I've got a large bunch of Java Moss with pond snails in it and I want to use this as a breeding platform for danios.

I dont have any Snail-Rid or Copper Sulfate etc and dont really want to buy any. The tank is bare bottom so its easy to get rid of those snails, its just the ones in the moss.

I was thinking I could dip the Java Moss in really hot water for 10 minutes? Just not sure if the Java Moss would handle that ok?? Maybe a hard-core salt dip? Any ideas welcome Would prefer something that takes minutes rather than days tho.

I've poured in a double dose of Masterpet Stereliser, and about a tablespoon of rock salt (20L water), just to make things difficult for the meantime, just not sure if that is actually going to kill the snails or not and their eggs.

Dip into sea water strength salt water, rinse, then wait for a month or so and re-treat, this will kill the snails that have hatched and weren't killed with the first salt dip, but they aren't old enough to bred themselves.

Hot water to kill the snails will also kill the java moss.

Alan 104

Dip the moss into a solution of potassium permanganate for about two minutes.Try with a small piece of moss first.

Ideally you want the solution to go from red to brown,which is when the potossium p. has lost its intensive oxidising characteristic.

Repeat this a couple of times over several days as it will also kill any hydra etc that you may not be able see at the moment.

Cheers

Glenn

Dip into sea water strength salt water, rinse, then wait for a month or so and re-treat, this will kill the snails that have hatched and weren't killed with the first salt dip, but they aren't old enough to bred themselves.

Hot water to kill the snails will also kill the java moss.

Alan 104

Thanks Alan

I'd already dosed the tank with a lot of rock salt, guess I just need to keep on loading it up until everything is dead.

Have a very fat pearl danio, and really want to move her as soon as possible in to this new tank as she's been hounded by 4 males and being the type of fish she is, she'll just lay them in the community tank again :evil: :evil: so in a bit of a rush lol

Thanks Glenn, unfortunately as mentioned I dont want to have to buy anything. Salt I can do though I put in Masterpet Sterliser which I assumed would kill hydra? maybe not, didn't hurt the snails, but really I have no reason to beleive there would be any at all as this moss was pulled from a tank with gouramis, and the tank is a tiny bare bottom.

Don't leave the moss brewing in the salt.

That will kill it too.

Depends on the strenth of the brine of course, but when you say that you have "loaded it up", leaves me a bit concerned.

Alan 104

For the record, there isn't any fish or anything in this tank, its just Java Moss and some pond snails, so no need to worry, worst case scenario is I lose my Java Moss.

There is about 5 tablespoons of rock salt mixed in with about 20L of water @ 30C and a double dose of Masterpet Sterliser.

I haven't added any more salt yet, and its just as easy to 'bath' the moss in the tank than it is to use a bucket with the added bonus of getting the guys on the glass. Its only a small tank and very easy to completely drain.

There are still adult snails happily crawling about, I'm not going to squash them because I kind of need them to know when I"m succesful. (Edit: not as many snails as before, but there is still a few)

How much salt would I need to get saltwater strength? and roughly how long? 20 minutes?

Reason I'm doing it this way is that the moss is riddled with tiny snails I can barely see, and I'd hate to have them grow bigger on future danio eggs

Thanks for the help Alan

You aren't far from the beach down there.

Get a bucket and fetch some and do as I said in the first post.

Dip, >wash, >wait, >dip, >wash, >tank and danios.

Ezzi

Alan 104

If I lived in Petone or Tawa I'd pop down, but in the interest of avoiding the 20 min each way trip, I found a site that said to use 8 tablespoons per gallon (3.8L), so I put a litre of water in a bucket and put in 4 tablespoons of rock salt, the java moss, and stirred (not shaken) (I know thats double). Hopefully I dont buzz my moss too much.

Gonna leave it for 10 minutes then clean out the old tank, rinse the moss, set it up and see if I get any snails.

Fingers crossed, if I had more than ten bucks I'd just buy 'Snail Rid'.

On another note, my artificially raised Kribensis are almost free swimmers yey Got the brine shrimp hatchery started up.

Didn't work

Found an adult pond snail cruising the base of the tank. I'll just get snail-rid this weekend then.