Snails!

[pinkspore]

My newt tank has been invaded by little black snails. My firebelly toad tank has not, oddly enough. I've always bought two of every plant and put one in each tank, so maybe the newt got the lucky plant with the snail? I'm also very surprised that I haven't managed to cross-contaminate them since I use the same equipment to clean both tanks. Or maybe the frogs just eat snails.

Do I need to get rid of them? Do they pose a danger to my animals? (I've heard some snails have an operculum that can hurt amphibians, but these are so small I can't tell if they do.) Are the frogs likely to be eating them? Would eating snails hurt the frogs?

 

[SpaceCadetHayde]

Small pond snails and other common carry-on snails aren't likely to pose a problem. I have lots of them in all my tanks. They help clean up uneaten food and decaying leaves. If they're bothersome to you, the best thing to do is pick off what you can see and get rid of any visible eggs.

 

[wargar]

Hi

I got a couple of assasin snails, they are small, look nice and as the name suggests they eat other snails. They keep the snail population just right in my big tank. They are supposed to be tropical but they have thrived in my CFN tank that tends to be 16 - 18 Degs.

Dave

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I hate snails in my breeding and axolotl/andersonii/kaiseri tanks. I found the only sure way to get rid of them is to crush them every time I see one. After a few weeks, they go extinct.

In my non-breeding tanks European and Asian newt tanks, I only allow ramshorn snails. Everything else gets the "forceps of death". Even then, I keep the forceps handy and control the population myself. None of my amphibians have ever shown interest in eating snails other than when they get them offered by the forceps.

With frogs and toads, I wouldn't worry about snails much. With newts and salamanders, I am not a big fan.



Just make sure you DO NOT use off-the-shelf snail killer for ponds and aquaria. It WILL kill your amphibians.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Hi

I got a couple of assasin snails, they are small, look nice and as the name suggests they eat other snails. They keep the snail population just right in my big tank. They are supposed to be tropical but they have thrived in my CFN tank that tends to be 16 - 18 Degs.

Dave

Just be careful, assassins will eat amphibian and fish eggs if given the chance.

 

[wargar]

Just be careful, assassins will eat amphibian and fish eggs if given the chance.

Thanks for that. I have never seen them near the newt eggs, but I will watch more closely now.

Dave

 

[pinkspore]

Thanks for all the advice! I have a friend with a snail-eating loach who offered to take the little buggers off my hands, so it looks like I can just sort of keep them around as a breeding colony. I'm not really worried about them eating eggs since the frogs are both boys and the newt is alone. I just wanted to make sure I don't have a species-mixing disaster in the making. I'm a little surprised the newt isn't eating them, she's a 9" long paddletail.

I'll get an assassin snail if they become a problem, I'm definitely not putting any kind of chemicals in there.

 

[katie11122]

you can by snail traps! if your interested pm me i will dig up the website i used a few months ago.

 

[mthom211]

Would no planeria harm amphibians? Its amde from beetle nut extract, it kills planeria, hydra and snails. Its not made of any copper.

 

[Niels D]

I'm keeping snails in all my tanks. They don't bother me and they clean the tank a little. Small snails often serve as a good calcium rich meal for your newts. My FBN, waltl's, dobro's, carnifex and noto's all eat the little ones.