# Snail Infestation



## Elizabeth (Apr 9, 2012)

Hi Everybody! You helped me set up my 33 long tank with my cory cat clowder. You supported me positively when a baby hatched with one eye, and, yes, "Joe" is still going strong at nearly a year old. You've helped me through an algae burst, and told me how much to feed. Now I have a big, but not uncommon, situation, and I believe this is the Community that will give me the best advice. I was talked into buying 3 sprigs of arachnis at a Jack's Pets for my other aquarium in which resides two rescued baby comets. The employee suggested the live plants because while trying to save two goldfish, I actually buried seven. I had described to her that a couple of the little bodies had "slashes" on them, so I wondered if the plants I'd chosen for that tank were too stiff for these fishes' fragile states and had cut them as they swam through, even though the plastic felt soft to me. Anyway, I put one sprig in the Cat tank --- totally clueless about snails. I swear. I pulled the sprig after two weeks. The cats seem to really like the soft plant, but I'd started seeing snails --- which I was picking out nightly only to find more the next day. I pulled the plant out four months ago. The snails have eaten a baby fish, and I'm now ready to wage war and get rid of them. From my past experience, several of you more experienced in this fish community can help me with some safe ideas. I'm ready to move the cats to a holding tank, then dip everything in boiling water and let dry completely --- and pitch the gravel, investing in new. Will this work? How would I clean the tank? Does anyone have better ideas? My hesitancy is that I'll invest labor intensity, and after setting the tank up again, and stressing out my poor cats cause of my ignorance, I'll miss an egg packet, and will start seeing snails again. Could you please help me? There's alot of information on the internet that I just don't trust. I trust this website. Thank you so much for any guidance you can give. 

Elizabeth


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Assassin Snails Live Aquarium Algae Eater x 5 | eBay
That is the one/w the cheapest shipping. You didn't say which kind you had, not that it matters much. Buying lots of these will only leave you
with lots of these to feed at the end of it all. Not really what you wanted. But with a few you can always sell these if you didn't want them
after. I'd keep them for a while to get any that hatch later. It will take a while with only 5 but it will happen. They will eat left over fish food
and so will clean the tank after they don't have any snails to eat. Khuli Loaches eat snails also. I bought one for that reason. "They" say
you should have 5-7 of them. I noticed that when I had just that one he was nervous. Never came out in the light/only at night. But the
snails eventually got fewer and fewer till none left. But this fish went from a thin 3/3.5" fish to a very thick 4.5" fish...and I never saw him
unless I disturbed where he was hiding in the daytime. Just giving you the non chemical options. But actually never understood getting
more snails to rid my tank of snails...unless I was going to sell them later. A Clown Loach might be suggested by the pet store and they
really do a better /quicker job on the snails but get huge. 
That drastic action you spoke of will work, but the whole thing is rough on the fish and just too much work when a Khuli Loach will eat
the snails IMO.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

I would hire some copper sheet. Snails can not tolerate copper, fish and plants, it does not hurt. If the snails are gone, the sheet back out and do water changes


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## Elizabeth (Apr 9, 2012)

Thanks so much for responding. I HATE stressing my fish, so appreciate your suggestions. Interestingly enough, almost every other water change would get the corys all jazzed up, and there'd be eggs all over the glass the next morning. Ever since the "litter" where the snails ate a baby, the corys haven't even laid any eggs. I think these snails change the composition of the water balance somehow? And maybe that's stating the obvious, but I'm new to hosting snails in one of my tanks. I hate them. If I combined all the snails I've picked out, I can't even imagine how many I'd have altogether!


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## KMoss (May 7, 2011)

ok - here's a curious addition to the snail question.... I have a snail infestation AND I keep red cherry shrimp and swordtails (adults, juvies and fry). Would the assassin snails kill the shrimp? how about copper - I'm thinking that would kill the shrimp as well. Just curious if anyone has tried to get rid of snails while keeping RCS? .... and I do sympathize - there are just too many to remove by hand!


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Read the label. I think it says not safe for invertibrates.
But I had the Khuli Loach in the tank/w RCS and the KL didn't bother them.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Copper will most certainly kill the shrimp!In high enough doses(not even alot) it will kill fish also.The only benefit to using copper as a med or remedy is that they sell copper test kit so you can know how much is in the system.Find another med or remedy that you can test the level of! Ever wonder why there are no test kits for other meds?


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Assassins are great to get rid of snails. I have 6 no snails in that tank. Bought lots of snails because I thought they were neat. They bred to fast hence the assassins. Haven't had snails in that tank for months. Still the assassins are fine. I make sure I feed enough that there is some for them. Also, give frozen shrimp once a week.

Have a blessed day


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## Elizabeth (Apr 9, 2012)

Re: Snail Infestation, I picked out approximately 170 snails yesterday morning. Ugh. Not sure what kind of statement this makes about my life, that I had the kind of time it took to individually pick the snails out OR, my preference, that I took the time to pick out the snails while alternately thinking kind thoughts toward my Corydoras Clowder, and apologizing for this mess in which they are living. I love my little cats. I feel so badly.


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## Elizabeth (Apr 9, 2012)

I do a partial water change once a week in both my tanks. Perhaps I should change my water more in the cats' tank? I did pick up a veggie clip yesterday in Petsmart, but I forgot an organic cucumber at the market. I'm willing to try to trick the snails into taking the bait. Stay tuned. (chuckle)


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Cutting back on feeding will help some(kind of like water changes).The two in combination and your attention(GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR TANK!)will definately help.Look for the egg masses also and get a bunch out in one swoop(little clearish jelly).


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Elizabeth said:


> Re: Snail Infestation, I picked out approximately 170 snails yesterday morning. Ugh. Not sure what kind of statement this makes about my life, that I had the kind of time it took to individually pick the snails out OR, my preference, that I took the time to pick out the snails while alternately thinking kind thoughts toward my Corydoras Clowder, and apologizing for this mess in which they are living. I love my little cats. I feel so badly.


I bought Giant Duckweed because it uses ammonia and nitrates at the same time while other plants use the ammonia first
and then do nitrates. Easy to deal/w the excess. Just dip some out/w my net. And dozens instead of hundreds multiplying 
each day. But somewhere I got some regular duckweed in there and now I spend 20 minuits each time I change water picking it out
one piece at a time/w my tweezers...LOL... know exactly what you mean...


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## KMoss (May 7, 2011)

170 snails! Ugh.... You're inspiring me to do the same thing....Hand pick them!


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

Do you know what kind of snails you have? I've used assassins to rid tanks of pond snails easily. The assassins now breed in one of my tanks, but slowly, so they are not pests.

However, I have another tank with Malaysian trumpet snails. I've added 5 assassins to this tank to no avail. These MTS have infested this tank so badly that I am going to tear it apart over the Christmas holidays when my son is home from school to help. If I removed 170 in one day, I wouldn't even notice - there are so many. These are the worst for me. Unfortunately, I'm going to ditch all of the plants in this tank too I think. 

One other one I have had are the tiny flat ramshorns. Assassins don't go after these either. But I find these manageable by picking them out.


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## Avraptorhal (Jan 24, 2013)

Zucchini work well also.


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## BeccaBx3 (Sep 21, 2011)

I got a jar and poked holes in the lid and put some zucchini in there to bait the snails. they crawl in and are trapped then down the drain they go.. Also when i am feeling it i crack a few snails on the side of the tank and the fish just eat them up. good source of protein lol


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## choutman (Mar 6, 2012)

assassin snails will remove all pest snails and they are fun to watch I had a pest snail problem and they cleared it right up


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Assasin snails will also kill baby shrimp and will also kill snails that most want to keep like Malaysian Trumpet snails. There are negatives in using them.


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

coralbandit said:


> Copper will most certainly kill the shrimp!In high enough doses(not even alot) it will kill fish also.The only benefit to using copper as a med or remedy is that they sell copper test kit so you can know how much is in the system.Find another med or remedy that you can test the level of! Ever wonder why there are no test kits for other meds?


It's clear! If you have shrimps, no copper!


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## starrysparkle (Aug 4, 2013)

I have a bunch of those stupid pond snails in my tank also and some of those snails that are cone shaped don't know what they are they look black when they are small but when they get bigger they almost turn like a dark blood red color kinda neat looking just too many of them ,, I just pick them off the glass and drift wood every morning I tried the lettuce leaf on a clip but that didn't work at all zucchini didn't work either but they sure eat my life plants ,, lol ,, so been thinking about assassin snails but they will eat my mystery snail and that wouldn't be cool ,,so I really don't know what to do ,, I guess I just keep picking them off ,, also I been looking for the nests cant find them at all but I have never seen one so don't really know what im looking for I just know they look like a bunch of bubbles ,,


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## FishZ1 (Oct 31, 2013)

Assassin snails are my preferred approach for snail control. I currently have one assassin in my 10-g tetra tank, and he has successfully and quickly handled an infestation of MTS (which is probably what you have) that came with some new Java moss. I also have two Zebra nerite snails in the tank, and they do fine because they are too big to tempt the assassin. My assassin survives just fine even when there are no snails to eat. In fact, he and the nerites are the "oldest" creatures in that tank.

Copper is dicey because it is, in fact, highly toxic to fish if you let the concentration get too high. And of course, it is fatal to invertebrates at almost any measurable concentration.

Snail traps work, but there is a serious problem with removing the snails from the tank. If you flush them, some of them will almost certainly survive to breed; then their eggs sail through the sewage treatment plant and into some water body. So, if you remove them, please kill them (boiling, copper or bleach solution, ammonia, etc.) before flushing.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

MTS, or Malaysian Trumpet Snails, are beneficial to planted tanks. I wouldn't want to kill those.


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## choutman (Mar 6, 2012)

I keep assassin snails and red cherry shrimp together and I have to clear out about 20-30 shrimp every 2 months so the assassin snails cant be eating them too fast I always see shrimp on the snails and never see a snail catching and eating a shrimp lol


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