Snails for Native Tank

[bjbass]

I was wondering if anybody uses snails for a clean up crew in their native tank. I have been looking for a solution for some of the brown algae that builds up on the wood and other places. I have a mag float for the glass.

I have read that Japanese Trapdoor snails are good for ponds. I have a 210 gallon native tank. Would anybody recommend these? How many should I get?

Are there any other snails that might be good? I have heard apple snails might be good. I would need some larger snails though probably as I have sunfish, rock bass, bullhead catfish (14"), blue gills, black crappies.

I really don't want to put a pleco in their since it is not native.

 

[joe jaskot]

You can use ramshorn snails, pond snails, trapdoor snails, apple snails, nerite snails, etc. to control algae. Be careful if you have plants in your tank, for some species of apple snails eat plants.

 

[bjbass]

You can use ramshorn snails, pond snails, trapdoor snails, apple snails, nerite snails, etc. to control algae. Be careful if you have plants in your tank, for some species of apple snails eat plants.

Thanks! Great point, but luckily I don't have plants.

What would be the best variety for a large tank like mine?

What would be the best kind for the brown kind of algae?

 

[bjbass]

Well I ordered a dozen Japanese Trapdoor snails. I will update when I get them and how they are improving my tank!

 

[Ambervikings91]

i have fake plants, i use snails, im not really sure what kind of snails they are though, they are native, so... pond snails i guess, they work pretty good, i like em

 

[bjbass]

i have fake plants, i use snails, im not really sure what kind of snails they are though, they are native, so... pond snails i guess, they work pretty good, i like em

I just checked out your tank. It looks sweet!

I so want to put a mono in my tank, but I feel like I am already overstocked.

 

[tjfish]

Im kinda confused...
You dont wanna use a Pleco due to it being non native, but your ok with using japanese snails (which based on their name are clearly non native) Am i missing somethin?
Im just curious because im thinkin about my next set up being natives, and would like to keep it entirely native as well.

 

[bjbass]

Im kinda confused...
You dont wanna use a Pleco due to it being non native, but your ok with using japanese snails (which based on their name are clearly non native) Am i missing somethin?
Im just curious because im thinkin about my next set up being natives, and would like to keep it entirely native as well.

Good point. I guess my thought process there is that it isn't obvious that they are non native unless you know what they are. To me a pleco would stand out more as being non native and more people would probably know that they aren't.

 

[Pyramid_Party]

I have pond snails and ramshorns in my tank and pond and they eat decaying mater and some algae. I am not sure how good they do with brown algae though. I used to have a huge apple snail, But I don;t think it ate brown algae either. I also have 1 nerite in my planted tank and I guess it does just like the other snails.

 

[Owain4]

I recently found a bunch of snails in my 72 gallon with three small sunfish (most likely all pumpkinseeds) crappie etc. and they are infested in the filter but.. there is absolutely none in the tank. and i've never seen one in the tank. I assume that sunfish enjoy eating snails big time and it will probably be hard to have a large amount of snails with them around
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