Question: Help with snail problems?

[CherryBlossom]

Howdy

Just a wee question.. looking for some advice if that's ok :happy:

One of my Paddle-tail's tanks has an infestation of snails. (They must have come from the live plants when I bought them.) Also snail eggs. I have been vigorous with trying to get rid of them when doing tank changes. A lot of eggs and snails have been removed as well as the ornaments in the tank being scrubbed etc, however there seem to be more and more in the tank.

The 2nd tank has a few but I am kinda getting close to managing to get rid of them. I dont want them getting out of control.

This is the 2nd partial tank change since the problem started and even more was removed this time. The tank ends up covered in snail eggs and scuzz as well as millions of different sized snails.

I have read that the snails cause no immediate danger to the newts...yet I have also read that they do. I am unsure which of the two is correct?

Does anyone know what I could do to help with the problem?

I dont want to have to put anything treatment wise in the tank if its not safe for the newts....I do not know if anything that you get would be safe for them? I would just like a little advice on what could be done to ensure that my newts are safe and come to no harm.

If they are safe with the snails in there I dont mind having a couple or a few....but my plants are being eaten and shredded something rotten by them too. And of course I have no problem with irradicating the lot of them if they are not safe being in there with my newts.

This post seems a bit long-winded I apologise heehee.

Any advice you can give would be fantastic. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this :happy:

 

[Azhael]

It depends on what species of snail it is. I´m taking a guess that they are likely to be Physa sp.
These pose absolutely no danger to your newts and in my experience don´t cause trouble with live plants. Are you sure it´s the snails damaging the plants?

If you can take a picture, i´m sure we´ll be able to at least identify which group they belong to.
I´ve had swarms of snails in some of my tanks..huge numbers...but never a single problem. They always explode in numbers in a new environment and then suddenly crash. After a while you are left with a rather stable(as long as conditions are also stable) population, which is quite less numerous than what you have now.

I wouldn´t worry at all about them, but it would be good to know which type they are, just in case.

 

[pete]

Probably they are just small pond snails and are harmless for your newts. You could have some problems if they are the large apple snails. (See the species mixing disaster page).

I remember reading somewhere that if you put cucumber slices in your aquarium the snails will crawl on to them during the night and in the morning you can pull them out and throw them away. I have never tried this though.

The most effective snail controls that I've ever personally experienced is feeder goldfish, but those aren't good to keep with your newts. Also snail-eating leeches work well, but I don't know of any reliable sources for these, beyond a science lab that studies them.

Picking them out may be the best control. I'm sure others will give you some suggestions.

 

[CherryBlossom]

Thank you. There are no wee snails left just now Azhael sorry. I did my partial change tonight so got rid of them. The plants that have the most damage are the ones where the clusters of eggs are. I do think they are the type you spoke of Azhael as they are exactly like this:

http://www.knuckleheadquarters.net/images/MOL-PhysaGyrina.jpg.JPG

Thank you Pete... I might give the cucumber thing a try if they seem to be getting out of control again.

If you think they are safe to be left then I will do so I was just concerned as I had read that if newts eat the snails it can harm them, likewise if they stand on them etc.

Thanks so much

 

[Azhael]

If they are of the Physa group (it´s hard to identify the species since there are a number of species, and even genera that look remarkably similar) they shouldn´t eat live plants at all. They will grace on dead parts and algae, but i very much doubt they are the cause of your plant problems. I would suspect that the plants aren´t thriving for some other reason and the snails might be attacking dead tissues.
They are mildly benefitial because of the algae and left-overs eating, plus some of my animals seem to eat some every once in a while. Personally i wouldn´t have gotten rid of them, since having a variety of lesser animals in the tank is a good thing for me xD

This are no danger of impaction since they are small, and have no operculum so a finger can´t be accidentally trapped. Snail-newt problems are usually with big species such as apple snails, as Pete mentioned.

 

[CherryBlossom]

Okey dokey. I will just keep them if and when more return. I have noticed 3 already since I did my change last night.

I will need to find out what is causing all the wee holes in my plant leaves then

Thanks so much for your help xxxxxxxxx

 

[dipsydoodle]

If you want to get rid of the snails put in a bit of lettuce/cucumber and then pick it out later on and dispose of the attached snails

 

[Mac Myers]

I've never had it happen to me.... but I had a friend who had a huge snail infestation in a fish only tank. He reported that the ammonia levels went up quickly as the snail "bloom" created a large amount of waste. He used a snail killing chemical as he was keeping fairly hardy fish. It killed the snails but then he had trouble finding all of the dead snails and THAT caused an large ammonia spike as well.

 

[CherryBlossom]

yeah there is a large amount of waste. I am keeping an eye on the levels tho xxx