Whats the harm of MTS?
- Thread starter Aweshade9
- Start date
They eat live plants. They can also get Into filters and jam the impeller. I think the biggest reason is they will destroy a planted tank! And they are not very good algae eaters?
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I find them beneficial, burrowing thru the substrate and keeping it from compacting.
They are very prolific and once they get a start, are probably there for good though.
They are very prolific and once they get a start, are probably there for good though.
Hello; I have had many planted tanks over several decades. I have had MTS in nearly all of these tanks. I do not think that I have ever known of MTS eating on any of the live plants. The rams horn snails have nibbled on the leaves of some plants such as amazon swords when the snail gets to be around nickle sized. They do not seem to do any damage to the tougher leaved plants. When the rams horn get too big I put them in my QT with only some free floating plants.
I have MTS, ramshorn and as of a few months ago some pond snails. The larger mystery/apple snails may well do damage to live plants but it has been several decades since I kept any of that type.
Hello; Many times there will be snails or their eggs on live plants, that is how I wound up with the common pond snails. I have picked up an initial few MTS and rams horn snails at fish stores. Once they are in a tank these will reproduce on their own.
Hello; I suppose this will be a non rooted plant tank. You could have free floating plants perhaps.
The MTS are generally found in the substrate during lighted periods and will be out and about more during the dark. My substrate is gravel ranging from a bit larger than bb size to a small amount around pea sized. The MTS can burrow thru this quite well. I have noted the gravel being shifted from underneath by them. They will search out any and most likely all uneaten bits of food and other organic matter in the substrate. I find that with a decent population of MTS the substrate and surfaces close to the substrate stay clean of algae and with time even dead plant parts. They can from time to time be found higher up on the glass and plants, usually right after the lights first come on.
I do find them in my filters but they have only been an issue a few times over the decades. I think that I have had some partial clogging from their shells a few times but no damage. I have learned that the population of MTS to be an indicator of how much excess food is in my tanks. There as a spell a few decades ago when the MTS were almost like a mat on the substrate even during lit periods. I was feeding much too much. I have since reduced feeding amounts and find the population of MTS and ramshorn snails to be much more reasonable and the clogging of filter parts so much reduced as to be mostly a non issue.
The ramshorn snails are active all over the tanks all the time. They are not great at removing all algae but a decent population will keep it down. When the algae gets thick on plants or the back glass I see wandering trails where they have grazed clean. I do find that they will nibble on the more delicate leaves of some plants but only after they get some size on them, around nickel size.
If the ramshorn population gets too large I crush a few and feed them to the fish thus having some fresh live food. This has become less of an issue since going to a more conservative feeding practice.
I have more limited experience with the common pond snails that showed up on some new plants a few months ago. At first I feared they would become pests due to large numbers but apparently have struggled to compete with the established MTS and rams horns. I saw a good number for a while but am seeing fewer of late.
I have not kept a mbuna tank as yet so cannot report from experience about which snails might do well. The MTS are perhaps the more durable with very thick shells. The ramshorn are more susceptible to predation by fish and I find empty shells quite often, especially in the tanks with kuhli loaches.
I kept mystery/apple snails several decades ago. I found them interesting but they never reproduced for me and were vulnerable to attacks by my fish and eventually all were killed. Perhaps someone that keeps mbuna can relate their experience with snails. My speculation is that the MTS will do well and that the ramshorn may if they are not considered a food source by the fish.
Good luck