# Snail infestation! How do I get rid of these? HELP PLZ :(



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi kevinmichael77,

Do you have any invertebrates in the tank? How about Knife Fish or Elephant Nose?

If not, then I treat with a copper based treatment. Keep in mind that never want to use that substrate in a shrimp tank after treating it with copper.


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## Jim_PA (Aug 26, 2011)

Had same problem, not to long ago. Might be helpful to look at my post about same problem. I never treated the tank with chemicals, I got some loaches to take care of them.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/158339-how-get-rid-snails.html


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Lower your feeding, the population will shrink if you do normal feeding, the population will explode if you over feed.


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## kevinmichael77 (Dec 5, 2011)

I have nothing in the tank at all right now just plants rock, driftwood, and now snails. Read that dwarf puffers can help but I don't want to keep them long term in my tanks since I heard they're aggressive. UUGHH!


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## rezco (Jan 25, 2012)

*squish em*

I had a similar problem some time ago. I removed all the adult snails when I spotted them on the glass. Next I waited until the babies hatched and started to show up on the glass. These I simply squished as soon as they were seen. I think the key is to destroy the juvenieles before they can reproduce. Most people make the mistake of removing snails inconsistently which gives them time to reproduce.


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## FriendsNotFood (Sep 21, 2010)

Since there's nothing in your tank, you're at an advantage if you want to really get rid of your snails once and for all, but it will take drastic measures. Just picking them out or rinsing your plants won't do it, since they're super easy to miss and have probably laid eggs everywhere that are impossible to get out. 

I had a massive pond snail infestation and ended up dousing my tank with Panacur (dog dewormer, fenbendazole, the stuff people use to kill planaria) to kill them all. After a few weeks I ended up tearing down the tank, replacing the substrate, and redoing everything, but I haven't seen a pond snail in it since so it was well worth it to me. If you choose not to redo your tank afterwards, you can put carbon in your filter and that removes most of the Panacur from the water. The advantage of Panacur over copper-based snail killing chemicals is that Panacur is safe to shrimp. The only thing you won't be able to have in your tank afterwards are Nerites, unless you completely tear down the tank and replace the substrate. 

I used this as a guide but I WAY overdosed to kill the snails. http://www.planetinverts.com/killing_planaria_and_hydra.html 

Just my experience.

That said... snails are harmless. They are purely a matter of aesthetics. I hated the eggs and snail poop all over everything so they had to go. But if you don't mind, they make a good cleanup crew in your tank.


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## kevinmichael77 (Dec 5, 2011)

I can't do that. There's no way I'm tearing down this tank at this point. I just got it up and semi planted and it was 3 months in the making and I just started school back up. I certainly do not want them in there. I'll just have to find another way besides dosing to eliminate them. Perhaps I will buy a school of puffers and then sell them off once the problem is taken care of. God damn this is devistating to me right now. Don't think I can go the Loach route since I only have a 33 gal tank and it's topless.


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## galabar (Oct 19, 2011)

You could just leave them. They will help with algae control. I even pick off the snails from my trimmings and put them back in the tank rather than let them die.


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

I just had a snail explosion because I was overfeeding. I had the tiny 1mm-3mm snails in my plants, glass and what not. I reduced feeding to twice a week (for two weeks) for my fish and shrimp, and now, I can barely find a snail.

Don't get too impatient, try reducing your feeding to 1 time a week and see if you have a reduction in snails. I was reluctant to believe it would do much good, but it did!


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## BlazednSleepy (Aug 21, 2010)

Iono. I welcome snails especially in a planted tank. They aerate the soil, eat the waste underneath the gravel and eat algae. They even eat decomposing flesh and plants. I have a good amount of malaysian trumpet snails in my 12 gallon and I enjoy em. I also have them in my 40 but they only come out in the pitch black because of my 2 clowns and 1 big yoyo loach.


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## Dini (Jan 5, 2012)

I like snails as they can be very useful...but with that said. If you don't want them in there?....Loaches.....especially Clown Loaches. Clown Loaches will grow a little big and they can be a little aggressive. My favorite are Zebra Loaches. They don't grow very big and are non aggressive. I have seen Zebra Loaches moving about the tank with a snail shell on their nose.

He is a very informative Web site on Loaches....and a book I have. I find them both excellent in information for everyone.

http://www.loaches.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Loaches-Natur...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327497091&sr=1-1


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Assassin snails helped me and I bought them on the Swap board. Now I never see snails aside from dead shells. The assassin snails also bury themselves in during the day so I barely see them as well... and when I do see them, they're pretty so I don't mind.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

I have a smiliar problem.... Though my debate is how badly do I want to get ride of them, no I dont enjoy seeing snails all over everything but they are beneficial... I may try cutting back on the feedings to see if I can "starve them out" I am about ready to just go buy some coppersafe from mardel and just does the tank! The problem with that though is I dont want to kill off my population of malaysian trumpet snails.... I dunno... *sigh* decisions decisions...


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## kevinmichael77 (Dec 5, 2011)

I'm not even sure what type of snails I have. How can you tell and what the difference between one and another?


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## l Spidy l (Jan 19, 2012)

as you've nothing but plants you could use chemical killers but i wouldn't advise it myself, i think chemicals should only be used as a last resort...

pakistani or yoyo loaches are i think your best ber as they are great at decimating snails and decent looking loaches, also much smaller than other botia loaches... 

or you could go for the dwarf loach 'Botia sidthimunki' 








which is on the critically endangered list... the following link will take you to a post outlining C.A.R.E.S which is trying to help keep endangered fish from extinction which that is one...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/158601-c-r-e-s.html

that loach will also eat your snails and you would be helping with that cause...

just a thought...


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

l Spidy l said:


> as you've nothing but plants you could use chemical killers but i wouldn't advise it myself, i think chemicals should only be used as a last resort...
> 
> pakistani or yoyo loaches are i think your best ber as they are great at decimating snails and decent looking loaches, also much smaller than other botia loaches...
> 
> ...


Those are pretty little fish too.... I may have to check into that. I would not mind at all supporting an endangered fish!


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## l Spidy l (Jan 19, 2012)

i like them and am looking into getting some myself, they are the only endangered loach and were thought to be totally extinct in the wild until recently, still available to get from breeders though for aquariums...


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## ktownhero (Mar 21, 2011)

Ask for some assassin snails from somebody on the swap n shop forum. I put 3 in my 29g about 6 months ago and haven't seen a pond snail since.


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## Rich Conley (Jun 10, 2008)

kevinmichael77 said:


> I have nothing in the tank at all right now just plants rock, driftwood, and now snails. Read that dwarf puffers can help but I don't want to keep them long term in my tanks since I heard they're aggressive. UUGHH!


 
If you have no livestock, and aren't feeding, the snails are eating something. Most likely, its dying plant matter, or rotting wood. 


They're not a problem, they're cleanup crew.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Smash them against the glass. You can make a simple snail trap. you need a test tube, a length of string and the rubber band. Wrap the rubber band around the open end of the test tube, slip one end of the string under the rubber band. Put, some fish food pellets, a pc of dog or cat food in the bottom of the test tube. Place in the tank over night with the string hanging out the top. In the morning pull your trap dump out your catch. Keep running your tramp & smashing the one bold enough to climb the aquarium walls. 

You can wipe them out with out going "Chemical Ali" on them.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

DogFish said:


> You can wipe them out with out going "Chemical Ali" on them.


 
But that makes it sound super cool!!!

May have to try that...


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## Alyssa (Sep 16, 2011)

Dude, just give them to a seller that will give you CREDIT for them off your orders with them!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/i...06-attention-customers-your-pests-needed.html


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Good option Alyssa.

I just could not see myself counting out snails.


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

Make a snail trap. Put a small container with food in it in your tank and then pull the container out when there are a lot of snails in it. Repeat.


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## [email protected] (Mar 4, 2012)

I inherited a snail problem from some plants that I bought, so I bought some assassin snails. They kinda kept them in check, but then I started having a planaria problem. I know it was from overfeeding. So I bought some no-planaria from Orlando over at Greenleaf aquariums. Not only did it kill the planaria but it also killed all the little snails all over the glass. And my assassin snails seem to be fine. This was in my 55 gallon red cherry shrimp tank. No harm to the shrimp or my plants!


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## mestar (Jan 22, 2012)

I heard you can just float a piece of lettuce overnight, then in the morning when it's covered in snails take it out.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Almost any fruit or vegetable will work as bait, but I have had the best luck with sliced orange. 
The fish eat the same part we like, and the snails come for the rind. Perhaps they would also eat the other part, if the fish did not get there first.


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

Ive got about 20 of these little guys. All the ones in the hobby are captive bred. The issue with them being endangered isnt the fish itself. But its Habitat. The area they are from is being worked over and it doesnt look like it will stop. 




l Spidy l said:


> as you've nothing but plants you could use chemical killers but i wouldn't advise it myself, i think chemicals should only be used as a last resort...
> 
> pakistani or yoyo loaches are i think your best ber as they are great at decimating snails and decent looking loaches, also much smaller than other botia loaches...
> 
> ...







Anyhow from my experince with my several tanks. Ive got sidthimunki, Aka dwarf Chain loach, Clown loaches, Angelicus Botia, and Striata Botia. Out of all of them the LEAST productive in going after snails is the sidthimunki. The most productive are the other 3. Clowns get big and Angelicus get so so. The Striata stay smaller but still bigger then the sidthimunki's. 

Personally Id NEVER dose a chemical or treatment. To me your inducing other issues that may not be fixed without alot of changes. Using a natural way like adding 3 or 4 Striata Botia would be MUCH easier and better for your tank. In my tanks that I have loaches/Botia I have ZERO snails always. In fact I normally add snails to feed them. The only tank ive seen with snails and loaches are the sidthimunki. The other option is add some assassin snails. They hunt and kill and eat other snails. Easy to control population. Look cool. But will even go after shrimps. 

Id identify the snails you have. Are they a Malaysian Trumpet Snail? Pond Snail? Rams horn? Etc? Malaysian Trumpets Aka MTS are actually quite beneficial. They tend to stay in the substrate and eat the detritus and old plant matter but not your plants. They also can help from getting poison gas pockets in your substrate. Pond snails and Rams horn or Pest snails and are they snails that eat on plants. Good snail eating Botia/Loaches wont discriminate. They will kill and eat any and all snails they find. 

This should help you Identify what you have. 

This is a pond snail. 










This is a Malaysian Trumpet Snail










Rams Horn











Hope that helps.


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## reddhawkk (Dec 28, 2011)

I too did not like snails until I got them. I figured what harm could one little snail do? Well, now I have a lot more than one little snail. I also do not mind them as much anymore. I now look at them as live food. I catch and crush them and drop them into my Angel tank. If the Angels do not get them the Bolivian Rams do or, more likely, the Lemon Tetras. They do not go to waste.


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## Mr. Appleton (Jul 1, 2011)

Assassins. Just drop one in and sit back and watch the population go down. 

I say one because if you put in more than one, you'll soon have an assassin explosion


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