My sister has a tropical fish tank and has had snails appear in it! She has never introduced snails to it and has no idea where they have come from! At first she thought they were fish faeces but they are definitely snails altho their shells are transparent. They are multiplying like crazy!
Does anyone know where they could have come from and are they at all dangerous to her fish?
2006-11-01 01:44:15 · 15 answers · asked by Andromeda Newton™ 7 in Pets ➔ Fish
They probably came from either live plants you have bought or possibly were in the water that came from the pet shop when you added new fish. They are not dangerous to the fish but will continue to multiply at pretty fast rate. At one time there was a product available that you could add to get rid of the little devils but I'm not sure if it is still available. If you have live plants they will eventually destroy them because they are vegetarians & thrive on algae & greenery. Sometimes the only solution to the problem is to remove & thoroughly wash the gravel (or sand),ornaments & filters. Hope this helps you.
2006-11-01 01:56:28 · answer #1 · answered by Diablo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Snails could have been introduced by having live plants in the aquarium. These snails will get larger and continue to multiply. They are not a danger to the fish and some fish even eat the small ones. Actually having a couple snails will help keep the tank clean. However if you have too many it can effect the ecosystem so it is better to limit the number of snails to 3 or 4. She could possibly also sell any extra snails back to the pet store.
2006-11-01 02:12:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I had this problem. The snails usually are attached to plants which are introduced to the aquarium. As you say they multiply like crazy and are notorious difficult to eradicate. You can buy snail killer, but you have to watch how much you use in case you harm the fish. However, it's not 100% effective I'm afraid. I wouldn't say they are dangerous to the fish, but they certainly spoil the look of the aquarium. As a last resort, you could completely strip down the tank, chuck out all the gravel, plants and any other decoration and start again. You'd need somewhere to put the fish temporarily while you do this.
2006-11-01 02:15:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
BAD! Snails bad, dude. Did you buy a plant or a fish recently? Sometimes, you'll get some snail eggs scooped up from the dealer tank, and wind up with these snails, which can take over the tank if left to their own devices. Before they get out of control, I would suggest getting a couple of clown loaches. They love snails. Also, you could try cleaning out all the gravel and decorations and removing the snails already in there.
2016-03-28 03:25:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like the others said they could of come from plants, fish or the water from the petstore. Try adding a veggie to the tank and after an hour or so remove it and all the snails that are eating it. You can do this as often as you like to remove the snails. They aren't harmful though so if your sister doesn't have a problem with them then she doesn't need to do anything.
2006-11-01 02:06:21 · answer #5 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they usually come from live plants (eggs on the plants). a few are not a problem but they usually multiply very quickly and over run the tank. Purchase a skunk botia or a clown loach (another type of botia) as they eat the eggs and small snails. this should stop the population from exploding and may get rid of all the snails.
remember - the loaches are there to eat the snails so do not feed them.
2006-11-01 01:47:50 · answer #6 · answered by Robin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have just put in new plants it is very likely that your sister's new little pets hitched a ride on these.
They are not dangerous and can be helpful as they can munch away algae and other waste/unwanted products in your tank.
Sorry to let you know but they are prob there to stay we have had ours for years and have tried a few things to get rid of them (we have never used the chemical snail killers as these are NOT good for the fish) but they always come back
2006-11-01 08:28:16 · answer #7 · answered by jojitsui 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try placing a snail trap on the bottom of the tank,put a bit of lettuce under a small plate,prop up the edge with a small stone,leave it over night and in the morning before you put the light on remove the trap and lettuce which should be covered in snails,that works for me,they def come on new plants,in future wash the plants well under the tap before putting them in the tank.
2006-11-01 02:45:07 · answer #8 · answered by Jacqui 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, has your sister introduced new fish lately? Sometimes they travel to your tank on other fish. The only way to get rid of them is to get a product to get rid of them. All products will come in a liquid form. Good Luck!
2006-11-01 01:56:46 · answer #9 · answered by Jenna 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My brother had an outbreak of snails, and I think they came from the live plants from the pet shop. They don't do any harm, but they are wonderful cleaners!
2006-11-01 18:54:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋