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How do I get rid of snails in my freshwater aquarium?
?Melissa? asked:
I bought some anacharis (live) plants for my 10 gallon tank and now there are dozens of baby snails in my aquarium. They are really too small right now to fish out with a net. What’s the best way to get rid of them without hurting the fish I have in the aquarium that doesn’t require my actually TOUCHING the snails? And how should I dispose of them?
I bought some anacharis (live) plants for my 10 gallon tank and now there are dozens of baby snails in my aquarium. They are really too small right now to fish out with a net. What’s the best way to get rid of them without hurting the fish I have in the aquarium that doesn’t require my actually TOUCHING the snails? And how should I dispose of them?
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2. November 2008 at 10:38 pm :
why don’t u just leave them? i heard snails clean aquariums for u
5. November 2008 at 8:10 pm :
No.Do this:Buy a puffer fish.it will destroy some snails. that,
the puffer has very sharp fangs. it eats a snail in one shot!
6. November 2008 at 5:55 pm :
Pet shops have a stuff called “Had a Snail” and it kills them. There are other stuff to get rid of snails too. They all just kill the snails. Those kind of snails that come on plants are not good for your aquarium, they multiply really fast and can take over an aquarium. They are nothing like the snails you actually buy for in your tank. These are bad things to have in there. Any time you get live plants, try rinsing them in running water to help wash off any snails or paracites that may be on the plants. It may not get rid of all of them, but it helps get rid of most, so your aquarium isn’t infested so bad.
8. November 2008 at 7:19 pm :
Use Had-A-Snail by Aquarium products. Snails can over run your tank and the ones you have are not the pretty kind like the gold inca, ram or mystery snail. You should add about 1/2 tsp of aquarium salt too. It won’t harm you plants and the added electrolites will aid the fish in producing a heathly slim coat and stabilize you PH.
8. November 2008 at 8:15 pm :
buy a fresh water lobster , it will eat them
10. November 2008 at 6:30 am :
I would NOT reccommend buying a fish to eat your snails UNLESS you know they can get along together. I think that is a bad idea, anyway.
You can try had-a-snail like mentioned above. I have heard mixed things about it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. If you dont get all the snails you will be infested again in no time. These pest snails that you probably got, well, they produce offspring without a mate! That is how they take over so fast.
If the had a snail doesnt work, method that works is to basically tear everything down and scrub. Its not as scary as it seems, let me explain.
-save as much tank water as possible. Put into clean buckets (that have never held chemicals) or large rubbertail tubs. Place fish in one of those containers with an airator and airstone while you clean the tank. It would be best to hook up your filter to the buckets if you can, to preserve your beneficial bacteria that have grown in it.
-Take the tank outside and fill it with a few inches of water, then add about a capful of bleach for a 55 gallon tank, or less for any smaller tanks.
-Scrub your tank! Get the sides, and swish around the gravel to make sure you are getting any eggs or babies that might be in there.
-Dump bleach water solution, and rinse, rinse, rinse!
-Fill the tank back up and add some water conditioner. This should help detoxify any bleach residue left over. If it were me Id let it sit like that for about an hour.
-Dump and rinse, rinse rinse again!
-let airdry overnight. Your fish should be ok in the tubs with the airator. I wouldnt worry about that. You should be fine the next morning. Just make sure you cant smell a hint of bleach. You didnt put much in so it should be a problem. Add back the tank water than you took out. If you couldnt save all of it, fill the rest with dechlorinated water from your tap. Add your filter back to the tank. You should be good to go.
Some people just cant get their snails under control and if this happens to you then you can take the above advice. Id try the had a snail first, though. Much easier! LOL
Good luck
13. November 2008 at 4:30 am :
Well.. I have had that problem in aqauriums i have had in the past. First thing you need to do is count the snails. If you do not count each and every one of them, my solution will not work. If you miss just one…then my solution will not work…. Ill get back to you when your done counting….DONT MISS ANY!!!!………….POST YOUR ANSWER…..MAKE SURE COUNT ALL THE BABY SNAILS TOO..
15. November 2008 at 3:43 pm :
I’d get a coolie loach (or Kuhli Loach) as puffers tend to get aggressive as they get older. Kuhli are very peaceful. Another method is to get some sliced cumber, and tie a string through it. Most snails will hang on to it.
18. November 2008 at 8:29 am :
Buy a snail remover. You probably can buy that in a fish store. It can kill the snail but, not your fissh. Good Luck !
20. November 2008 at 1:24 am :
try treating the tank with copper. snails are a type of invertebrate and copper kills invertebrates it is important
that you have no scaleless fish like louches or some types
of catfish and be sure to follow the instructions
20. November 2008 at 1:40 pm :
Cook them with garlic and butter in the oven, very tasty.
We do it in France all the time. Lovely with a Chardonnay.
I Corinthians 13;8a, Love never fails!!!
22. November 2008 at 1:14 pm :
If you can (I don’t know what other species of fish you have) put a red devil in the tank it will eat all in aprox 2 days. A red devil is very aggresive, so only if you have other fish in the tank that are compatable.