# Malaysian Trumpet Snail to clean Eco-Complete?



## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

Hi,

My Eco-Complete is too dirty. I cannot really clean it it planted tank, I need to remove everything that I don't want to do.

Can I use Malaysian Trumpet Snail to clean the substrate? They won't affect the bioload much by multiplication of itself?

Thanks


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## NeonFlux (Apr 10, 2008)

Yeah, you can definitely introduce some MTS to help aerate the eco, clean off a bunch of mulm, dead leaves, and etc that build up and settle on top over time. The bioload would not really be affected, unless if you overfeed fish, and the leftovers remaining left for the MTS would make them multiply faster, so eh just control how much food is being put in and you'll have no problems.


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## kcoscia (Jul 24, 2013)

My MTS love the eco complete!


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

Thanks!

I'll try to find this snail in Canada (that's not easy).


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## RoyalFizbin (Mar 7, 2006)

Don't listen to them. MTS are a plague that you'll never rid yourself of. At first you think there are only a few but eventually you get over run with them. I tore down a tank and bleached it just to get rid of them but a few must have survived inside my filter and they came back.


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## agro (Nov 29, 2013)

RoyalFizbin said:


> Don't listen to them. MTS are a plague that you'll never rid yourself of. At first you think there are only a few but eventually you get over run with them. I tore down a tank and bleached it just to get rid of them but a few must have survived inside my filter and they came back.


This. If you're tank is as bad as you say they'll multiple like mad and eventually be so great in numbers under substrate that they pull up a few plants.

I would suggest a power head at substrate level, it'll push around the debris that settles on the top of the substrate, getting picked up by filter eventually. Take a stick or tool to poke around the substrate and lift some dirt out of that as well.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Some folks like the snails and some don't.
Considering how easy /common it is to overfeed,then I would not place em in my tank if I didn't like em.
Nerite snails aren't as prolific and these along with Amano shrimp would be good alternative.
Amano's are a bit too large for smaller community fish to view as food.


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## luky (Jul 24, 2014)

another vote to not introduce the mts. i had a little problem with these as well at one point in an older tank and have seen from personal experience how they multiply.


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

I'm not trying to bash anyone by this comment but...I think most people saying that MTS will "plague" your tank have other issues entirely that led to their issue. I have had MTS in my main tank at home since I started it and it is a rare occurrence that I even see them. Now, I specifically use an auto feeder so I don't over feed which is often the cause of MTS breeding wildly.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

I personally love snails of a kinD's I My.community tank. Its cool.to.make up and turn on the room light to see what must be hundreds of.MTS everywhere 

Once the lights come up the quickly burrow into the sub. There is no better way to help your substrate. 

I also have pond snails and rams horn. They also act as the occasional snack for your fish. My substrate is spotless.


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## dru (Mar 9, 2013)

^Agree with the post above.

I think the ideal combo is a few MTS, pond snails, and ramshorn snails. Nerites are great but I hate the eggs they dot the driftwood with.


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## foamerdave (Apr 27, 2007)

MTS are very easy to control. Get a small school of loches (sp?) I have used skunk and zebra and they do a very good job of keeping them in check


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## aquarium hippy (Feb 7, 2013)

I cant get snails to live in my high tech set up they always die :/ I have added mts and ramshorn time and time agian only to watch thier shells deteriorate and they die.


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## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

Or get a few assassin snails to get rid of your MTS when you do overpopulate.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Jan 16, 2013)

I love snails, I have most of the species, never had some crazy over population in any tank, and they contribute more positive's then negative's if there is any. You control the food source which controls the population.


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## Toads74 (Dec 3, 2013)

MTS are pretty good. If they get out of control, you have too much detritus - you're most likely over feeding. Before you introduce them give the substrate a good vacuuming so they don't explode immediately. :hihi:


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

aquarium hippy said:


> I cant get snails to live in my high tech set up they always die :/ I have added mts and ramshorn time and time agian only to watch thier shells deteriorate and they die.


Shells breaking down could be calcium issue. I ran into this for a while. My GH is 0 at the tap, once realizing that I add plaster of paris (for calcium which has helped the snails) and plain epsom salt.


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## Pandanke (Jun 13, 2014)

I keep MTS in my dirted tanks, no over population issues at all. I see them a couple times a week at most.

I do keep Apple snails though, the commonly sold "Mystery" snail. They keep things **** and span and I really enjoy them. A good option as they're not hermaphrodites and wont dot your landscape with eggs or offspring.


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## SueD (Nov 20, 2010)

RoyalFizbin said:


> Don't listen to them. MTS are a plague that you'll never rid yourself of. At first you think there are only a few but eventually you get over run with them. I tore down a tank and bleached it just to get rid of them but a few must have survived inside my filter and they came back.


Ditto. I tore down a tank also for the same reason. Upgraded a bit with a new tank, new substrate and went with silk plants, and just one large anubias on driftwood that I quarantined first to make sure there were no more MTS. This tank is still clear of them.

I'm now finding them popping up, however, in other tanks, where I only had the mini ramshorns before. Must have transferred somehow through the siphon or python. I have an army of breeding assassins but even these were no match for MTS once they proliferated.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Raith said:


> Or get a few assassin snails to get rid of your MTS when you do overpopulate.


I have one assassin snail in my tank and it wiped out all my MTS. Now I need to find more to feed the assassin and to help clean the tank.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

You only get a population explosion of snails if you overfeed your tanks. Besides, they are easy to remove if you bait them with a piece of zucchini.


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## dzega (Apr 22, 2013)

MTS without assassins is like vodka without ice. they need to be introduced together for not to run into problems. note that in tank where lives assasins you cant keep those big fancy snails.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Monster Fish said:


> You only get a population explosion of snails if you overfeed your tanks. Besides, they are easy to remove if you bait them with a piece of zucchini.


 
+one
When I want to get rid of some ,I just place a hunk of zucchini on the substrate at night while tank is dark ,and next morning they are easy to suck up with hand held gravel vac.(they be all over the vegetable)
Got em in all my tanks, and must do this ever so often.
I am guilty of overfeeding on occasion as I suspect most of us are if we are honest.:icon_redf


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## aquarium hippy (Feb 7, 2013)

TekWarren said:


> Shells breaking down could be calcium issue. I ran into this for a while. My GH is 0 at the tap, once realizing that I add plaster of paris (for calcium which has helped the snails) and plain epsom salt.



I use RO so this is most likely the issue thanks i feel dumb for not thinking of it myself.


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## EvilFish (Oct 15, 2013)

SO what is the consensus? They are good addition or bad?

Thanks


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

EvilFish said:


> SO what is the consensus? They are good addition or bad?
> 
> Thanks


ANSWER: It depends. 

Do you overfeed or not keep a well maintened tank? Then probably not as they'll binge on the free buffet and you'll likely end up with a massive population. 

Do you like snails? If not, no. If yes, maybe. But bear in mind that once you add these snails, they're pretty much impossible to get rid of--including seeding easily to any other tank that you move material, on plant or hardscape material and even on nets if you're not careful.


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## djbeasley05 (Aug 9, 2014)

aquarium hippy said:


> I cant get snails to live in my high tech set up they always die :/ I have added mts and ramshorn time and time agian only to watch thier shells deteriorate and they die.


What is the PH in your tanks? If it's below 7 and your fish can handle above 7, add some crushed coral to raise it. I also added a cuttlebone for calcium when I noticed my snail shells splitting.


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