Snail problem

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Fighter Fish

Fighter Fish

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Feb 25, 2013
203
2
33
Fergus, Ontario
I have a major snail overload in my 75 gallon tank. I am using it as a grow out tank and need to know the best way to eliminate the snails without harming to fish. Any help would be appreciated. Thx


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What kind of snails? I don't know what kind of fry you have but assassin snails eat other snails. Bit they need substrate to burrow in.

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I am not sure what type of snail they are. I will get a pic soon. There is substrate in the tank, I never put the snails in, they just appeared. I had the tank empty of water for about 2-3 weeks and now it seems the amount of snails has doubled and they are bigger. They are starting to wreck my filters so I need to get rid of them


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hello; I have had large snail populations in the past. I have reduced the populations in my tanks by a reduction in the amount I feed the fish. A large snail population seems directly related to excess feeding in my experience.

There are some capture methods that may work. Some have posted of putting some sort of vegtable in a tank overnight and catching a number of snails on the vegitation.

One thing to keep in mind is that the excess snails may be a good source of live food. When I have had large numbers of rams horn and common pond snails, the extra were crushed with some plires and fed to the fish. MTS type snails have a very tough shell and are not so handy for this.

My guess is that the problem snails may well be the MTS, their tough shells have interfered in my filters in the past. While they are an issue when in large numbers, I find MTS to be very beneficial in my tanks and want them to be present. The MTS stay in and near the substrate. In reasnable numbers they are often only seen on the surface of the glass when the light first come on. With a large population of MTS they will be seen at any time. The ramshorn and pond snails are more out and about the rest of a tank.
 
Unfortunately I am cannot really reduce the amount I feed as it is a grow for my pb and tatf. I also have some tigs but put them in another tank so they wouldn't eat the snails. I guess the best way will be to buy a couple assassin snails?


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If they are mts Malaysian trumpet snails. You pretty much have to break the whole tank down and start over. You probably brought in some babies or eggs on a plant from the lfs

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The tiny cone shaped snails? I had them when i first got my tank where the previous owner had swordplants. i got rid of them bit by bit from water changes. Clown loaches eat them too. I kinda miss those little buggers.
 
snake8myelbo said:
If they are mts Malaysian trumpet snails. You pretty much have to break the whole tank down and start over. You probably brought in some babies or eggs on a plant from the lfs

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Click to expand...

Hello; I think the MTS are live bearers and the rams horn and pond snails are egg layers. Either way they tend to hitch on things like plants of substrate. I have had the MTS survive in buckets of damp gravel for weeks, perhaps even months. The eggs of the ramshorn and pond snails have a tough film secreted around them that is apparently good protection.

The MTS have a long tapering shell sort of like a horn of plenty. The shell is quite tough.
 
I have the exact same problem in my 125. I recently moved my Birchirs to my 360 and that is when I realized just how many of these things there really are. The Birchirs must have been eating the them... Short of pulling all the substrate out and scalding them in hot water, I do not know how to get rid of them all.

Also, my tank was "infected" from plants from a LFS.
 
They are an eye sore, but the snail population wont get out of control without something to eat .... if there are no live plants, then feeding less will reduce their population ... they are an indicator of too much extra fish food not being eaten .... mine hitched a ride on a live plant, and they annoy me, but they also help break down extra food particles and such so I dont mind them ... putting in a lettuce leaf overnight, then removing the next day and repeating this for a week should wipe out much of the excess snails, then its a matter of not giving food to limit their population growth ... I can see how they can def jam up a canister filter, so that stinks, luckily I use sumps

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