# Are Ramshorn Snails a problem?



## ThorFoster (May 21, 2018)

I'm wondering if Ramshorn Snails are a problem for planted tanks. I've heard from some people that they eat plants. While I've also heard that they only eat dead plant tissue. I don't want to use Assassin Snails because i have seen them attack shrimp (it's a planted shrimp tank). Just looking for information, and potential advice as to getting rid of them.


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## hygropunk (Feb 3, 2016)

I keep red ramshorn snails in my tanks, in my experience they only eat dead plant tissue. If there's a leaf that's dying off, they'll be on it immediately. They also keep my algae under control very well. I don't see them as a nuisance, and if you have one of the more colorful varieties they're actually kind of pretty. (IMO anyway)


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

if you get too many,you can remove the excess with a piece of wilted romaine lettuce.Freeze it,then put it in with tongs and remove it the next day with snails that attach to it.I keep "pink" ramshorns and Mts in all my tanks with plants.


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## Reks (Apr 17, 2018)

Other than them booming in population if you overfeed they aren't a problem. The only time they'll eat plants is if the plants In question are melting, they won't eat healthy plants. They are a good alternative to algae control and if they boom in population they're good indicators that you're overfeeding. If there's too many in the tank for your liking just remove some as desired.


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## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

I've kept Ramshorns for many years. The ONLY time I had Ramshorns nibble on live leaves was when they were starved with nothing to eat. I mean, they had no left over fish food, no fish poop, no algae. Only then, did they munch on a live leaf. But if there is _anything_ else to eat, they will eat it. So the moral of the story is: They are safe with plants, unless _severely_ starved. It is rare that a tank is void of left over food, fish poop or algae!


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## MultiTankGuy (Jan 8, 2018)

Thor...

Ramshorn are good and bad. They'll over populate a tank if you feed too much and in high numbers, will add to the waste material in a tank. They can get fairly large. They're great tank cleaners and I've never noticed them damaging a healthy plant. They won't eat fish waste. Some say they will, but I don't believe it. I have them in my tropical tanks, but not in any of my Goldfish tanks. Goldfish are heavy waste producers and I don't need the added waste from the Ramshorn snails.

M


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## Abi (May 13, 2018)

I have also had a load of tiny ones appear in my tank. I feed once a day, flakes and sinking pellets, and an algae wafer. Is that too much? The flakes get eaten super fast, the sinking pellets sit on the bottom for a while with all fish happily eating, they are always all gone the following day though.


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## pygmycory (Nov 6, 2017)

I regret adding ramshorns to my tank. I pick them out daily. They definitely eat my floating plants - frogbit and red root floaters. I see holes and half moon bites all the time and they are healthy plants. I have a light fish load and don't overfeed and if I'm not taking them out regularly they explode in numbers.


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## Mike A. (Jan 6, 2018)

Get a couple of dwarf puffers. 

You'll never have enough snails then. lol


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## Reks (Apr 17, 2018)

Mike A. said:


> Get a couple of dwarf puffers.
> 
> You'll never have enough snails then. lol


 might not be a good idea to get dwarf puffers in a shrimp tank, they might go after the shrimp too. If there weren't shrimp in the tank (or any fish with pretty fins that you want to stay pretty) I'd agree and say that dwarf puffers would definitely be a solution to snail population problems.


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## Mike A. (Jan 6, 2018)

Reks said:


> might not be a good idea to get dwarf puffers in a shrimp tank, they might go after the shrimp too. If there weren't shrimp in the tank (or any fish with pretty fins that you want to stay pretty) I'd agree and say that dwarf puffers would definitely be a solution to snail population problems.


Yeah, I was just joking. The dwarfs usually aren't too bad compared to other puffers but they can be a little aggressive. Mine haven't bothered the Amanos or any of the other fish in the tank with them but smaller shrimp I kinda doubt that would work out quite as well. 

Ridiculous how quickly they can take out snails. I have 3 of them and it's like a snail genocide squad. Thought that I could set them up in a tank with a ton of plants and snails and have kind of a self-supporting population. No way. Gone in a day. Fortunately I have a big pond that's full of them so I can just grab some from there when I need some; otherwise, I could never keep up.


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## cdomingo117 (Jun 28, 2018)

I have some Ramhorns snails in my shrimp and plant tanks, but I have some assassin snails to balance them out.


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## Tiger15 (Jan 7, 2018)

I have ramhorn with my frogbit and they feed on the leaves. But my frogbit grow so fast that I have to thin out periodically. They don’t eat my other live plants though, so on the balance they contribute more good than the minor collateral damage.


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## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

Never seen them eating a live plant but they are good in cleaning algae


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