Snail infestation!

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Dark Rose

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 27, 2013
443
0
0
United States
Got some live plants a few weeks back and now I have a snail infestation growing by the day! I'm not sure what kind they are, the largest ones are about the size of a pencil eraser, and it appears there are egg clumps all around and tiny tiny baby snails on the glass...
What can I get to eat them or get rid of them? 40 breeder with some cory cats, Oto cats, bamboo and amano shrimp, and a yo-yo loach at the moment...

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Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 10, 2011
696
104
46
Denver, CO.
Sounds like pond snails, they're a pain in butt to us with planted tanks. The Yo-Yo Loach will end up eating the snails, and the eggs. Just give him a little time discover there's snails in the tank, and he will go haywire on them.

I use Yo-Yo Loaches every time I have a snail infestation in any of my tanks, they are great snail hunters!!!!
 
Kaosu

Kaosu

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
May 8, 2010
2,279
21
38
Washington State
adding stock to fix a problem is never recommended.

if you have snails growing like crazy and reproducing you are feeding them. Feeding then means there is enough food when your fish are done for them to eat.

in short you are over feeding...cut back on feeding and pick out any snails you see. No food means no breeding means no snails.

they are probably bladder snails or ramshorn snails both are harmless to plants. pond snails eat plants.
 
D

Dark Rose

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 27, 2013
443
0
0
United States
Well the tank is under-stocked right now, and looking for oddballs for stock, and if I can find some oddballs to eat the snails, all the better. I'd love to get a couple more yo-yo loaches, but my LFS only had the one... and it was the first time I'd ever seen them have one. I know clown loaches eat snails, but they get too big for the tank.

I'm only feeding basically a pinch of NLS small fish food every other day... I'll try to cut back... about once a week I supplement with some bottom feeder pellets.

Total stock is
1 Galaxy Raspbora
5 Emerald Cory cats
1 Julii Cory cat
2 Oto cats
1 bamboo shrimp
3 amano shrimp
1 yo-yo loach

Mainly working on getting the plants growing well before I add more stock, but these snails are driving me nuts! They seemed to all show up over about a 3 day period, now I'm seeing what looks like little egg sacs/cluster alls over, on plants, driftwood, rocks, everywhere...
 
V

vanman

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 23, 2011
197
0
0
Woodinville WA
Your stock is really not good for balance and individuals health.the galaxie needs small group of 5 ph around 6, temp around 72 f, the cories and the loaches also like at least 5 of the same species each and they like to be around ph 6.5 temp 77 to 80 f , the ottos are fine but for a 40 you need 10 at least, the bamboo shrimp won't usually live long unless there are 10 of them or more. The amino shrimp are fine as for the snails the loaches will eat them if you find more of them like 4 more, in the mean time put an algae wafer in or a piece of bleached lettuce or zucchini at lights out. Come back in and hour and scoop out the snails on or around it with a net and put the whole thing in the freezer over night. Due this several nights to control them. Don't panic they are only eating dead stuff. I would make some choices for your stock and rehome some of the less compatible species. Snail infestations happen from time to time. Don't worry.
 
D

Dark Rose

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 27, 2013
443
0
0
United States
vanman said:
Your stock is really not good for balance and individuals health.the galaxie needs small group of 5 ph around 6, temp around 72 f, the cories and the loaches also like at least 5 of the same species each and they like to be around ph 6.5 temp 77 to 80 f , the ottos are fine but for a 40 you need 10 at least, the bamboo shrimp won't usually live long unless there are 10 of them or more. The amino shrimp are fine as for the snails the loaches will eat them if you find more of them like 4 more, in the mean time put an algae wafer in or a piece of bleached lettuce or zucchini at lights out. Come back in and hour and scoop out the snails on or around it with a net and put the whole thing in the freezer over night. Due this several nights to control them. Don't panic they are only eating dead stuff. I would make some choices for your stock and rehome some of the less compatible species. Snail infestations happen from time to time. Don't worry.
Click to expand...
Well there were originally 5 raspboras, along with 2 peacock gudgeons and 2 scarlet badis... Most of them were found in my HOB filter after being sucked in... haven't found a good way to cover the intake that doesn't clog quickly, and haven't replaced the fish yet because my LFS doesn't carry them. It's a work in progress. The tank stays around 76°

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P

Pomatomus

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2009
1,691
162
81
Sarasota, FL
Kaosu said:
adding stock to fix a problem is never recommended.

if you have snails growing like crazy and reproducing you are feeding them. Feeding then means there is enough food when your fish are done for them to eat.

in short you are over feeding...cut back on feeding and pick out any snails you see. No food means no breeding means no snails.

they are probably bladder snails or ramshorn snails both are harmless to plants. pond snails eat plants.
Click to expand...
Not true. Fish waste also becomes detritus and the snails feed on that too. And biological controls are definitely appropriate. For instance, take the aiptasia-eating peppermint shrimp. Or jeez just about any pleco or algae eater!
 
P

Pomatomus

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2009
1,691
162
81
Sarasota, FL
vanman said:
Your stock is really not good for balance and individuals health.the galaxie needs small group of 5 ph around 6, temp around 72 f, the cories and the loaches also like at least 5 of the same species each and they like to be around ph 6.5 temp 77 to 80 f , the ottos are fine but for a 40 you need 10 at least, the bamboo shrimp won't usually live long unless there are 10 of them or more. The amino shrimp are fine
Click to expand...
I can't argue about the temperatures, but when you're talking pH you need to realize that most of these fish are bred in alkaline waters in Florida. The discus from around here breed in pH's in the mid 7's too. Wild populations need those pH's but the captive bred ones are much more tolerant/adapted to higher and a wider range of pH's.
 
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