# Malaysian Trumpet Snails



## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

I'm still setting up and fishless cycling my aquarium. No fish in the tank yet. Well, the other day I added a couple of live plants from my LFS. Tongiht I'm sitting here trying to decide if I like how I have the rocks and plants arranged and I notice a few little spots on the glass. After looking a bit closer I notice that the "spots" are moving! And there's not just a few of them, there has to be at least a dozen! 

They're really tiny and hard to see. But they do move in a snail-like fasion. Does it sound like these are Malaysian Trumpet Snails?

Gawd I hope I don't end up with an infestation of these things! Guess it servers me right for not treating the plants before putting them in my tank.  Is there anything I can do at this point?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Sounds like you have snails... if you have ten, close your eyes, spin around three times... and ... vola! You have 7,000!

:dancing:


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

Welp, it looks like I'm going to be busy breaking down the tank this weekend. :x

I think I'm going to throw out the substrate (pool filter sand) and buy new since it's like $6 a bag. The rocks and shells I'll just boil again. Do I have to do anything specific to the bare tank to make sure I'm rid of these pests?

Also, is it safe to stick my HOB on a 10 gallon and keep feeding it ammonia? Or are there likely to be snails living in my HOB too?

On the bright side, I'm glad I made this mistake BEFORE I had fish in the tank. :lol:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't know if you can really avoid unwanted snails over the years you will be keeping fish. I have had a tank established for 4 years...no plants added in the 12 months and yesterday I saw my first MTS I've ever had in any tank.

(This is the same tank I battled and won the pond snail/ramshorn snail from plants epidemic.)

The only addition to that tank a couple months ago was 3 adult females from one of the most respected online vendors in the US. I swear snail larva must have been in their bodily fluids!

If you are religious about feeding sparingly, water changes and vacuuming substrate, you should be able to keep their numbers low. And they really are beneficial in small numbers.

On an aquatic plant forum, I had one guy say he adds them to his tank because they aerate the substrate and distribute fertilizers. His amazon sword had needed huge fertilization before MTS showed up...after the sword needed NO fertilization and became huge and lush to the point it was too big for the tank.


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## jh82 (Oct 26, 2007)

The snails are going to inhabit anyplace that's wet including your filter. So if you're serious about this you would have to throw the filter media away, clean your filter with bleach and start the cycle over.

As DJ mentioned the snails can be beneficial if the population can be kept under control. That's a lot easier said then done, however. You can add a few Assassin snails. They kill and eat other snails but don't multiply and take over the tank like the pest snails do.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

DJ, I've actually run across a post by you on one of the plant forums. 

Just to update, now I donâ€™t think that these guys are MTS. They are definitely snails. I just don't know which type I have.

From what I read MTS are live-bearers and nocturnal. These critters don't seem to care if the lights are on or off. It certainly would have been possible to miss a few of them on the plants I brought in. But, I just don't think I would have missed a couple of dozen of them (unless they start out microscopic in size). That leaves me to believe that they came in as eggs, not live. Right now they are about the size and shape of a comma ",". So, I really donâ€™t have a good idea of what they look like.

jh82, I like the assassin snail idea. Iâ€™m going to give it a try if I can find a place that sells them. Itâ€™s been hard enough looking at this empty tank for the past 5 weeks. I really donâ€™t want to break it all down and start over again.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Probably pond or ramshorn, THOSE I got on my plants. And are worth getting rid of IMO.


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## Ichigo (May 17, 2008)

I too have the same problem. I'm quite happy when I read this post cox finally there us a post simlar to my poblemo. however I got rid of the problem. I removed my plants and the substrate and just cycling it in bare tank. then I add high dosage of salt. maybe after a month I brought back a new substrate which is sand then voilÃ !!! I have no more snails!!! actually igot two poblemo which were the tiny dot that moves like a snail and the very small White like worm roaming the glass. hahaha at least got rid of them already


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## Ichigo (May 17, 2008)

I too have the same problem. I'm quite happy when I read this post cox finally there us a post simlar to my poblemo. however I got rid of the problem. I removed my plants and the substrate and just cycling it in bare tank. then I add high dosage of salt. maybe after a month I brought back a new substrate which is sand then voilÃ !!! I have no more snails!!! actually igot two poblemo which were the tiny dot that moves like a snail and the very small White like worm roaming the glass. hahaha at least got rid of them already


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## Ichigo (May 17, 2008)

I too have the same problem. I'm quite happy when I read this post cox finally there us a post simlar to my poblemo. however I got rid of the problem. I removed my plants and the substrate and just cycling it in bare tank. then I add high dosage of salt. maybe after a month I brought back a new substrate which is sand then voilÃ !!! I have no more snails!!! actually igot two poblemo which were the tiny dot that moves like a snail and the very small White like worm roaming the glass. hahaha at least got rid of them already


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

I keep mine under control with clown loaches. They love em!


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## gnomemagi (Jun 13, 2009)

If you do add a high doseage of salt to the water it would probably kill them - as noted above.

A fair amount of cichlids enjoy eating them as well. They are a healthy snack - really are more beneficial than harmful IMO.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My mbuna eat the ramshorn and pond snails, especially the juveniles for some reason. But I'm not so sure they are completely effective with MTS.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

I donâ€™t really want to add a loach to the tank - especially not a clown loach. The tank is only a 40 breeder. Although, I may change my mind if the population gets out of controlâ€¦LOL

I did look into adding salt. It seems that most pest snails tolerate fairly high salt concentrations. So, you have to add A LOT of it. Incidentally, salt is also known to kill bacteria and simple celled organisms. Consequently, Iâ€™m a little worried that by adding enough salt to kill the snails I would also kill the beneficial bacteria.

If my fish donâ€™t snack on them and they get out of control, Iâ€™m going to try assassin snails (Anetoma Helena). Theyâ€™re selling for around $10 to $15 each locally. At least if those infest my tanks, Iâ€™ll make a good buck off of it. :lol:


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## Ichigo (May 17, 2008)

jrf.... here's my suggestion. Add high concentration of salt and don't worry about the DESTRUCTION of the single celled bacteria. Just focus on killing the snails then after you are done with them, maybe allow a week for the bacteria to develop again... uhmmm i think it will not take 1 week to recover the bacteria again. Trust me. I did this before and my fishy are doing well...

Good luck!  :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: 
just give it a try...

Cichlid lover always!!!! yey!!!! :fish: :fish: :fish:


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks Ichigo.


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## CSchmidt (Apr 15, 2004)

Snails are bad news.


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