where do snails come from?

pucca · 04-10-2003, 09:51 PM

i've got a 30 gal tank, newly cycled. now that i've got no ammonia and no nitrites, my fish are happy, and my plants seem to have grown at mutant speed? last night, i suddenly noticed a small brown snail. :shock: how did he get in the tank, and will there be more?

thanks for the help...

ridns · 04-10-2003, 11:51 PM

I'd place a bet that he hitch hiked a ride on your plants.

chode · 04-11-2003, 12:24 AM

are clown loaches good fish to get to eat them?

SNPiccolo5 · 04-11-2003, 12:38 AM

They are extremely good snail eaters, only if you want no snails though! Make sure you will have a home for one, as they get somewhat decent sized.

-Tim

TankGirl · 04-14-2003, 03:31 AM

I had the same thing happen to me, even though I rinsed and physically rubbed on the leaves of my java fern. I noticed black spots on the backs of the leaves, and I know that with some plants, these black spots next to the ribs of the leaves are normal parts of the plant, but in this case I removed a leaf and looked at it under my child's little microscope and lo and behold, each black dot was actually a cluster of HUNDREDS of snail babies. This was obviously the source, which is a cool thing when you have an elementary school-age kid, but otherwise it takes no time to be overrun with snails. Check for leaves on your plants that have black spots, and also check the glass on your tank for slimy looking egg clutches. The snails can reproduce remarkably fast, if you see one, you probably have a hundred. But I'm not bitter....

Kayakbabe · 11-11-2007, 07:23 AM

Yep.. once infested with snails.. always infested with snails. But hey.. they eat algae and diatoms don't they? so... I just pick them out.. keep my fish hungry to keep the snail egg numbers down... and hope for the best.

I did keep them out of one tank for about year then I got lazy.. I used Alum baths for all new plants... you can get Alum in the spice section of a good grocery store and do a bath.. soak the new plants in int. I think I use about a table spoon for a half gallon.. not sure I just keep adding until it won't dissovle anymore adn I see the alum floating aroudn.. Then I put the plants in submirged for about 10 minutes. I think this was way gentler on the plants than the bleach dip talked about on this board. My Dad is the one who recommeded the Alum dip. He started keeping aquariums in Germany and that is what they told him to do (way back in the early 1960's). Anyway, it worked for me.. Until I let that one little plant in my big tank.. and I didn't treat it first. Oh well. I now have snails. I keep shrimp or else I'd get a botia of some kind and let it wreck havod on the snails. Heck maybe I should do that anyway.. and then get more shrimp after 6 months or so. Though I think I'd need a snail egg eater as well as a snail adult eater.

matt s · 11-11-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pucca

I suddenly noticed a small brown snail. :shock: how did he get in the tank

Well when a mommy snail and a daddy snail love eachother very much...lol

I have the same problem and now I am infested. Like others said they hitch a ride on plants when you buy a a plant from a store.

fshfanatic · 11-11-2007, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt s

Well when a mommy snail and a daddy snail love eachother very much...lol

damn! you beat me too it.

04-10-2003, 11:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
ridns Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rockford,IL Posts: 349	I'd place a bet that he hitch hiked a ride on your plants. __________________ Eheim pimp #128, 55gal 13x20x48, Eheim Pro 2227, CO2 injected, into the filter breather tube,4x 55w Pcs , 12 hr light cycle (sunrise/sunset simulated), Milwaukee SMS 122, faulty bubble counter replaced with M3 bubble counter..... moderately Planted, Plantex CSM+B and ferts To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research

04-11-2003, 12:38 AM	#4 (permalink)
SNPiccolo5 Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 859	They are extremely good snail eaters, only if you want no snails though! Make sure you will have a home for one, as they get somewhat decent sized. -Tim __________________ Tank in transition! 55 gallons, hard water.

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04-10-2003, 09:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
pucca Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: maryland Posts: 15	i've got a 30 gal tank, newly cycled. now that i've got no ammonia and no nitrites, my fish are happy, and my plants seem to have grown at mutant speed? last night, i suddenly noticed a small brown snail. :shock: how did he get in the tank, and will there be more? thanks for the help...

04-11-2003, 12:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
chode Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: McKinney, Texas Posts: 45	are clown loaches good fish to get to eat them?

04-14-2003, 03:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
TankGirl Newbie (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1	I had the same thing happen to me, even though I rinsed and physically rubbed on the leaves of my java fern. I noticed black spots on the backs of the leaves, and I know that with some plants, these black spots next to the ribs of the leaves are normal parts of the plant, but in this case I removed a leaf and looked at it under my child's little microscope and lo and behold, each black dot was actually a cluster of HUNDREDS of snail babies. This was obviously the source, which is a cool thing when you have an elementary school-age kid, but otherwise it takes no time to be overrun with snails. Check for leaves on your plants that have black spots, and also check the glass on your tank for slimy looking egg clutches. The snails can reproduce remarkably fast, if you see one, you probably have a hundred. But I'm not bitter....

11-11-2007, 07:23 AM	#6 (permalink)
Kayakbabe Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Seguin, TX Posts: 312	Yep.. once infested with snails.. always infested with snails. But hey.. they eat algae and diatoms don't they? so... I just pick them out.. keep my fish hungry to keep the snail egg numbers down... and hope for the best. I did keep them out of one tank for about year then I got lazy.. I used Alum baths for all new plants... you can get Alum in the spice section of a good grocery store and do a bath.. soak the new plants in int. I think I use about a table spoon for a half gallon.. not sure I just keep adding until it won't dissovle anymore adn I see the alum floating aroudn.. Then I put the plants in submirged for about 10 minutes. I think this was way gentler on the plants than the bleach dip talked about on this board. My Dad is the one who recommeded the Alum dip. He started keeping aquariums in Germany and that is what they told him to do (way back in the early 1960's). Anyway, it worked for me.. Until I let that one little plant in my big tank.. and I didn't treat it first. Oh well. I now have snails. I keep shrimp or else I'd get a botia of some kind and let it wreck havod on the snails. Heck maybe I should do that anyway.. and then get more shrimp after 6 months or so. Though I think I'd need a snail egg eater as well as a snail adult eater.

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