Good algea-eating snails??

cich · 11-22-2004, 08:43 AM

I have tons of MTS, but I find that they really don't help much with algea on the glass/plants at all. Are there any other plant-friendly snails I could introduce to my tanks? Hopefully something that will go ok with MTS.

Maybe I should get more shrimp too... I dunno.

--cich

aquaverde · 11-22-2004, 02:44 PM

Sure. MTS are detritus snails, they aren't helpful with algae.
Algae eaters:
apple snails (check out applesnail.net for a positive ID and info)
nerites- eggs won't hatch in fresh water, about the best at algae that I have seen, leave little white eggs around, though
ramshorn- if you get the Colombians, they will make a meal out of your plants, but the red ones do pretty well keeping the plants clean
pond- ubiquitous, they will eat algae

None of them will keep the glass clean, but if you have fuzz or dust you can see their tracks on the glass where they ate and left.

mrk442 · 11-22-2004, 03:29 PM

Watch out for Ramshorn I had the red ones and they ate algae well but they also loved to gnaw on my Val's right at the base so the leaves broke off and floated to the surface killing the plant and eating my sword plants. I stick to pond snails personally i had to pick out the large Ramshorns and let my Dwarf Puffers have free roam on the tank for a few days to get rid of them all.

My dwarfs are the ultimate snail killing machines they will dive right into a large Ramshorn and eat all the way up into its shell till you can barely see the tail sticking out or if they are full they just kill them and leave them sitting there thats why i took the big ones out cuz they have a tendency to leave them to rot. I seem to have some particularly vicious dwarfs i have heard of other people saying they want eat snails that are to large not - a problem here.

Ibn · 11-22-2004, 04:47 PM

Never had problems w/red ramshorns, especially the little ones. Another snail which supposedly is a great algae eater, but is plant friendly, is Pomacea bridgesi. They are various varieties of apple snails, some of which have very decorative shells:
http://www.applesnail.net/content/sp...a_bridgesi.htm

aquaverde · 11-22-2004, 05:50 PM

That's the snail and the site I was referencing as well. Should have specified in my earlier post.

11-22-2004, 08:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
cich Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada Posts: 1,058	Good algea-eating snails?? I have tons of MTS, but I find that they really don't help much with algea on the glass/plants at all. Are there any other plant-friendly snails I could introduce to my tanks? Hopefully something that will go ok with MTS. Maybe I should get more shrimp too... I dunno. --cich __________________ Moderation protects freedom -- poor behavior threatens it.

11-22-2004, 02:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
aquaverde Watanabe Bulu (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Mid-Hudson Valley, New York Posts: 1,403	Sure. MTS are detritus snails, they aren't helpful with algae. Algae eaters: apple snails (check out applesnail.net for a positive ID and info) nerites- eggs won't hatch in fresh water, about the best at algae that I have seen, leave little white eggs around, though ramshorn- if you get the Colombians, they will make a meal out of your plants, but the red ones do pretty well keeping the plants clean pond- ubiquitous, they will eat algae None of them will keep the glass clean, but if you have fuzz or dust you can see their tracks on the glass where they ate and left. __________________ James

11-22-2004, 03:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
mrk442 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2) Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 123	Watch out for Ramshorn I had the red ones and they ate algae well but they also loved to gnaw on my Val's right at the base so the leaves broke off and floated to the surface killing the plant and eating my sword plants. I stick to pond snails personally i had to pick out the large Ramshorns and let my Dwarf Puffers have free roam on the tank for a few days to get rid of them all. My dwarfs are the ultimate snail killing machines they will dive right into a large Ramshorn and eat all the way up into its shell till you can barely see the tail sticking out or if they are full they just kill them and leave them sitting there thats why i took the big ones out cuz they have a tendency to leave them to rot. I seem to have some particularly vicious dwarfs i have heard of other people saying they want eat snails that are to large not - a problem here. __________________ 40 Gallon Breeder - 130 watts CF - Mixed gravel, Laterite , and Schultz clay - Eheim Canister with Peat - Pressurized Co2 with diy Reactor - 2 pair Blue Rams "Microgeophagus ramirezi", 2 SAE - Corkscrew Val's,Jungle Val's, assorted crypts, assorted stem bunches, amazon Sword and some hornwart.

11-22-2004, 04:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ibn Moderator (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 3,123	Never had problems w/red ramshorns, especially the little ones. Another snail which supposedly is a great algae eater, but is plant friendly, is Pomacea bridgesi. They are various varieties of apple snails, some of which have very decorative shells: http://www.applesnail.net/content/sp...a_bridgesi.htm __________________ Eric

11-22-2004, 05:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
aquaverde Watanabe Bulu (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Mid-Hudson Valley, New York Posts: 1,403	That's the snail and the site I was referencing as well. Should have specified in my earlier post. __________________ James

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