I do. tons of them. If you,ve ever had them, tell us about it. I hear pros and cons but I just want to hear what you think....
Malaysian Trumpet Snails... Got 'em ??
- Thread starter robmcd
- Start date
I have some. I think they look pretty cool. They also stir your substrate for you and eat extra food.
I have lots in two of my tanks, a 32L/8.5G and a 120cm/4' 180L/50G, both with gravel substrate.
About a year ago, put 1 adult snail in the 32L, 4 adults in the 180L. There's now an uncountable number in both tanks, though none have grown to more than about half the size of the original adults, or developed their black shell. At least 2 adults have died in the 180L, I pulled their empty shells out recently.
A friend of mine put 1 or 2 trumpet snails in his ~40L tank, but they haven't reproduced, must be male.
I don't overfeed my 180L tank, none of the food I put in there makes it to the substrate, the snails aren't eating plants, they don't appear to be eating much if any algae, so I think they're mainly surviving eating fish poop. That's okay with me. I see very few of them during the day, have to look pretty close to spot any (I just walked over, took me about 30 seconds to spot 2, one of them a dead empty shell), but after dark they emerge in their hundreds and crawl all over the substrate, plants, rocks, driftwood and up the glass.
All things considered if I was starting the tank over again I'd probably put them in.
The 32L tank is a slightly different story, much of what I said above goes for it as well, but I don't think they're as beneficial in a small tank with small fish. And lately, possibly because there's only a gold panchax killifish, single rummynose tetra, and a 7cm native macrobrachium shrimp, they've been coming out while the lights are on and are about as much of an eyesore as a tank infested with pond snails, if you don't like that sort of thing.
If I was setting up this tank as is again I wouldn't put trumpet snails in it. But, I'm planning on changing the substrate in this 32L tank to sand (possibly today...), and for that reason I'll keep about half the snails in it, give the other half to a friend of mine who recently set up a 6' 315L/83G tank with sand. He's said the sand really shows up the fish poop sitting on top of it, we'll see if the snails do something about that for him.
About a year ago, put 1 adult snail in the 32L, 4 adults in the 180L. There's now an uncountable number in both tanks, though none have grown to more than about half the size of the original adults, or developed their black shell. At least 2 adults have died in the 180L, I pulled their empty shells out recently.
A friend of mine put 1 or 2 trumpet snails in his ~40L tank, but they haven't reproduced, must be male.
I don't overfeed my 180L tank, none of the food I put in there makes it to the substrate, the snails aren't eating plants, they don't appear to be eating much if any algae, so I think they're mainly surviving eating fish poop. That's okay with me. I see very few of them during the day, have to look pretty close to spot any (I just walked over, took me about 30 seconds to spot 2, one of them a dead empty shell), but after dark they emerge in their hundreds and crawl all over the substrate, plants, rocks, driftwood and up the glass.
All things considered if I was starting the tank over again I'd probably put them in.
The 32L tank is a slightly different story, much of what I said above goes for it as well, but I don't think they're as beneficial in a small tank with small fish. And lately, possibly because there's only a gold panchax killifish, single rummynose tetra, and a 7cm native macrobrachium shrimp, they've been coming out while the lights are on and are about as much of an eyesore as a tank infested with pond snails, if you don't like that sort of thing.
If I was setting up this tank as is again I wouldn't put trumpet snails in it. But, I'm planning on changing the substrate in this 32L tank to sand (possibly today...), and for that reason I'll keep about half the snails in it, give the other half to a friend of mine who recently set up a 6' 315L/83G tank with sand. He's said the sand really shows up the fish poop sitting on top of it, we'll see if the snails do something about that for him.
Forgive my ignorance, but do Trumpet snails really eat fish poop??? i never thought snails did that, but if that is the case, then maybe i might have to invest in a few for my 200G to help stir though the substrate...
I have 200G tank with sump filter. I did have hundreds of them in the tank.
They were all over it so i got some loaches in there to sort them out (Cloudy x2, Candy x2 and Clown x4) it took a couple of months but no more snails in the tank
Only problem i got now is the sump, There must be thousands of them and iv tryd all sorts but not been able to get rid of them.
Things iv done,
1, Take all media out wash and remove snails. This took me all day and next day i started to see them again
Not recomended )
2, I put in some assasin snails, There still in there doing there job as lots of emty snail shells every were but they cannot keep up with the numbers involed.
3, Remove by hand every day any snails on the glass near the surface. In five min i can get 30 to 50 out. Only problem is that i forget to do it every day.
4, Put loaches in filter, I felt sorry for them because no light in there and for days i would not see them so after a month i took them out.
Hope this helps.
If any body has got them out of a sump let me know how.
Cheers
They were all over it so i got some loaches in there to sort them out (Cloudy x2, Candy x2 and Clown x4) it took a couple of months but no more snails in the tank
Only problem i got now is the sump, There must be thousands of them and iv tryd all sorts but not been able to get rid of them.
Things iv done,
1, Take all media out wash and remove snails. This took me all day and next day i started to see them again
Not recomended )2, I put in some assasin snails, There still in there doing there job as lots of emty snail shells every were but they cannot keep up with the numbers involed.
3, Remove by hand every day any snails on the glass near the surface. In five min i can get 30 to 50 out. Only problem is that i forget to do it every day.
4, Put loaches in filter, I felt sorry for them because no light in there and for days i would not see them so after a month i took them out.
Hope this helps.
If any body has got them out of a sump let me know how.
Cheers
To my surprise, they've only survived in my one tank - a brackish tank with a SG of 1.010. Any they're doing quite well too, still breeding and being as good a pest as they'll ever be.
Although it is useful having them there, because there are very few good clean up crew species and algae eaters for a brackish setup, let alone for mixing with morays.
Although it is useful having them there, because there are very few good clean up crew species and algae eaters for a brackish setup, let alone for mixing with morays.
They're good if you like them. Like dandelions. One of the best foods and tonics in the universe until it grows in your front lawn.
I have them and I like them, they are good because they clean the bottom of your tank. So many people hate them but I actually like them. They don't harm anything.