Live bearing Ramshorn snails - help!

[Linda Crabtree]

My tank is totally over run by livebearing Ramshorn snails - I think they are Ramshorn - they have a long spirally shell like an ice cream cone and at the largest are about an inch long. They go down into the sand during the day and at night they are EVERYWERE!!!! I am disabled and can't stand up for any length of time to scrape them off the glas and the tank is beginning to really stink. The fish aren't eating like they used to. The tank cleaning man is coming tomorrow but he really doesn't know what to do about these snails. This is the second time this has happened. The first time I paid someone $80 to clean out the tank entirely. Obviously it didn't work. I need advice and help to get rid of these snails. I could sell them if anyone wants to buy them for live food but who could use them? Can anyone help.
Webmaster. Can my e-mail be alerted when there is a new post please. I don't go on many lists and find that I tend to forget I'm even on them if I'm not alerted on my e-mail that there is a reply.
Thank you,
Linda Crabtree - Ontario - Canada

[Katalyst]

Hi Linda,

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. Do the snails in your tank look like this?

http://www.exoticaquaculture.com/freshwater/Malaysian%20trumpet%20snail-Melanoides%20tuberculata.jpg

If so they are malaysian trumpet snails. When the person who is cleaning out the tank comes, I'd ask him/her to remove the snails from your tank. If he is from a pet store he may even be able to take them back to his place of business to sell them. The bunch that I had I put it in ziplock baggie with water and gave them to my local pet store. But I did have to remove all of my gravel (slowly not all at once or your cycle may crash) to make sure I had gotten them all. MTS shift through gravel and are actually good for your tank,you can read more about them here http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Melanoides_tuberculata.php.

If your tank smells you may also want to try upping your water changes or the amount you change, I know it must be hard to maintain. Hang in there.

Or you can advertise here in our classifieds. Just make sure to put a price or if they are free plus the cost of shipping etc.
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=16

www.aquabid.com (http://www.aquabid.com)

Or do a search of local aquariums clubs in your neighborhood or local flyer.

I'll send you a pm with more info, if you have any questions feel free to pm or email me. I know how stressing it can be to be overloaded and worry about the health of your fish. Either way I'd ask the service person to remove all or as many of them as possible and if he or she would be able to take them for you. $80? To clean a tank? Man I'm in the wrong business.

I'm sure someone will be along to chime and add some more info.

Good luck and let us know how you make out!

[CACAdmin]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. As Ms. katalyst said, it sounds as though they are Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS). One way of collecting them, if some still remain after the person cleans out your tank, is to put a slice of zucchini in the tank and they will settle on it to eat it and then you can remove a bunch of them at a time. If you find accessing the bottom of your tank difficult, you could put a piece of zucchini on a 'veggie clip' attached to the side of the tank for easier removal.

To answer your second question: Yes, indeed you can subscribe to email notification of any thread you post or reply to. To do this:

The option is found under Edit Options in your User CP.
Under Default Thread Subscription you may choose Instant or Daily or Weekly Notification (your preference) to receive email notification.
If you have any difficulty finding or setting this option, PM me and I'll be happy to assist.

[CACAdmin]

One additional thought comes to mind. MTS are very prolific and seem to multiply in direct proportion to the amount of food available. I don't know what fish you have or how much/often you are feeding but possibly reducing the amount you are feeding might help.

[Bristol]

I actually saw a product today at J&L Aquatics called "Snail B Gone" Or something to that effect - I dont know if this would work or not - but it said that it kills most kinds of snails.

Never used it but maybe someone else here has?

[Bristol]

Sorry it's called Had a snail:
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-12950

Like I said No idea if it works or what not, but its worth a try seems pretty cheap. Says it dosent harm fish or plants

[CACAdmin]

I just checked on it. It is made by AP (Aquarium Products). AP's Product Info (http://www.aq-products.com/APpro/hadsnail.htm) states: "Use only in hard water above 32 p.p.m." So if you happen to have soft water, you're out of luck.



Also, the MSDS Sheet for Had-A-Snail (http://www.aq-products.com/MSDSsheets/Regular%20Line%20MSDS/HAD-A-SNAIL%20HASC%20ISSUE%201.doc)on the AP site states main the ingredient is Copper. As copper is lethal to snails this would appear to do the trick. Of course, it would get rid of all snails of any kind in the tank. I am not sure if the same would apply to any other invertebrates in the tank. Maybe someone else could advise.

[blainep]

Most aquarium inverts cannot tolerate copper. I would say, for sure, to remove as many snails as possible by hand before using any type snail killing product.

You don't want to have hundreds of dead snails in a tank all at once. :Eeewww:

[Melody]

:Welcome:

I tried snail-b-gone once many moons ago - my snails lived but it almost killed my fish. It can sterilize fish too. I don't recommend it, personally.

Snails multiply according to the food supply. If you are being repeatedly overrun, cut way back on the amount you feed. As mentioned, the smell also indicates a pollution problem. You should be doing gravel vac's and regular water changes, use a good filter and keep the media in it clean.

Thanks for being willing to take PM's Kat, but I do like to see this stuff on the boards so the info is there for others. Totally up to you two of course, but its nice to have it here.:yes:

[Bristol]

:Welcome:

I tried snail-b-gone once many moons ago - my snails lived but it almost killed my fish. It can sterilize fish too. I don't recommend it, personally.

Snails multiply according to the food supply. If you are being repeatedly overrun, cut way back on the amount you feed. As mentioned, the smell also indicates a pollution problem. You should be doing gravel vac's and regular water changes, use a good filter and keep the media in it clean.

Thanks for being willing to take PM's Kat, but I do like to see this stuff on the boards so the info is there for others. Totally up to you two of course, but its nice to have it here.:yes:

YIKES! Thanks for letting us know! I kinda wondered about it!!! Now I know NOT to use it! :no:

[Melody]

The only pest snails it killed for me were the ones it hit dead on when I put it in, otherwise they all survived and the fish were found gasping one day, a few already dead. I followed the instructions to the letter and the tank had been thriving for a long time.

Maybe its just Livebearers, but they definitly do not like copper. Its copper that I'm told can cause sterility... I think its the males it effects but don't quote me on that, its been a long time since I read it. I'm reasonably sure that it wasn't a Livebearer-specific thing though.

At the very least, try testing it with one fish in a temp tank or something. I found Yo Yo Loaches to be very efficient at cleaning up the problem - super fast too. However, I don't think that most Loaches can handle the hard shells on MTS... babies maybe.

That's just my experience of course - maybe there was another factor in there.

[Pamelajo]

Hi Linda,

I just noticed this post or I would have said hello a long time ago.
SCAAS.
Pam