# snails



## lcoreo5 (May 23, 2010)

i purchased some plants to add to my 29 gallon freshwater tank. i saw that they had some snails on them, but i was told they wouldnt over run my tank and the fish, almost all mollies would probably pick them off. i havent had any problems yet with them over populating, they have actually been great at getting rid of algae! any way, i am wondering what kind of snails they are?? they are very small black/brown snails. they have very small antennae. any thoughts?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Pond snails. Cute, and very good at cleaning your tank. But they do breed profusely so keep an eye on their numbers. I didn't know mollies ate them, but do know loaches love them, so if your snail population starts ballooning, invest in a loach.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Overfeeding will cause population surges, so keep feeding just enough. Loaches work well, if your tank is big enough. If not, assassin snails would work good.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Most snails will not bother plants. Only the large Apple Snail will do that. I don't think this snail is legal to import to most states now. If you are planning to bred egg scatterers (Danios, Tetras, Corys), snails will be a problem as snails will eat the eggs. Most fish will eat the snails if you crush them first. My favorite snail is the Mystery Snail. This snail is large enough so it is easy to find and can be removed if necessary. If it lays eggs, they are above the water line and can easily be removed if you want. Pond Snails lay their eggs in small masses and can be anywhere in your tank.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Sounds like you have the common bladder snail (Physidae sp). These are the most common hitchhikers


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## lcoreo5 (May 23, 2010)

thank you for the posts, how big do pond snails get? i also have a mystery snail and he doesnt clean at all... these little guys do work! i had some healthy algae growth on one of my decorations and within 24 hours two little snails ate every last bit of it! i was amazed! will a loach get along with my mollies if the snails start to get out of hand? and my mollies are not eating the snails, i think the girl lied to me...


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

The little snails stay little. Most don't even get up to an eighth of an inch long.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

I've had Mystery Snails for years but they never seem much interested in Algae, I don't know what they eat. I have a 20G tank full of Algae but they won't touch it. I have hard time establishing Pond Snails here. My water out of the tap is soft and acid so if I want healthy snails I have to add a little African Chiclid Salt to my tank. This increases the ph and makes the water a little hard.


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