# Snails???



## davescich (Jul 4, 2007)

Has anyone else out there set up a tank and then have snails show up? I have a ton of small spiral-shelled snails showing up in my African cichlid tank. I have ocean sand in my tank but have not introduced anything else that would explain this. I don't mind them as they do some cleaning and it is neat to see where they have been throughout the night with their trails in the sand.  They keep multiplying and are everywhere in the sand.


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

It happens.... I got an e-mail at work one day from the wife, telling me that she found a snail in our 29g tank... even though we hadn't put *anything* new in the tank in quite a few months.

When I got home, sure enough, I found several spiral shells in the substrate. Doh! :roll:

When we decommissioned that tank, I poured all of the gravel into a big muck bucket on the porch. The next day, about 20 snails were slowly scurrying up the sides of the bucket. Oy! I wound up just nuking the gravel with bleach so that I could reuse it sans snails.

Basically, you should just expect that any livestock/plants are coming in with snails. I quarantine new fish (there can be snaily larvae thingies in the bag water), and when I start with live plants (maybe tonight! ), the plants will be treated for snails before going into the main tanks.

-Ryan


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## Britnick (Apr 18, 2008)

Depending on what you are keeping in the tank, snails can provide fish with an interesting snack! I has quite a few in my African tank, but since the fish went in, they arenâ€™t there any more :lol:


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## Markolodeon (Nov 4, 2007)

I don't suppose Tropheus would eat the spiral snails? I'm having the same problem, and buying the "live" sand (eco-complete) was supposed to be the whole point. I didn't want it that alive. What's weird is for the first year I'd seen one or two snails a month, now they're breeding like crazy. Taking down the tank and nuking the sand isn't an option. And that Had-a-Snail product to be effective supposedly runs a high risk of injuring/killing your fish.

So, I breed snails, if anyone asks. =D>

They are a nuisance tho, would love to get rid of them! If the Tropheus aren't going to eat them is there another herbivorous fish I could add to the tank, maybe a catfish of some sort, that will clean up the problem without stressing out my Trophs?


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## malawimix (Oct 8, 2008)

don't know how well these do with africans but this one guy wiped out my whole 55 tank full of snails in short order. it's the striped one near the bottom, called leperinus.


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## Britnick (Apr 18, 2008)

Most Botia will eat snails (clown loach, etc). Whether you want these in your tank is another thing all together


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## addicted2cichlid (Apr 8, 2008)

puffers will eat snails also.


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## Markolodeon (Nov 4, 2007)

I think for now I'll live with them. Building a trap is an interesting idea and an ez experiment if it starts to really get out of hand.


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

i had snails until i got clown loaches. now i have no more snails and i do really love the clown loaches. they have really playful personalites and are a lot of fun to watch


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

I bought a pair of Red tailed Botias and they wiped out the snails pretty quickly for me. Still have a few left, but much more under control than before. Not sure what the long term plans for the RT botias are though...back to LFS before they become difficult?


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