mgr7686 Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 Hi all, Just want your view on wether you all think snails in the tank or a problem or not. I will be breeding my BN catfish soon and wonder if they will harm the breading cycle in any way. the problem is I have guppy's and Red cherry shrimp in the tank so I cant get loaches atm or they will make a meal out of my cherry's. I am getting another tank soon and will move the cherry's to that thank but are the snails a real treat to anything ? i.e plants breading ect ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaizen088 Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 (edited) All my tanks are BN breeding tanks, I have Ramshorn snails in one and an unknown type (very small) in all my other tanks. The Ramshorns came on a piece of driftwood and the other type came with some plants. I haven't been able to get rid of them completely but some worming treatments have semed to knock their numbers about a little. I also have cherries in all tanks as clean up crew and don't want to use a copper based snail treatment. The snails I have don't seem to pose any threat to the BN fry or eggs so I wouldn't be too concerned. The plants I have are Anubias, Anubias Nana and Java Fern which don't seem to be negatively affected by them. My beef is that I didn't intentionally buy any snails so they have no place in my tank, bloody freeloading gatecrashers!! If anybody wants some Ramshorns for free you're welcome to come and grab them... Edited November 16, 2013 by Kaizen088 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJ Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 I've got pakistani loaches (8 full grown in a 4 footer for about 18 months) with cherries and they've done an awesome of cleaning up ramshorn and other snails without taking out the cherries. I'm sure they snack on a few but that's life. They don't do much to trumpet snails or the tiny little turban snails though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgr7686 Posted November 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 So do u think it is worth getting rid of them all or just keep numbers down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I just use a snail trap to thin them down if they get out of control. You dont want a mass snail die off, as that nukes most tanks. Besides the little ista one lets me think back to fishing in zelda. Which I was a master of btw. As well as DC Sega marine fishing........ tarpon with eyes the size of your head srsly. You can try get rid of them all....... but its a lot harder than just trapping 90% of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nafe420 Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I tried that Donny but caught more shrimp than I did snails, the traps work great but lucky I checked mine before I went to sleep otherwise they probably would have died being wedged between all the snails. I just put hikari in then get the plastic tweezers out and get the majority otherwise I get a heap when I remove the left over cucumber my peps fill up on. No quick fix sadly but the amount snails crap is ridiculous so yea I'd try keep the numbers down the best way you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Mate use the ista one in prawn tanks, you wont catch even one shrimpy! Its like lure fishing..... but for snails.... and you still use bait... Ok its nothing like lure fishing, but its also not your usual type of snail trap either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nafe420 Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Haha pulling the tank down but will check them out. Thanks mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgr7686 Posted November 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 I know that some people add them cause there do eat waste and extra food. SO I am wondering if I should move all my RCS to another tank and let some loaches go to town OR just keep the population down with regular cleans ? What are your views ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickkyjr Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 Depends if there bothering you or not. Not that hard to keep numbers down. I love them in my shellie tanks. Cleans all the crap in and around the shells. But for a display I hate them, looks untidy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgr7686 Posted November 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 I am getting another tank soon and was considering getting some loaches to try kill them all. BUT then some people have said that they are good for the tank if you don't let them over populate it. Do you think I should try and get rid of them all or just keep numbers down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daydream Posted November 20, 2013 Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 Have them in every tank shrimp love them.Sqish 1 snail to 20 shrimp and let them have a feed.Only prob I have is they breed to fast and eat the shrip food.Use a letece leaf to colectthem on and get rid of exess snails if it bothers you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamiya Posted November 20, 2013 Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 Daydream that's a great idea.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gollys Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I did not buy any snails either but must have inherited them from some plants. I have two clown loaches that do a reasonable job of them but I still have a few. I noticed right now I seem to have a few more than usual, so maybe I have been slightly overfeeding - so am pulling back from that. I think they kind of do have a place in some tanks though - they do keep the algae off my anubiuas leaves, but I would prefer them to not be there at all of course. I think you just learn to balance it out and live with them & I kind of think they are just part of the ecological thing in the tank in the end. I am now at peace accepting I have some of them from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
