The snails picked up the slack where I left off and I came back to a tank that after a lot more pruning was still in a manageable state.


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## sWozzi3 (May 30, 2006)

perhaps the tank would have been the same without the snails? who can tell though if you weren't around for a month then perhaps the plants stopped growing because they ran out of nutrients

/shrug


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

Don't know what kind of snails you have had but the MTS and Ponds I have do a great job of keeping the tank clean of extra food, dead plant matter, and the occasional death that goes unfound. They are natures clean up crew in the wild so I let them do the same in my tanks. There are alos certain types of snails that do a great job on alage.

Can they overrun tanks yes, but with proper control there are several ways to keep a balance without having to use a chemical or constant snail hunting.. Once copper is used in a tank forget inverts in that tank ever again.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Hehehe..can't believe you guys bumped aquashrimp's thread..:icon_lol:


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

Don't get the joke but okay...


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## jcardona1 (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounguru said:


> Don't get the joke but okay...


he was banned a while ago. i dont think youre advice is gonna help him


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

that helps but I didn't revive it just responded....:biggrin:


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## dooboogoo (Apr 19, 2007)

awww...it was a beginning of an interesting thread, lol.

IMO, the snails in my tank don't really eat my plants...so I don't have a problem with them (except the MTS uproot my glosso.)


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## Mangala (Jul 23, 2006)

Does it matter if the OP was banned? If it's an interesting thread, it really shouldn't matter. I for one like my snails 'cause they do eat dead plant matter and old food. They don't actually eat holes in my plants, and they aren't obtrusive due to the fact that they just plain don't get in the way or aren't very noticeable all the time. I bet my fish also snack on them sometimes, meaning I save some money on fish food.


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

Well back on track... I guess it all falls into wether you like snails or don't. I have 1 15 gallon tank that has over 600+ snails of 3 different species and lord knows how many eggs. Poor cherry shrimp must really feel crowded.:biggrin:


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## Kolkri (Dec 9, 2006)

My snails do not eat healthy plants. They do eat on the decaying ones. 
I have apple snails. I really only have them cause we love to watch them.
I also have some trumpet snails. Not sure if that is the real name for them they came with some plants. I don't like them as much.
They have to thinned out ever so often. I just stick some squash in the tank before bed and remove in the night if I get up or first thing in the morning and it is usually loaded down with those little guys. Do this till I am happy with how many I see.
I also have a yoyo loach he rarely eats the snails. lol


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

my snaisl eat my healthy plants...
hygro and rotala particularly everything else is left alone.


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

What kind of snail do you have would be helpful. There are some that do eat plants. MTS and in my experience Pond Snails do not eat plants. Some Apple/Mystery snails and Ramshorns I know do.

Snails do provide benfits for the tank in most cases from eating the dead dying stuff to stirring up the substrate in the case of MTS. Most snails can become pest but proper feeding of both the fish and snails can help curb that problem. Also there are other means like loaches, Assassin Snails, and a few others to naturally control a population without resorting to drastic measures.

Oh by the way there are also different varieties of snails that often get called pond snails.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

snails are always on the glass and they poop too much. if they didn't do that, i might think they're kinda cute in a shrek sort of way...


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

chris127 said:


> snails are always on the glass and they poop too much. if they didn't do that, i might think they're kinda cute in a shrek sort of way...


Too be honest I have no clue what you mean.....:red_mouth


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

EXACTLY. i try to take a picture of my tank and its like BAM! snail invasion. 

but when they (ramshorns) poke their heads out they look like shrek. and eat like him too. i think they poo more than fish :| 

if i only had like 6 giant infertile ones i'd happy


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

And that was only onse side of the tank..... 

I love the little buggers and knowing that they are food for the now 100+ assassin eggs makes it all the better.


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## Arakkis (Dec 7, 2007)

you can always get a snail that doesn't breed.


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

Why would I want that then what would the assassins eat?


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## kotoeloncat (Apr 12, 2006)

I think snails are beneficial unless their population explodes

MTS are pretty good digger and keeps the substrate from compacting, they dont eat plants either

Pondsnails I dont mind really, I find them cute and their population are managable (at least for me)

Nerites, these do not breed in freshwater and they work wonders in cleaning algae off my glass

My nerities seem to know that dr.tran is coming and all 12 dissapear when hes around :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

> Why Do We Need Snails In Our Tanks???


Because they are a part of the natural ecosystem....... beside they are cool little creatures.

You don't need them but you CAN enjoy them - or - if you can't beat them...


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## Arakkis (Dec 7, 2007)

My Assasins eat my spixi snails, they havent eaten any MTS yet


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## Sounguru (Jul 14, 2008)

Oh man mine take down MTS like there is no tommorrow.. the pond snails are faster then the Assassins so they just high tail it when they approach.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

The defense of the lowly snail is hardly new.
They are easy to grow/bred like flies and it's your fault if there is a population explosion(too much left over food). I just crush them for fish food.

They are very good algae eaters, and they grow fast, so that's a nice trait.
Think is the Amano shrimp bred like that.

Some wish the nerites bred like this.

But these 3 main species grow fast and do no harm to plants, cleaning them very well.

If they are not wanted, get a loach, Botia striata etc. Or stop over feeding the fish:icon_idea 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

kotoeloncat said:


> My nerities seem to know that dr.tran is coming and all 12 dissapear when hes around :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:


LOL! Hahahaha. Werid but very true.


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## grammypat (Jul 27, 2008)

I really liked the MTS that came with plants that I ordered. However the next bunch of plantsthat I got had these awful ramshorns and pond snails. They are like freaking rabbits. They babies were stuck on my MTS shells. Will one snail eat another?
Then I saw all these holes in my plants. In one day they ruined my plants and yes it was the pond snails becasue i saw them chewing on the edge of my sword.
I put an algae wafer inthere and then later that night snuck in with my net and bagged about 10 of them. Ugh!
I left my MTS alone.
Now I don't have loaches but I will go get one if they will eat these little pests. If I do take them out of the tank can I put them in my gardenor should I squoosh them?


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