snails good?

[MyraVan]

Last time I did a water change, I noticed a few snails in the used water I dumped down the sink. There were 2 or 3 5mm ones, and a few tiny ones. They were quite dark colored. I didn't know what kind of snails they were, so I sent them down the drain. But I've been thinking about them. I almost never see a snail in my tank. They don't eat my plants: I never see them on the plants, and the plants don't have any holes in them. And yet they came out with the used tank water when I vacuumed the gravel. So they must live in the gravel, eating whatever junk they find there. This can only be a good thing, right? So next time I see a snail in my used tank water, I might toss it back in the tank.

What do people think? Are there good snails?

[maxpayne_lhp]

Well, the snails' diet varies from type to type. Some feed on plants, some on decaying plant matters, some on other snails also! As long as they do no harm to your plants. I think it shouldn't be a problem. I also experieced this, there were some black, tiny snails living at the bottom, no plants were harmed and then, all were gone.

[Damon]

Odds are they are common pond snails. They will destroy your plants. Kill any you see and watch for more as they reproduce very quickly.

[maxpayne_lhp]

Really? Why are the plants of hers unharmed now?
Thanks

[Damon]

The snail population is low enough to feed off debris and fish waste in the tank. Once it explodes, you'll find tiny holes in your plants. Then notice leaves missing.

[maxpayne_lhp]

Okay, thanks, Simpte. I'm so short in knowledge

[Damon]

Glad we could help. The only way to learn is to ask.

[maxpayne_lhp]

Yeah! Thanks alot, Simpte, hey, btw, how's your mod thing going?

[Damon]

Its not. I haven't been contacted. I don't worry about it. If he needs help, I'm here otherwise I just enjoy the forums.

[maxpayne_lhp]

Ja! Well, I notice that is one turns into a mod, he/she will turn out to post their ideas less (be less helpful) Is that right?
PS: go to sleep now, see ya all t'morrow!

[Damon]

Not in the least. While a mod should be knowledgeable in their particular areas, they are more for keeping the board running smoothly. Some of the best mods here aren't on as often as other posters. Some people have more time than others. (I for one sit at a computer watching people sleep for a living)

[maxpayne_lhp]

Hmmm... Okay. Well. How many times have you been a mod? Have you ever encountered anything that prvent the boards to run somoothly?
Dear,

[MyraVan]

Hmmmm. Just a few hours after I posted my question, I received my mail-order copy of ECOLOGY OF THE PLANTED AQUARIUM by Diana Walstad. I didn't really look at it much because I was at work, but when I took it home, I looked to see what she has to say about snails. And she has a very positive opinion of them. She says that they prefer to eat dead plant material over live, and they aid in getting the nutrients back into the water where plants can use them. I have read a few other pages where people with planted aquariums have pond snails that don't seem to do too much damage. And then I've read of many people who had tremendous problems with them!

Since I'm not sure how nasty these things are going to be, I will continue to chuck out any I find in my used tank water, or any I see crawling around the tank, but won't do anything drastic to try to rid my tank of them. Actually a better solution would be to crush then and toss them back into the tank. Evidently once they are crushed, most fish love to eat them.

[osteoporoosi]

What do they look like?
If they look like this:
http://www.aquahoito.info/suomi/ohjeita/kiertsarv.jpg
These will be very useful to you. They don't eat live plants, and they keep the substrate "airy" and clean.

If they look like this:
http://www.aqua-web.org/users/satuj/...postitorvi.jpg
These fellows eat live plants, and you should get rid of them.

[Damon]

Nice detailed pic of the MTS. I hear there is a brazilian strain that grows larger and can eat plants though. Not sure if its true.

[MyraVan]

osteoporoosi: I think your first picture is the Malaysian trumpet snail and the second one is a ramshorn. I don't think I have either of these. It's more like
http://www.bigai.ne.jp/pic_book/data42/r004138.html
So it is the common pond snail.

Still, I'm not panicking. I think a few snails would be a good idea to help keep the substrate clean. I do want to prevent a population exlosion, however, so I might start taking preventative measures, like baiting them with cucumber to try to get rid of a few of them. I could also toss in a few Malaysian trumpet snaiils to compete with them. I've seen them in tanks at the LFS so I know where I can get them from.

[BlueAmbist]

Usually if snails are well fed, even pond snails, most will stick to the dead and decaying stuff and leave your plants alone. I keep mystery snails and red ramshorns in my planted tanks, the red rams do get a little crazy and make alot of babies, then I just add a yoyo loach, so when you want to get rid of some a loach is the easier way

[MyraVan]

So I have a new policy of squishing any snails that I see to try to keep the population under control. Yesterday I saw one on the glass and did the deed. I *hate* killing things! But if I just pulled it out of the tank and put it on the compost heap, it would slowly suffocate, so squishing it at least is a quick death. It fell to the bottom, and it didn't take the rosy barbs long to find it. Once they did, they made short work of the body. Yum!