Snails

[Lord_Lucan]

I've just filled an 8ft tank I bought from another poster purely to check everything is working ok, the plan is to empty it again and then add substrate, wood etc.
Today I have noticed a load of snails so I guess I have two options and I wonder what people think is best.

1/ whack a whole bottle of snail away in.
2/ disconnect the filters and pour in a load of bleach.

My concern about the bleach method is that even when the tank is drained and dried it will still have a residue of bleach and I can't keep refilling and draining because of the size of the bloody thing.

 

[roadmaster]

Is it old substrate you are going to use back in the tank after you empty it?
If not,and you are going to use new substrate,should be little issues with snails or eggs if you scrub tank after draining it with mild bleach/water solution. No need to fill the tank for scrubbing down sides and bottom.
Bleach,after it dry's leaves chloride residue (salt), which you can rinse out before filling.
If you are planning on using old substrate,I would not use anything that would kill off a bunch of snails for it would also result in a bunch of dead organic matter and foul substrate contributing to ammonia levels that would vary depending on snail population. My two cents.

 

[Lord_Lucan]

I am going to use new substrate - but here is the crazy thing.

Before filling last week the tank was bone dry for a month but since filling with tap water I have now got snails, the only explanation is that the snails were in the filter - which thinking about it means I need to put a load of snail away in it and leave the filters running.

 

[Nick potts]

Were the filters kept wet?

No need to run a load of snail away through them, just give them a good scrub in hot water, and a bit of bleach if desired.

 

[Lord_Lucan]

Yes they were wet. I have a couple of FX6's so the though of dismantling them and scrubbing every bit leaves me somewhat cold!

 

[sparkyweasel]

I have two options and I wonder what people think is best.

1/ whack a whole bottle of snail away in.
2/ disconnect the filters and pour in a load of bleach.

Or;
3/ leave them and don't worry about it.

 

[Driftless]

Or;
3/ leave them and don't worry about it.

What type of snails are they? For example, I would have different feelings about Malaysian Trump snails versus Ramshorn snails.

 

[Lord_Lucan]

They are them little bastards that won't die.

 

[Conort2]

Leave them be, provided you don’t over feed their numbers will be limited. They eat algae and uneaten food so they’re a bonus in my eyes.

cheers

 

[Tim Harrison]

I’d exterminate them with extreme prejudice. Do whatever you need to do. If you don’t do it now whilst it’s relatively easy you’ll regret it later when the little bar stewards plague your tank.

 

[Jaseon]

Good for the tank.

 

[Tom72]

Get some assassin snails and that should keep them in check and you don’t have to worry about chemicals and water changes and all that hassle. That way you get the perfect scenario, the snails take care of all the mess and algae, and the assassins keep the numbers down. Or get some clown loaches and they will do the same thing.