Snails?

[Branch]

I came in this morning to find small snails on the tank glass. Considering nothing has been added to the tank in six months, flora or fauna this was a surprise. The tank is heavily planted running C02 and has 8 full size healthy discus (600L tank), 4 Clowns and 2 Cory. Water parameters: 28C, PH6.2, N03 5ppm, P04 0.1mg/L, C02 30mg/L so nothing untoward.

1. Don't really want to add any other fish if that's a suggested option or put unsafe chemicals/products.
2. Is there any danger with the snails?
3. Where did they come from? I've assume they were there dormant but it still baffles me?

Thanks. B

[ggillies]

I specifically added 80 Nerite snails to my heavily planted tank. They keep it completely clear of brown algae and are a great part of my cleanup crew. I suggest you try to identify what specific type of snails you have.

Nerites will not reproduce in fresh water. They will lay eggs but they never hatch.
Malaysian Trumpet snails DO reproduce in freshwater and can get out of hand. I had an MTS outbreak and had to get some Assassin snails in that tank to clean them all up for me. Worked like a charm.

Bottom line is figure out which snails you have. You might have to do nothing, or you might have to Assassinate them all..!

[Adam S]

Snails can hide in the substrate and reproduce unseen. Check out the tank at night with a flashlight and you'll probably see quite a few.

Eradicating snails is impossible without tearing up the tank, dosing chemicals, or introducing something to eat them, so management is your best bet. If you see a lot, drop a piece of carrot in the tank overnight and remove in the morning.

[brewmaster15]

2. Is there any danger with the snails? yes. They can act as an intermediate host for fish parasites. This really applies to all snails. They are generally not a good tank mate for fish because of this.

Al

[LizStreithorst]

The same thing happened to me! I had my 125 running for over 10 years. It too is a planted tank. I added nothing but a year or so ago ramshorn snails started showing up. Go figure...

[fljones3]

Did you have any ramshorn in another tank? Maybe there was an inadvertent transfer of egg.

[LizStreithorst]

No. This was when the 125 was at my shop. It was the only tank there. I'd never seen ramshorn snails before. I finally looked them up and found out what they were. It's a mystery.

[danotaylor]

Are the "4 clowns" clown loaches? If so they will should help manage the snail population

[JamesW]

Are the "4 clowns" clown loaches? If so they will should help manage the snail population

I agree, the clowns should keep them in-check. If they are MTS then they are often a symptom of over-feeding. MTS stand for Malaysian trumpet snail and you can easily find pictures of them online. Another that might have gone un-noticed are pond snails.

If your clowns are clown loaches it might be difficult to keep assassin snails as they make a larger, more appealing snack for the loaches. Where are you located Branch? I got a **** load of assassin snails that helped resolve my MTS issue.

[fljones3]

I agree, the clowns should keep them in-check. If they are MTS then they are often a symptom of over-feeding. MTS stand for Malaysian trumpet snail and you can easily find pictures of them online. Another that might have gone un-noticed are pond snails.

If your clowns are clown loaches it might be difficult to keep assassin snails as they make a larger, more appealing snack for the loaches. Where are you located Branch? I got a **** load of assassin snails that helped resolve my MTS issue.

I have found in the past with clown loaches that their delight in snails corresponds to whether they are eating other food. In light of the MTS multiplication through overfeeding, my guess would be that the loaches don't have to go after the snails. They already have another and easier supply of food.

[Branch]

Thanks for the response guys. In hindsight I may have been panicked by their sudden appearance I've not transferred anything from another tank, added anything, nor am I guilty of overfeeding. They are too small at present to identify without putting them under my microscope. The Clown Loaches do seem to be dealing with them I think. To add excitement to proceeding I've had two matched pairs of Snakeskins and Red Turqs breed so I have free swimming fry everywhere, albeit not for long given that it's a large community tank. B