Has anyone place a snail(s) in their wet/dry sump to remove debris? Initially I thought a corydoras cat fish or blind cave fish would be good, but they leave waste, too. I'm not sure about snails.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Snail in w/d Sump?
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I put snails in all my tanks, how long they last that depends on which tank. The small round snails most common hitchhikers are the genus physa, and helisoma (ramshorn) they work well on grazing on detritus and keeping algae in check. Cone snails, usually stagnicola depending on area, are great because not only do they clean up debris on the surface they also root through the substrate during the day, similar earthworms in your garden. Although when the different snail species are together the cone snails will eat the other two snails eggs and therefore make up the majority of the snails. Although most people don't like the look of snails in an aquarium, they have a part in keeping the ecosystem in balance. Depending on how you setup you w/d sump they would be a good addition but at some point they would probably make their way into your tank. You will most likely only see them after yoru lights are out.
Some apple snails bred in one of my systems and I didn't notice until a bunch got into the sump. They're thriving in the first compartment with the bioballs and eat any pellets that get sucked into the overflow. I just remove a few of them when there seems to be too many.
If I were to place a snail in my w/d sump, or any aquarium, I would only put one. I don't want them to multiply. I don't know anytning about snail, therefore this question: Can one snail can multiply on its own?
Yes, cone/trumpet snails can multiply on their own. I believe ramshorns just require any two snails. The apple snails I use need a male and female and they lay the eggs above water so it's usually easy to remove them before they hatch.