Snails

[Kelly]

I have an infestation of small snail in my fishroom.

John Guilland WAPS suggested that I use a battery and copper wires into the tank.I assume that the battery deposits a copper salt into the water. My question is what is the dosage required

2nd Question has anyone a better suggestion for wiping out the snails without harming the fish

[Bruce]

Hi Kelly

I have heard that a celery stalk in the tank will attract the smails, just leave it in over nigh then remove it the next day, definitely better that copper in the tank

Bruce

[Caryl]

I have been looking this subject up for my club newsletter Kelly. I found lots of articles on the Net re using copper etc but all gave differing volts and I would not trust any of them.

It would appear attracting them to lettuce, meat or food pellets is the safest and haul them out in bulk.

You can also squish the little buggers so the fish can eat them. Children usually get enthusiastic when it comes to squishing things as many adults seem to be squeamish.

[Goldie]

Well i also had an invasion of snails which came in on some plants I bought, unknown to me at the time. I tried all sorts of methods - even to stripping the tanks and boiling the stones etc.

Then another fish club member gave, for me, the perfect solution. I bought two clown loaches and believe me Kelly i have not had a snail problem since. I have also grown to appreciate the clown loaches and enjoyed their antics. . They are also safe with the other fish. A chinese loach I had bought was not for it killed one of my angel fish by suckering onto it. However the clown loaches have done wonders and LOVE snails

[Rob]

I would favour either the attract and remove or loach control options. Ignoring the possibility of harming the fish with a chemical/electrochemical treatment there is still the issue of a lot a rotting snail carcasses in you tanks.

I guess the problem with the attract and remove option is that you're never going to get all of them. The loach option I've used before with good results, though I wouldn't use it in a livebearer tank where you were wanting young'uns to survive (unless perhaps you were using the small Dwarf or Chain loach - Botia sidthimunki).

[Tigerhair]

Snails forage on left over food and graze on algae therefore a small colony should not be of concern. In fact, they are doing you a favour by eating excess food (and can be amusing to watch and even add to a more "natural" look in your aquarium!). Some species also help by burrowing through the substrate thus preventing compacting and dead spots and even to help dispose of dead fish. However, as with all living creatures, snails produce excreta and thus large colonies of snails can result in quickly deteriorating water quality. Some species do damage plants, and large numbers may look unsightly.

There are various methods of removing them, either 'biologically', physically or chemically.

If they are suited to the set-up, the best and most natural way is to add snail-eating fish. The best candidates are usually loaches. Clown loaches are one of the most popular snail eating fish, and usually do a good job. If your tank is not large enough for these (recommend 3ft minimum), the smaller Pakistan or Zebra loach may be more suitable. Certain catfish like 'Dorids' (talking catfish) or banjo catfish will also eat snails.

Even if physical removal daily can never completely wipe them out, this is a good way of keeping the population down. "Baiting" often works - if you place a slice of cucumber or lettuce in the tank at night (weighted down so that it stays on the substrate), the snails will congregate on it and then you can just pull them out of the tank with the cucumber slice. One way to avoid the fish eating the slice is to stick it inside a clean bottle, or beneath an inverted plate.

The use of any of the available chemical products is not generally recommended because anything that can kill a snail may also be harmful to your fish and plants. Adding chemicals to your tank is always a risky thing unless you know exactly what you are adding and exactly what the effects will be. Most of these snail-killing chemicals use high levels of copper. A result of this method is the massive die off of snails and the resulting decaying of their bodies. High ammonia levels are the most likely result of this method, so be sure to follow up the treatment with a partial water change. It may be wise to continue with at least 10% every other day for a week or more and make sure to check the filter often during this time - daily monitoring with an ammonia and nitrite test kit after such a treatment is also suggested.

Clearly it would be best to physically remove as many snails as possible before treating with a chemical killer.

I hope this helps (it was part of an article I wrote!)

[jinx]

i've got 2 apple snails and they seem to do a good job, eat a few of the plants though.

[ben]

Any botia will absolutely nail a snail population in a short amount of time. I have even heard of the two tiny botia species overcoming jumbo apple snails! I think Botia sidthmunki (sp?) is the dwarf loach most often seen in shops. Don't get less than three though.

hth,

Ben