snails need the get rid off them

robjnr

Member
Nov 29, 2009
9
0
1
australia
can someone help me out and tell me something to kill these bloody snails outta my tank i have fry and red cherry shrimps aswell as largs bns in the tank
 

Irene0100

UK Support Team
May 14, 2009
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Norfolk, UK
what sort of snails? post pic if not sure.
sometimes its best to just use a net to sift them out of the sand. generally a few snails are good for fish.
have you considered assasin snails?
 

foti

Member
Apr 20, 2010
830
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Sydney AUS 2206
to be honest the only way i know to get them out is to strip the tank filter down clean hoses substrate ornaments with boiling water !

dont go half at it if you deside to get rid of them, make sure that you do a thurer job.
i had them in one tank a few years back treated with cemicals ; i dont recomend cemicals it kill some fish stressed the rest and i still needed to strip dow the tank

best of luck
 

wheelsdeal

Member
Apr 3, 2010
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Athens,Greece
I also have snails and i hate them.They came with some plants i put on the tank they laid eggs and now i am full of them.I treated with chemicals,killed some of them but not all.Laid eggs again and i am still full of them.You can add clowns which eat snails but beyond that if you want to completely get rid of them you must remove fish empty tank and clean everything.

ps:if you see on the glass something that looks like gel with bubbles thats the eggs i personally smash them with the magnet and feel good about it :D
 

foti

Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Sydney AUS 2206
ps:if you see on the glass something that looks like gel with bubbles thats the eggs i personally smash them with the magnet and feel good about it :D
:lol:
keep in mind you should remove that guew first then smash it
the eggs will hatch in between the magnet and glass!

also the chemical would of killed them all, but they dont kill the eggs !

if you can get a tub put your heater in it with some water from your tank in it with a sponge filter then add all your fish

add chemical to your tank repeat in 1 week then repeat again in 1 week all eggs would of hatched and all snails dead !

wash out tank plus substrate and filter add fresh water run set up with media from sponge filter into your filtration of tour tank add all your ages and other chemicals to tank let it run 2 weeks add fish all done !

the washing out the tank is to get all the shells out but if that dont bother you, then just add carbon to your filter for 2 days or so that would remove all chemicals 40% water change add fish

ether way fastest way done properly is min 2 weeks ! even if you leave fish in side the tank "if you deside to leave the fish make sure you increase aeration !!!! " follow the instructions on bottle....
 
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robjnr

Member
Nov 29, 2009
9
0
1
australia
i got them lil snails its in my bristlenose tank 6ft by 3ft by 1ft to big to clean out and move fish into another tank i got told about copper treatment but its not good for fry or cherrys
 

bre

Member
Apr 21, 2009
2,571
1
36
Newcastle, Australia
Stay right away from the copper treatment.

With that tank, treating with anything would for one be too costly, and secondly treatments that get rid of snails can have adverse affects on your fish.

If it were a normal height tank I would suggest clown loaches, but the tank is not a good depth tank for them and without lids too risky....you'd more than likely find them on the floor sooner rather than later.

You could always try a snail trap. There are a few different variations, but generally get an empty coke bottle, rinse it out very well, put a piece of lettuce in it and just get it out every 12-24 hrs. Just run it under boiling water for a bit to kill all the snails before re-adding it to your tank. It won't rid your tank of snails but will help in keeping numbers down.

The only other way I can think of is to move the fish out of the tank and then treat the complete setup.

BTW how is the tank going?
 

GrubbyGirl

Member
Nov 18, 2009
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Kent
Assassin snails are best as you don't have to worry about dead rotting bodies, but if you are prepared to do a good clean up afterwards I suggest using wormer plus as that will be ok with your fish and shrimp but will sort out your snail problem
 

Joby

Retired Staff
Aug 9, 2009
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West Midlands
Another vote for assassin snails :thumbup:

All 8 of my tanks were riddled with pest snails and now I have none just lovely stripey ones that don't take over :)
 
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Doodles

Retired Staff
Apr 8, 2009
8,786
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snail trap as suggested but try something that has some protein in it, you may have to do it a few times. Also if you are overfeeding which usually is why snails get out of control then cut back a little.

lettuce lol, i can see the snails saying to each other ' im not risking my life for some lettuce'

:Dj/k about the lettuce, but i have seen masses of snails emerge from the gravel etc for a nice novotab or similar


Or assassin snails:yes:
 

Breamlegend

Member
Apr 22, 2009
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Central Coast NSW Australia
I find if you take out driftwood you will generally find heaps of snails. I have never been able to eradicate them but some of my tanks have a couple and some lots. I've also noticed they inhabit caves and I don't think the plecs really like it. I did notice they dont appreciate low ph and will die off if it gets lower than 6. Don't use med's
 

foti

Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Sydney AUS 2206
low ph !
yes same with low aeration they all come up to the top !
this both happened at the same time years ago when my filter stopped working and that day i realised the amount of snails i had!

any updates on your situation or decision with snails?
 

robjnr

Member
Nov 29, 2009
9
0
1
australia
thankx guys for ur comments still got these lil shits. bre tank is going great got plenty of gns in there and have layed a few times now
 

Brengun

Global Moderators
Staff member
Apr 22, 2009
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Burrum Heads, Queensland, Australia
Clown loaches will eat snails but unfortunately they turn in to big fish after a few years.

The other loach I found seems to be eating snails is the little zebra loach (Botia striatus).
They stay pretty small. I don't know what part of Australia you are in but Fishchick aquatics on Brisbanes southside had them and one of the Stafford stores on the Nth side as well.

For snail control, turn the lights on and squish or remove every snail you see.
Bait them with a bit of vegetable or wafer and siphon them out.
Remove the wood for a while till the snails fall off and then put it back.
Mix up permanganate of potash or Condy's crystals in a bucket and dip plants on driftwood in it. It burns the snails and they practically crawl outa their shells. Too strong though and it will also burn the plants so experiment a bit.
Prevention = feed less.
 

Clare

Member
Apr 12, 2010
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1
Kent
Clown loaches will eat snails but unfortunately they turn in to big fish after a few years.

The other loach I found seems to be eating snails is the little zebra loach (Botia striatus).
They stay pretty small.

I've got clown loaches and yo-yo loaches in my tank with my group of L015's... the loaches keep the snails in check. Although I agree that clown loaches do get rather large, and ideally if you had a loach you'd need 2 or 3 as they're sociable and like to be in groups. My loaches don't seem to bother the pleco's :)

You do tend to find snail shells in the tank but these are easy to remove