Fish Folk - help?

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Heather

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Snails are taking over my fish tank. Tonight I came home and they are all forming this weird snail mass. I broke them up, and they reformed. What the heck is going on, and how do I cut down on my snail population?

I'll be draining most of the water out of the tank in a week or so, so I plan to try to catch a bunch and dispose of them but is there anything else I should do in the meantime?

Perplexed!
 
Heather said:
Tonight I came home and they are all forming this weird snail mass. I broke them up, and they reformed. What the heck is going on, and how do I cut down on my snail population?


Snail orgy. Bow-chicka-wow.
 
have you tried garlic butter?:poke:

But seriously, you can pick them out by hand, get a snail eating fish, or take everything out inspecting for itty bitty snails and then start over. As you have noticed some snails can be a real pest and reproduce like mad. Sort of the mealies of the aquarium world.

gary
 
The slightest dose of copper, as is found in most fish medications, is terminal to snails and other invertebrates...the problem is, you may never be able to keep snails again...Take care, Eric
 
If your aquarium is heated (around 80f) you could add some of the botias. The most widely known species is the clown loach.

They like to eat snails and leave other fish alone. There are other botia species too, but they are not as colorful as the clown loach, and harder to find in the retail market.

Unfortunately the clown loach can be prone to ich, and is a bit pricey.
 
i'm a big fan of clown loaches. only thing is, they'll eat all the snails. they also require a tank that's been stabilized for a while, i think.
 
likespaphs said:
i'm a big fan of clown loaches. only thing is, they'll eat all the snails. they also require a tank that's been stabilized for a while, i think.

They do tend to be a bit wimpy. Other botia species are much tougher, and antisocial (with their own species).
 
Probably the best thing is to mash as many snails as possiblle....nontoxic, and privides all the live food your fish could ever want...Take care, Eric
 
Heather said:
Well, when I drain the tank next week, I guess I'll go on a little mashing spree. Or at least remove as many as I can. I really don't mind 10 or so of them, it's the other 675 that are bothering me. :)

That's what i've always done, just remove them by hand. By DO NOT squish them. I know someone who went on a snail squishing spree and somehow a piece of snail gut goo got stuck under his fingernail and got severely infected and he almost lost that finger.
 
If they are the tiny black, semi-cone shaped snails...get used to it.

When one of my tanks got overpopulated with them, I emptied the tank and started over by cleaning the tank with very hot water and scrubbing it down. They come in on nearly any live plant you put in the tank. That tank has since repopulated with them since I sometimes feed tiny live copepods and the snails always get netted with them, so now I just ignore them.

Jon
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HASHISH
 
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Thanks.
There are two kinds, the little cone ones (I actually kinda like them) and then little round ones (such a description huh?) The round ones are much more numerous. I am sure they came in on some plants. They really do do a nice job keeping the tank spiffy, but they are becoming a bit of a menace in numbers now.

How was the show, Jon?
 
Show was good, but I have a few delays in uploading pics. My laptop (or apparently Windows XP) died but my techie brother says he can fix it. I am on his computer with the camera, but forgot the CD that needs installed to upload them. I got some great stuff from EcuaGenera, Orchid Inn, Woodstream Orchids, Oak Hill, and Andy's Orchids.

I should have pics and a review of the show up by tonight.

Jon
________
Ferrari 166 Specifications
 
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The round ones are the planorbid snails...they can become much bigger pests than the cone shaped pond snails. While they seem to be cleaning up, they produce vast quantities of poop....in all likelihood, making up more than 70% of your bottom crud...Take care, Eric
 

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