# Are there any good snails for planted tank?



## SoulScript (Apr 9, 2015)

Although there are species of snails that eat plants, there are a bunch that do not. Alot of people think snails are ugly and the aesthetic is why some do not suggest them. Snails are extremely beneficial to a planted tank as they consume rotting matter and leftover food along with some types of algae. The issue you will have is keeping the population under control because snails reproduce based on food availability and if you have food accumulating on the bottom you are over feeding and the population will explode. I keep a wide variety of snails in My main tank and they keep the tank spotless.
Here are just a few types that are great for a planted tank. Keep in mind there are many more.



Ramshorn snail (extremely cheap, breeds like crazy)
Malaysian trumpet snail(cheap, breeds slowly, aerates the substrate by burrowing)
Nerites (prefer algae, eat ALOT, cannot breed in freshwater)

Also if your tank was set up only recently and You did not specifically buy snail free plants, most likely You already have ramshorns and bladder snails that you don't see yet.


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## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Good Snails*

Hello mio...

Yes, there are good snails. I keep Ramshorn. They come in several colors and most won't get larger than a dime. Keep the food to a minimum and their number will stay under control.

B


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## miogpsrocks (Sep 3, 2015)

BBradbury said:


> Hello mio...
> 
> Yes, there are good snails. I keep Ramshorn. They come in several colors and most won't get larger than a dime. Keep the food to a minimum and their number will stay under control.
> 
> B


Maybe I can just buy 1 so it can't breed. 

So this snail just eats the dead plant material and leave the good one alone? 

Do you think that having eco-complete in the tank would prevent the snail from going along the ground? I think eco-complete is made from crushed lava rocks. 

Thanks.


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

Ramshorns are nice snails. They get to be a decent size and don't breed as quickly as other species. I'd recommend Trumpet Snails though (MTS) as they troll the substrate almost exclusively and burrow into the substrate, mixing nutrients by turning over the topsoil. They do breed quite quickly. However, keep in mind that snail populations are self-limiting and cannot produce a larger population than the carrying capacity of your tank allows. Capacity is determined by how much food you put into the system so if you feel you have too many snails then cut back on the amount you feed. 

MTS, Ramshorns, and Pond Snails do not eat live plants. They only consume detritus.


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## Mariostg (Sep 6, 2014)

Hi Mio...

Three very recent threads that might interest you:
Best snail and/or shrimp for detritus?
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=922289&highlight=
What plants are okay with pond snails:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=923969&highlight=
Pond snails:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=922833&highlight=


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

I ended up with pond snail
Hitch hikers and haven't had to scrub my glass or clean up the substrate since. They breed like crazy and there are hundreds but the tank is so visually clean now without having to make the water too clean. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bsherwood (Nov 22, 2007)

I have been having a lot of fun with Mystery snails.....I have them in almost all my tanks...my clown loaches keep the numbers down.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

I vote for MTSs and ramshorns.


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

Agree with the ramshorn bit. Note, however, that quite a few fish will predate juvenile ramshorns and sometimes even adults...my 20 long's ramshorn population, for example, is slowly declining, likely due to predation by the resident pair of paradise fish, and my 3 gallon's population dropped by more than half after I introduced some aphyosemion striatum killifish. Side note; adding hay to a tank (as I did with that one) will trigger a snail population explosion.


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