how do i get rid of snails out of my fish tank?

Answer 1

Snails are nearly impossible to get rid of. All my tanks have them (unfortunately), and I do my best to keep their numbers down, which works okay for me.
Firstly, though, are they shaped like a unicorn horn? if so, those are Malaysian Trumpet snails, and they are benificial for your tank, burrowing into the substrate and helping to keep it clean. Other snails, though, just tend to eat your plants. They aren't particularly detrimental, but who wants a snail nursery, right?

If you have room, the hassle-free method would be to get some snail-eating fish. You could get a group of 4 yoyo loaches if you tank is 30-50 gallons, or a group of 4 clown loaches if your tank is bigger. Puffer fish will also eat snails but they should be kept by themselves - if you wanted to, you could get up a puffer tank and feed it the snails you catch, but that entails a lot of work as puffers are complicated fish to keep, some being brackish.

Manually removing them is pretty easy, too. I just squish them when I see them on the glass. Works for me. When I started I had a tank full of snails, but now I only see 2 or 3 a week. Someone said they release eggs when you squish them - maybe... but eggs that are forcefully removed would not be developped enough to hatch, and anyway, my fish love eating the squished snail (eggs and all, I'd bet).

You can also trap them. I just take a piece of lettuce or cucumber, stick a stainless steel spoon through it (so it sinks), and leave it in the tank over night - the next morning, there are several snails on the piece of lettuce, ready for easy removal. Repeat when required.

You can use copped to kill your snails, but I advise against it. It is not good for the whole biological filtration system, plants, shrimp, etc.

Lastly, if you want to get rid of them 100%, you will have to take your tank apart. Fill a clean bucket with water from the tank and put the fish in it. Leave a few inches of water in the tank and load it up with some aquarium salt, about 1tbsp/gallon. Let that sit and kill the snails, while you rinse any tank plants, ornaments, rocks, etc, with hot water or vinegar (cool water for the plants, and a quick dunk is salted water). Suck out at much of the salted water left in the tank as possible, and fill 'er back up again.

Answer 2

Goldfish received't rid you of a snail problem. And Loaches are not a answer as they received't be nicely proper with your cutting-edge fish or slot on your tank. chemical substances are undesirable idea also, they'll kill the snails and leaving rotting bodies scattered for the era of your tank which may reason an ammonia spike. how you are able to eliminate snails is spend some weeks, on a daily basis, figuring out on out and throwing away snails and searching lower than and on each and every floor for the jelly-like egg sacs. The egg sacs and infant snails ought to nicely be squashed and make good fish nutrients. it truly is how I went from over 400 ramshorn snails to 0.

Answer 3

They will reproduce very quickly and you need to keep them in check. They are harmful in your tank in great numbers. They will eat plants and dirty your tank. Here are several ways to get rid of them:

Snail Eating Fish - In most cases, this solution requires the least amount of work on your part. Results will vary with the type of fish, your feeding patterns, and the type of snail in the aquarium. Common snail eating fish include; Malawi Cichlids, varieties of Gourami, varieties of Bettas, and most Botia species.

Manual Removal - This is simply just picking the snails out as you spot them. Depending on what is in your tank, leaving a tray of food overnight will attract the snails, which can then be easilly removed by removing the container in the morning.

Reduced Feeding - Snails can only populate a tank to a level that the tank will sustain them. This means that by cuttting down on feedings to your fish, you can effectively reduce the overall snail population.

Snail Killing Chemicals - They sell snail remover chemicals in most pet stores. They are usually effective, just be careful of your plants and fish. Even if the chemicals are harmless to the fish, the massive die off of snails will leave decaying snail bodies in your aquarium, which can affect the water quality. So be sure to try and clean out as many as you can before and after.

Complete Cleaning - As a last resort, and the only 100% effective method to remove snails, you can completely tear down your tank setup and clean everything. This includes gravel, the hood, plants, the filter... anyplace a snail may have been able to lay eggs.

Answer 4

Try draping a blanket or similar lightproof cloth over the tank during the hours of darkness and the snails will all go to the top of the tank, where they are easy to remove. I had a heavy infestation of snails, but using this method, I got rid of them all within a week and haven't seen any since.

Answer 5

buy a couple of yoyo loaches. Or put a bit of cucumber in the tank and remove it and the snails which will go on it , every day. Or buy a snail removing medicine from the pet shop but you cannot do the last one if you also have crustacians in the tank.

Answer 6

hi,put a lettuce in the tank just before you go to bed then take it out in the morning you should have snails on it,and you can repeat this as many times as you want to,it worked for me in my fish tanks

Answer 7

Removed the fish, then tip a sack of salt in there. Or just allow the snails to eat the algae on the sides.

Answer 8

take a couple pieces of letuce and put them in ur tank. soon snails will gather on them then just flush the lettuce along with snails down the toilet =D

Answer 9

Clean the tank out

Answer 10

don't smash them, it makes them release eggs and then you get more.

put a piece of lettuce on a rock and sink it to the bottom of your tank. the next day it will be coated with snails. remove the lettuce and repeat to control the population

or take a papertowel and gently wipe them off the glass and throw them away