Best way to get rid of snails?

[DanMac]

Hi guys i'm thinking of getting a loach or bottom feeder to get rid of my snail problem, would this work and which ones would be best?. im hoping i can buy one and keep it for a week to do the job then give it back.

In my tank i have ember tetras and cherry shrimps, also moss and hairgrass so i need something that wont destroy anything lol.

Cheers.

 

[Ian Holdich]

Assassin snails do a good job. I wouldnt go putting loaches in just for that reason.

Also, cut down on the feeding.

 

[DanMac]

Ah ok that sounds easier. My tank is 54ltr should i get one or more?

 

[Trevor Pleco]

As the loaches get bigger and snails run out they would also impact on the shrimp and their young..

 

[kirk]

Put chunk of cucumber or carrot in and watch then home in then net it when it's covered then put a fresh piece in worked well for me I was trying different food for my cherry shrimp and found snails like it.

 

[krazypara3165]

I have a 260l aquarium and assasin snails worked a treat. If your local to warrington i have plenty spare

 

[kirk]

I have a 260l aquarium and assasin snails worked a treat. If your local to warrington i have plenty spare

mine were dossers They gave up on life in the end.

 

[Nick_593]

I also have a snail infestation and I've just logged on to created the exact same thread.

Does anyone have any alternatives to using assassin snails?
- I have 6 nerite snails as inhabitants and assassin snails have had a good go at them in the past.

Would loaches be the best option? If so which ones?

Thanks!.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Yep...assassins don't always work, maybe something to do with differing feeding habits of different varieties. I've used eSHa Gastropex successfully in the past; it will kill 99% but some inevitably survive. But either way it's a very effective method of control. It's also shrimp safe. However, if you have a plague of snails manually remove as many as possible first; you don't want the dead bodies rotting and polluting your tank. You may want to rehouse any pet snails first though.

 

[Kevin PC]

Assassin snail is a good choice,but I think the best way that wont destory anything is to sort out by nipper manually,well,it's really a elbow grease.

 

[sa80mark]

How about some dwarf puffers ?

They wont eliminate the snails but will control numbers and if you tanks suitable would make a nice addition

 

[tonyg1]

manually removing them is an absolute nightmare,i had a epidemic of the little beasties and had to totally blitz my tank.total strip down boil or replace all media,filter media included,house the fish temporarily,scrub every inch of the tank and filter thourouly using bleach and for good measure refill the tank and empty a couple of litres of cheap watery bleach running media less filter for 24 hours.empty the tank,re fill the tank using de-chlorinator let the filter run for a few hours,empty the tank,rinse well and set the tank back up.Now i check every plant for the little blighter's and leave in bleach solution for a while if in doubt.

 

[anasarka]

Why are you trying to remove the snails? What is their importance in this system? Snails eat decomposing plant parts, food, feces, and all that rot in the aquarium. So snails are actually helpers in the aquarium. If you have a lot of snails means you have a lot of rot, because they multiply when they have food and few back when they have no food.So they are your indicator of where to go your system and helps you by removing decaying. I never removed the snails of my aquariums, for me they are helpers not a pests.