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Over Abundance Of Snails!


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Snails are a good thing to have in your tank, usually if there are lots, it means that you are feeding too much or are ineffectively feeding. Like Jason said I have used a clear 3/8 tube before to get food down to bottom feeders, without having them all scattered everywhere. Also, you the fish learn where the feeding corner is.

A couple other things I have done in the past is putting a NLS wafer in a net resting on the bottom of the tank. A few hours later pull it out, chuck the snails and put it back in. Repeat. Lettuce and cucumber work well too.

Ramshorn snails I crush whenever I see them, the babies tend to get within a inch of the tank tops for some reason,and when I see an adult I crush it with a pair of tongs.

Come back a couple hours after dark and pick them off the side of the tank and off gravel, eventually you will make a dent.

Have fun

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I think alot of the loaches available are beautiful, not ugly. Try a couple Clown Loaches or YoYo Loaches. One time I put a small chunk (1"x1")approx of lean steak in on top of a fish net and left it there for about a day or so and you would not believe how many snails came to feast on the peice of meat. Just dont leave it in too long obviously. Any of the Botia type loaches are probably you best bet, I think.

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Alright, got an update. Got myself a little pea puffer. After about 10 minutes of exploring the tank and just getting used to his new home, he started pitbull shaking the snails. It was wicked. He just picks them up and shakes the hell outta them and then tosses them like a piece of meat. I left for a few hours, just got back and I can't find him anywhere. Although, I do have a lot of places he could hide, especially considering his size. I hope he wasn't getting picked on. I might grab another tomorrow. It might make him feel a little safer, even though they are somewhat territorial.

UPDATE: He made a brief appearance near the back corner of my tank behind my dragon bubbler, so at least he didn't die. :) (continued update for those who care...): I saw my danio chase the poor little guy to the back of the tank into hiding. Might have to put the danio into isolation for being a shithead. haha. Update further: danio has been placed in isolation and not even 2 minutes later, my little snail hunting ninja assassin is out and about. hahaha.

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To be honest, I think he's intimidated by the size of the tank. He's sticking to one corner. That or even the amount of snails. Like I said prior, I'd almost like to get another to either help ease into the tank as well as help clear out snails. I read that anymore than 2 is not recommended, as they will kill each other considering their territorial nature; but given the 55 gallons of water there is to explore and conquer snails, maybe two is alright.

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dwarf puffers are notorious fin nippers and make once in a while take on a shrimp. Not the best way to get rid of snails. Figuring out why you have an infestation to begin with will help solve the problem. If you decide to get more puffers, see if you can get females instead of males. I found males to scrap with each other more than females. What else do you have in the tank for livestock?

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He was doing a great job. Like I had mentioned in a previous post, he would literally shake the snail and toss it. Now, he's kinda just hiding lots. Maybe it's his tank mates (refer to sig), but there's no one in there to intimidate him. He's still pretty small to sex, but I've been just calling him as a male. From what I can see right now, he's got the wrinkles around his eyes like a male, but no black line going from the front like a male, so I'm uncertain. If I do get anymore puffers, I'll get a tank for them too and throw in some java moss (which is apparently a good way to get breeding puffers).

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Honestly, who ever told you assassin snails are useless gave you false information.

I started with two assassins and about way too damn many pond snails in a 12 gallon, after about 2-3 weeks the assassins had multiplied but the pond snails were gone and had never been able to regain a toe hold.

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I went out and got three more pea puffers and got them a tank. I would still like for them to do work on some snails, but trying to breed them will be a fun challenge. I also got three yoyo loaches for my snail problem. I also got a tank for the apistos to breed. So considering that, I have fourteen neon tetras, fifteen glowlights, three corydoras, and a pleco. Oh and that damn danio. Add the loaches now and there ya go.

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