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Pest snails - best bait for traps?

st.john

st.john

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3 Jan 2017
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hereford
Watcha all.

Got a bit of a snail outbreak - what would you all suggest as a bait for a trap?

Thanks
 
Best thing is Assassin Snails, I had dozens of pest snails, now virtually none (after about 1 month)


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I have used a couple of traps but wouldn't now as they caught more shrimp and fry than snails. What I would use is a piece of cucumber or lettuce and place it on a plate if you have room (or pick the snails out that hide under the food). Leave overnight and remove the snails in the morning. Picking them out can reduce the numbers quite quickly before adding some assassin snails if you need to.
 
Just maybe, try to find out what food source they live off.. 🙂 And reduce this, than they die out and reduce numbers on their own. So it migt just be, that you yourself are the best trap with taking the proper action maintaining the tank.. If despite all it is the tank itself producing the food source and you can do little about it, than it will sustain as much snails as it can. Than it would be unfair to say it is a pest and you might just run into other issues you do not have right now with all the snails present. Because if you remove the snails you probably still have the source they use to live off untouched in the tank with all that this implies..
 
st.john
Depending on your tank and its inhabitants. I would always choose a few young Clown Loaches. They are very slow growers about 1cm per year and have a very long life span.
I had several over 20yld in my 5ft tank.

Keith:wave::wave:
 
Assassin snails for sure. Pakistani loaches are also ok.

Also, just remove them every time you see one. Don't squish them in the tank.
 
rebel said:
Assassin snails for sure. Pakistani loaches are also ok.

Also, just remove them every time you see one. Don't squish them in the tank.
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Why not squish them in the tank? That's what I have been doing I take it it's not good to do this?
 
Lee iley said:
Why not squish them in the tank? That's what I have been doing I take it it's not good to do this?
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I think squishing is ok if you have something that will clear up the leftovers otherwise they will decay and add nutrients. I've seen fish that weren't interested in eating them happily nibbling at splattered ones so think it depends on your tank and how many you have. Removing the majority is probably the safest option.
 
mort said:
I think squishing is ok if you have something that will clear up the leftovers otherwise they will decay and add nutrients. I've seen fish that weren't interested in eating them happily nibbling at splattered ones so think it depends on your tank and how many you have. Removing the majority is probably the safest option.
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I will take them out with squishing them I've loads all of a sudden though really tiny ones aswel.
 
Please be aware assassin snails will eat your shrimp I have witnessed it in my own tank all though when i purchased them from maidenhead aquatic they assured me they didn't but they do brought 3 and they must have eaten 20 shrimp in a week so just keep it in mind
 
Never had that with mine, once seen them feed on an already dead shrimp. They seem too slow to catch cherries or amanos


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There is a maximum nr of snails that will live in your tank if you feed your fish properly .When they cap off they will stop breeding. Meanwhile, they are useful in breaking down detritus and clearing plant leves of dirt when you disturb substrate. To control numbers just dip a few large lettuce leaves in boiling water for about a minute and weigh them down with something in a clean container ( a plate or Tupperware) overnight. You can take out a few dozen per leaf this way.
 
Be aware, when adding assassin snails that you're not replacing one problem with another. I added 3 assassin snails to my tank which did reduce snail numbers the only ones that escaped live above the waterline. But now I have hundreds of baby assassin snails, they're everywhere !!! 😱
 
Most tanks also contain planaria, even tho you don't see them. They are most active at lights out. 🙂 Planaria are meat eaters.. So get a planaria trap and catch a small snail or 2, break the shell and put them in the planaria trap and leave it in the tank over night. If you have, than the next morning you might have a few dozen of worms in the trap.

Do this every night as long as you catch worms.. 🙂 Makes it fun and practical, 2 snails a day is 60 a month, catching a dozen worms a day is a few 100 a month. No harm done and 2 flies in one blow.. :thumbup: Before you know you have to go and buy snails..
 
I watched the snail attach to the shrimp and suck it from the shell as I said it wasnt just one they do eat cherry shrimp i can assure you
 
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