Removing Pond Snails

[goodeye--sniper]

Lately my pond snail population has exploded in my 10g! I'm looking for a way to get rid of them without squishing them, that freaks me out, haha.

I've heard the lettuce trick works--which kind of lettuce is best to use?
Also, what if I put a piece inside one of those Petsmart Betta containers? Would that get the majority of the snails stuck in there for an easier clean up or is that just extra work?

Any other way that works well?

I'd rather not get assassin snails, I wouldn't want them to eat my MTS.

Thanks.

[DishyFishy]

Algae wafers work too if you've got any of those. Stick a few in and they'll be covered in snails in like an hour.

[JasonG75]

lettuce in a jar NEVER worked for me.

[goodeye--sniper]

I love the wafer idea but all of my fish LOVE them. They'd be gone before the snails even got there

[Kunsthure]

The lettuce trick never worked for me because they'd all fall off as soon as I'd move the lettuce.

If you don't want to go the assassin route, don't feed as much and pick them out by hand. Just a few every night and eventually they'll be gone. Be vigilant for egg sacs and destroy them.

Something to note, assassins prefer pond, bladder and ramshorn snails to MTS. Once an assassin has taken care of the snails, RAOK him to someone else who needs an assassin.

-Lisa

[blissskr]

A yoyo loach would eradicate them within a short time if you can get one but if keep it you'd need a bigger tank. But if you can temporarily house one then return it for credit or something to your lfs it could solve your issue.

[Soujirou]

If you are going to use a betta container, you may have to cut it down to size and smooth the sharp edges. You could buy a petri dish (and cover) for less than $5 (includes shipping) on Amazon. I use one for Repashy food and my ramshorns swarm it, so it'd be pretty easy to reduce their population if I needed to.

[In2wishin]

I never had much luck with the lettuce trick either. Cut down on the amount you are feeding and hand pick them out. Go in the room when the lights are out and use a flashlight to see them on the glass. You will be able to get more of them in one trip that way.

Also, any snails you remove, make sure they are dried up and completely dead before disposing of them. You don't want to start a local infestation of non-native anything.

[DishyFishy]

U could put the algae wafer in something the snails could get into but not ur fish.

[goodeye--sniper]

Would it help to ziplock the snails and then throw them out so they can't escape?

Would the yoyo kill my MTS or RCS? That might be an easier route for me and then return it a week later.

[Kunsthure]

Originally Posted by goodeye--sniper

Would the yoyo kill my MTS or RCS? That might be an easier route for me and then return it a week later.

Yes and possibly. But this is the worst and cruelest option. You're stressing the fish by putting it in your tank then stressing it again by taking it back. Loaches are very susceptible to Ich when stressed, so you may very well kill it. You don't want Ich in your tank and the LFS owner doesn't want Ich in his, or a dead fish he can't sell. If you want the lazy option, get some assassins, don't be cruel to an innocent fish.

Or you could just stop overfeeding and pick them out by hand.

-Lisa

[goodeye--sniper]

I didn't even think about the loach! I feel terrible
I think I will just have to pull them out by hand over the course of the next few weeks. Hopefully that helps cut down their population

[DishyFishy]

I don't get why everyone is so against stressing/hurting fish. But squishing/crunching/throwing away hundreds of snails is just not big deal. Technically, you're still hurting innocent little animals.

Not attacking anyone, b/c I too squish snails. It's just weird how I am all sad if I lose a fish, but I can make a bloodbath out of some snails and totally not have the same feelings lol. I guess it's b/c they annoy us!

[DogFish]

I made a snail trap by using a rubber band to attach a string to the mouth of a test tube. I bait the trap with food and place in the tank, with the string hanging out. Then simply pull out the trap when it has snails in it.

I have one tank with Zipper loaches the extra snails go in there. With diligence you can eliminate the pond snails selectively with out resorting to chemical warfare.

I keep Red Ramshorns and MTS. So I want them to survive. I do cull the Ramshorns from time to time. removing the adults. I also cull out the brown Ramshorns.

I will say that my fish and even my cherry shrimp do like to feast on smooched snails

[goodeye--sniper]

I would love to give my shrimp the extra food supply (they've yet to breed, probably because my fish eat everything before it can get to the bottom of the tank) but just the feeling of the shell cracking under my finger freaks me out so much! I feel awful killing them