Snail Control Issue

[W Klofkorn]

I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is an
infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before, but these
little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the species, but they are
tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled critters. They are prolific. They
appeared first in my 40 gallon tank. I tried evacuating the tank and
treating with copper sulfate. After a couple of weeks after titrating up to
maybe 3x the recommended copper concentration the tank looked great, with no
visible snails. I then recycled the water over a couple of weeks and
repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and I'm seeing more of the
little devils.

Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population? Is
nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water fish that
might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that might eat said
snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios, harlequin
raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be so bad if hese
suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get going there are
hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide under rocks and in
the gravel during the day.

Thanks for any feedback.

--
"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's too
dark to read."
-- Groucho Marx

Remember to remove the "NoSpam" from my return e-mail address before
replying.

[Charles]

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:15:32 -0700, "W Klofkorn"
> wrote:

>I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is an
>infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before, but these
>little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the species, but they are
>tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled critters. They are prolific. They
>appeared first in my 40 gallon tank. I tried evacuating the tank and
>treating with copper sulfate. After a couple of weeks after titrating up to
>maybe 3x the recommended copper concentration the tank looked great, with no
>visible snails. I then recycled the water over a couple of weeks and
>repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and I'm seeing more of the
>little devils.
>
>Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population? Is
>nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water fish that
>might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that might eat said
>snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios, harlequin
>raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be so bad if hese
>suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get going there are
>hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide under rocks and in
>the gravel during the day.
>
>Thanks for any feedback.


If they are the same as mine, they totally mess up filters as well,
just like throwing sand into the works.If there were a way to clear
them from the plants, maybe a short chlorox bath, I'd remove the fish
and plants, then put really hot water in the tank. Pretty much
nukeing it, as you state.

[Gill Passman]

Charles wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:15:32 -0700, "W Klofkorn"
> > wrote:
>
>
>>I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is an
>>infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before, but these
>>little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the species, but they are
>>tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled critters. They are prolific. They
>>appeared first in my 40 gallon tank. I tried evacuating the tank and
>>treating with copper sulfate. After a couple of weeks after titrating up to
>>maybe 3x the recommended copper concentration the tank looked great, with no
>>visible snails. I then recycled the water over a couple of weeks and
>>repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and I'm seeing more of the
>>little devils.
>>
>>Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population? Is
>>nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water fish that
>>might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that might eat said
>>snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios, harlequin
>>raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be so bad if hese
>>suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get going there are
>>hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide under rocks and in
>>the gravel during the day.
>>
>>Thanks for any feedback.
>
>
>
> If they are the same as mine, they totally mess up filters as well,
> just like throwing sand into the works.If there were a way to clear
> them from the plants, maybe a short chlorox bath, I'd remove the fish
> and plants, then put really hot water in the tank. Pretty much
> nukeing it, as you state.

Got Clown Loaches in my 47.5 gall tank - no snails - any that do turn up
get snapped up pretty quickly by the Clowns. They dig them out of the
shells - quite interesting to watch.

I also don't seem to get any in tanks that contain Cories or Bettas - I
know some bettas will eat them but haven't actually heard that Cories
will so it might just be luck in the Cory tanks.

Gill

[fish lover]

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 09:33:52 +0000, Gill Passman
> wrote:

>Charles wrote:
>> On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:15:32 -0700, "W Klofkorn"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is an
>>>infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before, but these
>>>little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the species, but they are
>>>tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled critters. They are prolific. They
>>>appeared first in my 40 gallon tank. I tried evacuating the tank and
>>>treating with copper sulfate. After a couple of weeks after titrating up to
>>>maybe 3x the recommended copper concentration the tank looked great, with no
>>>visible snails. I then recycled the water over a couple of weeks and
>>>repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and I'm seeing more of the
>>>little devils.
>>>
>>>Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population? Is
>>>nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water fish that
>>>might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that might eat said
>>>snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios, harlequin
>>>raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be so bad if hese
>>>suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get going there are
>>>hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide under rocks and in
>>>the gravel during the day.
>>>
>>>Thanks for any feedback.
>>
>>
>>
>> If they are the same as mine, they totally mess up filters as well,
>> just like throwing sand into the works.If there were a way to clear
>> them from the plants, maybe a short chlorox bath, I'd remove the fish
>> and plants, then put really hot water in the tank. Pretty much
>> nukeing it, as you state.
>
>Got Clown Loaches in my 47.5 gall tank - no snails - any that do turn up
>get snapped up pretty quickly by the Clowns. They dig them out of the
>shells - quite interesting to watch.
>
>I also don't seem to get any in tanks that contain Cories or Bettas - I
>know some bettas will eat them but haven't actually heard that Cories
>will so it might just be luck in the Cory tanks.
>
>Gill

Loaches are very good to control snails. I used to have snails in my
tank. Two things helped me to get rid of them:
1. Whenever/wherever you see any snails, crush them. That way you can
cut down the re-production rate. Each one you take out could produce
50 easily giving it time. Check the water line area because they like
to stay there. If you have UGF, check that and the power heads too.
2. Have some good looking loaches from your LFS. You can enjoy the
fish and see them dig up the snails.

After about few days, your should see a drop of snails in you tank.
Few months later they should be all gone.

[Justice]

Gill Passman wrote:
> Charles wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:15:32 -0700, "W Klofkorn"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is
>>> an infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before,
>>> but these little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the
>>> species, but they are tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled
>>> critters. They are prolific. They appeared first in my 40 gallon
>>> tank. I tried evacuating the tank and treating with copper sulfate.
>>> After a couple of weeks after titrating up to maybe 3x the
>>> recommended copper concentration the tank looked great, with no
>>> visible snails. I then recycled the water over a couple of weeks and
>>> repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and I'm seeing more
>>> of the little devils.
>>>
>>> Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail
>>> population? Is nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there
>>> fresh water fish that might actually eat these little suckers? Better
>>> yet, any that might eat said snails and still co-exist with other
>>> fish (zebra danios, harlequin raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The
>>> situation wouldn't be so bad if hese suckers weren't so prolific. As
>>> it is, when they get going there are hundreds of them that appear
>>> nightly. They seem to hide under rocks and in the gravel during the day.
>>>
>>> Thanks for any feedback.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> If they are the same as mine, they totally mess up filters as well,
>> just like throwing sand into the works.If there were a way to clear
>> them from the plants, maybe a short chlorox bath, I'd remove the fish
>> and plants, then put really hot water in the tank. Pretty much
>> nukeing it, as you state.
>
>
> Got Clown Loaches in my 47.5 gall tank - no snails - any that do turn up
> get snapped up pretty quickly by the Clowns. They dig them out of the
> shells - quite interesting to watch.
>
> I also don't seem to get any in tanks that contain Cories or Bettas - I
> know some bettas will eat them but haven't actually heard that Cories
> will so it might just be luck in the Cory tanks.
>
> Gill
>
I would agree the the loaches are good a eating the snails, My tank had
thousands of the, no joke. I got 2 clown loaches and it's been about a
month or so and the population now I would say is about 2-300 of them.
Also the first time I saw on eating a snail I thought he was carring a
rock in his mouth untill i notced it was a snail shell. my only problem
is when I vacume my gravel I have to stop every min or so to unclog the
empty shells from the syphon hose.

[Elaine T]

W Klofkorn wrote:
> I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is an
> infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before, but these
> little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the species, but they are
> tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled critters. They are prolific. They
> appeared first in my 40 gallon tank. I tried evacuating the tank and
> treating with copper sulfate. After a couple of weeks after titrating up to
> maybe 3x the recommended copper concentration the tank looked great, with no
> visible snails. I then recycled the water over a couple of weeks and
> repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and I'm seeing more of the
> little devils.
>
> Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population? Is
> nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water fish that
> might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that might eat said
> snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios, harlequin
> raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be so bad if hese
> suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get going there are
> hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide under rocks and in
> the gravel during the day.
>
> Thanks for any feedback.
>
Sounds like Malaysian Trumpet snails (MTS - Melanoides tuberculata),
although mine get to a full inch.
http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Bug,%20Snails,%20Malaysian%20Trumpet.htm
I introduce them into my planted tanks deliberately. They live in the
gravel, sifting through it for food, and help keep the substrate from
compacting and developing anaerobic spots. They're very beneficial,
hardy little critters. If you have a population explosion, you are
likely overfeeding your fish.

Along with the snails, I keep a couple of loaches of the Botia genus to
keep the snail population under control. I've personally used clowns,
yo-yos, and pygmy chained loaches. IME clowns do the best job, but a
shoal of them would eventually outgrow your tank.

--

Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[NetMax]

"W Klofkorn" > wrote in message
news:DFY8f.60869$WR2.52927@fed1read03...
> I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is
> an infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before,
> but these little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the
> species, but they are tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled
> critters. They are prolific. They appeared first in my 40 gallon tank.
> I tried evacuating the tank and treating with copper sulfate. After a
> couple of weeks after titrating up to maybe 3x the recommended copper
> concentration the tank looked great, with no visible snails. I then
> recycled the water over a couple of weeks and repatriated the fish. Lo
> and behold a month later and I'm seeing more of the little devils.
>
> Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population?
> Is nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water
> fish that might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that
> might eat said snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios,
> harlequin raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be
> so bad if hese suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get
> going there are hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide
> under rocks and in the gravel during the day.
>
> Thanks for any feedback.


Snails which hide underground fit the description of the Malaysian
Trumpet snail http://www.petresources.net/fish/plants/mel_tub.html .

These are somewhat more difficult to eradicate as their shells are quite
hard (fish cannot crunch them easily, unless you have puffers ;~), and
they are relatively small (hard for botia to suck out). They are
livebearers, and some fish will have a bit of luck controlling their
population when the young snails are near the surface early in the
morning. Simply adding a nightlight on a timer might tip the scales to
your favour.

Note that MTS are generally not considered pests, as they feed off of
decaying organic matter and very soft tissue plants (algae), leaving
harder tissue plants alone. They also aerate your substrate, reducing
the possibility of aerobic pockets of decaying matter releasing noxious
gases (as would be found under driftwood slate and other wide flat
stones).

If not MTS, then there are several fish which dine on snail eggs
(possibly corys), newborns (almost all carnivores and most omnivores
after they discover what is inside) and adult snails (larger cichlids,
botia and puffers). You can also bulk extract them (piece of cooked meat
on a string left overnight, throw in garbage the next morning), or use
manual control (crushing adults against the glass). I do NOT recommend
the use of copper based products.

Sometimes with the combination of fish, it might be easier to tear down
the tank and give it a hot water rinse (watch you don't have snail eggs
in your filters, and you'll also need to deal with the tank cycling). hth
--
www.NetMax.tk

[W Klofkorn]

Thanks to all who've responded to this. I'm going to try cutting back the
food & introducing a pair of small clown loaches.
/fingers crossed

"W Klofkorn" > wrote in message
news:DFY8f.60869$WR2.52927@fed1read03...
> I've been down this road a couple of times now. Presenting problem is an
> infestation of snails in two of my tanks. I've had snails before, but
> these little b@st@rds are driving me bonkers. Don't know the species, but
> they are tiny (1/4 inch maximum) cornucopia shelled critters. They are
> prolific. They appeared first in my 40 gallon tank. I tried evacuating the
> tank and treating with copper sulfate. After a couple of weeks after
> titrating up to maybe 3x the recommended copper concentration the tank
> looked great, with no visible snails. I then recycled the water over a
> couple of weeks and repatriated the fish. Lo and behold a month later and
> I'm seeing more of the little devils.
>
> Are there any realistic options for control of such a snail population? Is
> nuking the tank altogether the only option? Are there fresh water fish
> that might actually eat these little suckers? Better yet, any that might
> eat said snails and still co-exist with other fish (zebra danios,
> harlequin raspboras, and an ugly old pleco)? The situation wouldn't be so
> bad if hese suckers weren't so prolific. As it is, when they get going
> there are hundreds of them that appear nightly. They seem to hide under
> rocks and in the gravel during the day.
>
> Thanks for any feedback.
>
> --
> "Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's
> too dark to read."
> -- Groucho Marx
>
> Remember to remove the "NoSpam" from my return e-mail address before
> replying.
>

[Jeff]

"W Klofkorn" > wrote in message
news:%U89f.60882$WR2.48935@fed1read03...
> Thanks to all who've responded to this. I'm going to try cutting back the
> food & introducing a pair of small clown loaches.
> /fingers crossed
>

Last week I saw one. Thought "Oh well, he's not bothering nothing" and
someone said to kill it because id end u with a million. Tonight I counted
15.

[BaBeL FiSh]

"Jeff" > wrote in message
...
>
> "W Klofkorn" > wrote in message
> news:%U89f.60882$WR2.48935@fed1read03...
>> Thanks to all who've responded to this. I'm going to try cutting back the
>> food & introducing a pair of small clown loaches.
>> /fingers crossed
>>
>
> Last week I saw one. Thought "Oh well, he's not bothering nothing" and
> someone said to kill it because id end u with a million. Tonight I counted
> 15.
>

I have a snail problem in my Biorb. Would a clown loach be suitable for a
Biorb considering the subtrate that's in it?

Thanks

[Gill Passman]

BaBeL FiSh wrote:
> "Jeff" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>"W Klofkorn" > wrote in message
>>news:%U89f.60882$WR2.48935@fed1read03...
>>
>>>Thanks to all who've responded to this. I'm going to try cutting back the
>>>food & introducing a pair of small clown loaches.
>>>/fingers crossed
>>>
>>
>>Last week I saw one. Thought "Oh well, he's not bothering nothing" and
>>someone said to kill it because id end u with a million. Tonight I counted
>>15.
>>
>
>
> I have a snail problem in my Biorb. Would a clown loach be suitable for a
> Biorb considering the subtrate that's in it?
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
Nope, it's way too small for a Clown Loach and you would need more than
one as they should not be kept on their own....

Gill

[~Roy]

Get a small zuchinni squash, and slice it in small cross secitons
about an eight or 1/4 inch thick slices. Just before you shut off the
light at night. First thing in the morning, get a new ready and scoop
up the slice of zuchinni squash which will by now be or should be
loaded with snails....I use clown loaches in larger tanks byt slices
of zuchinni work great in any sized tank.
You'll find if you leave light on and zuchinni in place the majority
of fish commonly kept will soon consume the zuchinni......thats why
its best to do after turning light off for the night.


On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 18:51:04 GMT, "BaBeL FiSh" > wrote:

>===<>"Jeff" > wrote in message
...
>===<>>
>===<>> "W Klofkorn" > wrote in message
>===<>> news:%U89f.60882$WR2.48935@fed1read03...
>===<>>> Thanks to all who've responded to this. I'm going to try cutting back the
>===<>>> food & introducing a pair of small clown loaches.
>===<>>> /fingers crossed
>===<>>>
>===<>>
>===<>> Last week I saw one. Thought "Oh well, he's not bothering nothing" and
>===<>> someone said to kill it because id end u with a million. Tonight I counted
>===<>> 15.
>===<>>
>===<>
>===<>I have a snail problem in my Biorb. Would a clown loach be suitable for a
>===<>Biorb considering the subtrate that's in it?
>===<>
>===<>Thanks
>===<>
>===<>


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder"
~~~~ }<((((o> ~~~~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~~~~~ }<(((((o>