Question: Should I keep them?

[Sweet Pea]

So I am maintaining my tank and all is going well. I believe I have pond snails though. Cute little guys. But should I keep them? They are doing a great job of cleaning at the moment. I had a TON of debris from my plants I am still attempting to vacuum out. It's also nice seeing something living in the tank and I actually haven't screwed up my water yet, lol. And I believe they are good for getting the tank going too. However people are also saying that they are infested with them. And everything I've read some are for and others against.

So YES or NO to the snails?

 

[Blackbun]

it's a nice idea having a range of animals in a tank, adding to the interest etc but a tank is a very confined environment. Snails may appear to help keep a tank clean (what ever that means) by consuming detritus and grazing the algae from the plant and tank sides but when considering 'cleaning', also think of what the snails are producing which is unseen. Consider the loading and impact on the nitrogen cycle or the depletion of dissolved oxygen in the water and even increased levels of carbon dioxide which may acidify the water. Sooner or later, you will experience a snail population explosion. A Google Scholar sweep will provide you with much scientific information to show just how delicate the gills and skin of amphibian are in terms of vulnerability to water parameters. Any damage to these will likely lead to microbial infection and a whole new ball game which could end with you becoming disillusioned and giving up this fascinating hobby. Keep in mind too that snails consume eggs and are intermediary hosts to hook worm and liver fluke.
If you use the search tool on this website you'll see a huge amount of discussion on the snail issue. I'm going for a no on this one.

 

[debadog]

回复: Should I keep them?

I'd go for a no too. When I first got plants I was so paranoid about getting snails I scrubbed the plants to the point that several of them didn't survive lol, but I did come out snail free. I don't really remember what I read but I think after a population explosion the snails will die down again, but they just look like a hassle and are frankly unsightly in a tank in my opinion. I don't really see any huge benefit to having them but I know a lot of people don't mind them...I'm still saying no though.

 

[Sweet Pea]

Thanks for the information Blackbun. There are a few things I have not considered in your comment. I am anal about making sure my animals are safe. That is why I'm asking and doing research. Unfortunately there is a lot of conflicting information out there about what is safe and what is not. It's important to weigh the pros and cons of any decision. I didn't connect the possible parasitic dangers. I do know that is a big no no for not feeding your Axi food you find outside. As for the cycle I don't think they'll put a dent in it with as many plants as I have going. They may actually be helping by providing nutrients. However​ I realize that a massive snail explosion would effect it. I am just not familiar enough with snails to know their growth rate. To know if I could cull them evenly enough to control the population.

I am really interested in a clean up crew though. I have a lot of plants and having something working on managing the refuse made by the plants is a good idea imho. How do you feel about shrimp? Would that be a more appropriate clean up crew?

Thanks for your time guys!

 

[Blackbun]

A clean up crew and who will clean up after them?
i understand that some people keep these snails but then you'd be managing two sources of nitrogen etc.

 

[Sweet Pea]

Ah well. Maybe I'm not explaining myself well. I have a 40 gal. tank. I am getting one Axolotl. If I remove the snails and get a few shrimp. And if I keep up with poop duty and water changes. I have my tank with probably about well over 40 plants in it. Including a lot of surface and semi submerged plants. Not to mention a very good canester filter. I don't see how 2 sources of ammonia would be a problem with such a set up. I thought it could actually support quite a few ammonia sources. Lol, the plants literally suck up any nutrients they can get. It's one of the reasons I went with so many. They do a lot of the work! My parameters have been pretty much zero since the cycle. And that was a very tiny one. I have a problem keeping up with them without any ammonia source in the tank! I understand it is a fine balancing act. I thought that I had a good setup though for multiple animals. Am I wrong? Won't the beneficial bacteria just grow to accommodate the extra bio load? I have a ton of surface area. Rocks, driftwood, plants, and so on. Including my large filter which is for a 40-60 gal tank. I am also keeping a close eye on my PH, KH, and GH. I already have soft acidic water. So I am in the process of adjusting it via aged giant clam shells. It seems to be helping a lot to balance them out. I am also considering a very soft quite bubbler to increase the oxygen and CO2 levels a bit. Sorry am being difficult. I am just trying to understand. I don't want anything to suffer from my incompetence.

Oh, and I also understand this little world demands a certain amount of energy and work. However I work with animals for a living. I actually have taken care of a ton of Aquariums fresh and salt. Decided it was just time I brought one into my personal life. I enjoy doing the work and fussing over them. So I'm​ not worried over a little extra "work". Lol, I don't have any animals in there besides the 2 snails so far and I have been fussing over it non-stop already.

Oh and debadog thank you too for your input.