# DIY snail vacuum



## clep.berry

I have 100s of snails in my tank - I'm sick of them.
I even have a clown loach that's supposedly keeping their population down to no avail so I thought I need to lend a helping hand there so I'm thinking of zero to low cost means of targeting snails.

I first played with the idea of a siphon using airline hose tied to a bamboo skewer that I could just vacuum into a coke bottle. It worked a charm but the water losses mean that it's not something that you can keep up indefinitely, vacuuming up snails all day.

I then decided I'd use the small amount of suction offered by a venturi to see if that would be sufficient to suck up snails - and it was. - this is but half a plan. Next I cut the hose and used a small glass medicine bottle as a snail trap set up much the same way as a bubble counter - but with a tiny piece of poly pad to trap the snails - it worked fine! - just put your finger over the end of the pump outflow to prime it and blow all the bubbles out.

In summary though, I've now removed 100s of snails and I've still got loads more in there. so I'm thinking of going chemical - removing the fish to another tank while I wage a merciless war on the blerry inverts.

cb


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## LTruex

clep.berry, I don't like to suggest single animals to correct a control another problem...but assassin snails are know to control snail issues even better than clown loach and he is known to be good at the job. Larry


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## clep.berry

Unfortunately, over here assassins are illegal to own.
cb


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## rtmaston

when i set my 20 gallon long tank up 1st of june i added a couple plants to it.i never thought about them havng snails on thems but a few weeks later i seen a couple on the glass.i did not think much about it at the time.a few months later more and more so i added a uv sterilizer and its seems to really lower the amount of snails in the tank i can live with.i dont know what that had to do with it.i clean my eheim canaster filter every 3 months and when i break it down there are quite a few snails in the bottom that get traped i guess but are still alive so i poor them out.now i dont see very many in the tank at all maybe a doszen or so.i wander how hong thay take to get perty good size?any ideas


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## LTruex

clep.berry, where do you live? I didn't know of any place that restricted assassin snails. Larry


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## clep.berry

In South Africa. Assassin snails are blacklisted.
cb


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## LTruex

Thanks for the info and good luck.. Larry


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## Donald Hansen

I understand how a venturi works but what I would like to know is what you run pass the venturi to create the suction. Air or water? Could you post a picture?

DLH


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## Summer

Good luck. I hope you can figure something out.


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## clep.berry

I have a small filter which has an attachment with a nipple for an air hose for blowing bubbles round the tank which it sucks in from the air by itself.
This venturi causes a pressure differential i.e. lower pressure than the surrounding water - hence it can draw water into the outlet.
This is what I use to suck water through the airline into the trap. Can't find a decent online pic but most of your internal power filters come with such an attachment.

cb


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## Donald Hansen

clep.berry said:


> I have a small filter which has an attachment with a nipple for an air hose for blowing bubbles round the tank which it sucks in from the air by itself.
> This venturi causes a pressure differential i.e. lower pressure than the surrounding water - hence it can draw water into the outlet.
> This is what I use to suck water through the airline into the trap. Can't find a decent online pic but most of your internal power filters come with such an attachment.
> 
> cb


I have a spare power head with a nipple on it. I would never have thought of using that way. 

Thanks 

DLH


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