Floater Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 I know next to nothing about the types of aquatic snails out there. What are some plant friendly ones that dine on algae? What are the disadvantages of keeping snails? Advantages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Red Ramshorn ones are safe and I think that Malaysian trumpet snails are safe too. Benefits, will eat algae and decaying leaves, trumpets will stir your substrate. Cons, trumpets get out of control and don't look that great in my opinion...also sometimes snails do eat some of the very delicate plant species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floater Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Hmm... I like the look of those red ramshorn! I might set up a small tank and put some plants in it etc and see how the snails go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 apple snails, but they will eat plants like crypts :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Yes, they will eat everything :evil: ...then they will climb out of the tank looking for more food! apple snails, but they will eat plants like crypts :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floater Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Red Ramshorn ones are safe and I think that Malaysian trumpet snails are safe too. Benefits, will eat algae and decaying leaves, trumpets will stir your substrate. Cons, trumpets get out of control and don't look that great in my opinion...also sometimes snails do eat some of the very delicate plant species. How do the Red Ramshorn stay in a controlled population and not just explode like trumpets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Not sure...maybe their fecundity is just lower. Or maybe they are just more fussy about water parameters being just right before they really go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floater Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Not sure...maybe their fecundity is just lower. Or maybe they are just more fussy about water parameters being just right before they really go for it! I think I will definitely setup a small planted tank and test them. Don't want to risk infecting my 450L with a bunch of snails that I can't get rid of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Hmmm, I had a ramshorn outbreak in one of my small tanks. I had this one large snail that arrived on a plant I got and I thought - how bad can one snail be?? It was all by itself for about 6 months then all of a sudden I had about 1000 babies in the tank. They just kept coming and coming and coming - I kept siphoning them off into a net to feed to my loaches in another tank. Even then, the population just never went down. Loaches were happy but I got sick of it - the snails poo a lot and the tank still had algae so I tore the tank apart. Just my experiences though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floater Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Hmmm, I had a ramshorn outbreak in one of my small tanks. I had this one large snail that arrived on a plant I got and I thought - how bad can one snail be?? It was all by itself for about 6 months then all of a sudden I had about 1000 babies in the tank. They just kept coming and coming and coming - I kept siphoning them off into a net to feed to my loaches in another tank. Even then, the population just never went down. Loaches were happy but I got sick of it - the snails poo a lot and the tank still had algae so I tore the tank apart. Just my experiences though... That doesn't sound promising. I just bought 10 Malaysian trumpets and 10 red ramshorn snails. Going to keep them in separate tanks and evaluate their algae eating abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Sounds like a good plan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy_49nz Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 The snails do ok at eating algae but nowhere as effective as a bristlenose pleco. They probably will multiply exponentially and you will need an outlet for all of the surplus or you will never see your gravel again past the shells! I would never recommend anyone get snails unless they have some fish to keep their population in check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 If you have fine sand then sifting out the shells every few years wouldn't be a problem. I had a big hassle with little trumpet snail shells in a different tank a few years ago but i only have about 20 ramshorns in this one and their pop. has stayed the same since i got them. I have 2 algae eaters and a SAE and they don't always eat all the green algae that forms on the tops of leaves. They get fat and lazy and just wait for their spiralina tabs or cucumber. The SAE even hand feeds and spends most of his time hanging around where he knows i drop the food. He has been good at eating bba. I don't really tend to have much of an algae problem, but the snails have been good at getting those hard to reach nooks and crannies that the other fish miss. Maybe their population has stayed the same because the cories and SAE are good at finding all their eggs. But yes, it does help to get a snail loving fish if you ever have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floater Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 There are some many conflicting reports as to whether or not snails are beneficial in an aquarium. Only one way to find out haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Hmmm, I had a ramshorn outbreak in one of my small tanks. I had this one large snail that arrived on a plant I got and I thought - how bad can one snail be?? that's how I got my ramshorns haha i've got both and I prefer the trumpet snails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heir Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 that's how I got my ramshorns haha i've got both and I prefer the trumpet snails I have both too. Having Red Ramshorns and Trumpets together is the best way to go IMO. The trumpets population explodes quite quicky, but maintain itself too. If the population gets too big and there's not enough food, they turn into cannibals. Plus you hardly ever see them. Trumpets will also eat Red Ramshorn eggs, keeping their numbers down. Neither are fond of plants as their main diet, however bristlenoses are the way to go to maintain algae, though I have all three together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chogs Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 I have some trumpets for sale on trade me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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