Malaysian trumpet snails

I'm looking for some trumpet snails to aerate my river sand substate. Anyone have some to spare?

 

Hey there!

I just gave a load away, but they breed that quickly, that I reckon I can get you some more in a week or so if no one else can help you sooner??

Maybe PM me where you stay, and maybe we can meet when I got some again?

Cheers
Big G!

 

I suggest you go to your nearest LFS and they will gladly give it to you for free.

 

yeah just go to any lfs they will glady part with them, i added abt 50 originally and now probally have thousands

 

you want one or two. . They multiply very fast. Where are you at?

 

I would think VERY CAREFULLY before importing them into any tank, they are not harmless by any manner of means and multiply like weeds.

Take care,

Dirk

 

Can you explain that a bit more please Prof
don't understand what you mean by they are not harmless :wondering:

 

As with most things its a double edged sword,
personally my tank would not work without them, they airate my substrate that would otherwise compact and become anerobic and unhealthy for the plant roots,(note this does not apply to most conventional substrates) they will also eat any food that is left over from feeding as well as clean algae to an extent.. It is also convenient that they do not eat plants or come out much during the day.

On the other hand as Dirk stated they have an exponential breeding rate and once they are in your tank are extremly difficult to eradicate, they can also carry diseases, once they get to adult size they lift carpet plants like glosso or HC and they are not really aesthetically pleasing, I have also heard in large populations they can repress some algae types in essence farming more difficult types like crusty dust algae..

What your reasons Dirk?

 

HI Gareth and Phil,

It is exactly the exponential growth that Phil mentioned that worries me. These snails are nocturnal, and one sees one or two during the day and you think they are just a few in the tank. However, and this normally happens by chance after you come in late one evening, when the light of the tank has been switched off, they come out in their hundreds and sit on the glass sides of the tank, and you actually see how many there really that you can get quite a shock. My opinion is that once they reach such numbers they are actually contributing significantly to the biological load of an aquarium which is negative. You must also realize that should you then try to eliminate them with a medication and they die in their hundreds, the whole gravel medium is going to go rotten, and could kill off all of your fishes with the ammonia spike that will follow.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

O ok
I understand now thanks Phil and Prof Dirk.....
I know I have a few hundred in my tank but so far it is not a problem because the tank is almost empty.

 

Also loaches don't show any interest. Their shells are too hard I think. So getting rid of them if you want to could mean breaking the tank down.

 

I think I read somewhere that if you put a piece of lettuce and place a saucer over it with a little gap, then this will attract the MTS. Then after awhile, you can lift the lettuce and destroy howevermany MTS are on it. I haven't tried this so don't know if it'll work.

 

i dont think they are as attracted to veggies as ramshorns and co. I only have mts in my small octagon, was an experiment with the gravel i got, they cant successfully burrow into it, but keep the top clean from food the two or three fish dont get to, very useful .. anyway they still reproduce like mad, i just take a ruler and crush the newlings as they crawl up the glass, the remains then get eaten by the fish, but in a big tank, population control wont be that easy, esp when they can burrow the substrate

 

I've seen my MTS eat left over baby marrow.

 

Strange, I put some large MTS in my Discus tank, they lasted a day before the shells were emptied

 

I believe puffer fish love these little buggers but I know they are not the best option for the problem

 

So should I get some or not? Are the pro's greater than the con's? Can I 'harvest' them at night maybe to keep the population in check?

 

If you want to keep them for their benefits, then you'll need some sort of natural population control. I'd say try some loaches and see what they think. I know my loaches eat all my pond snails and ramshorns in my 3ft tank, so I don't see why they wouldn't do the same with the MTS. They don't after all eat the shell, just the delicious soft centres. hehe

 

Boebie truth be told you will get them eventually weather you like it or not.. They stow away on plants ect..

My method of control is very quick and easy, place a pleco food tablet in a net at night, switch off lights then remove net after 2hrs..

 

something weird. All 13 mts in my octagon vanished. Tank shut down for 6hours or so without circulation or air, power outage, but thats about the only change. they cant dig deep into the gravel, so i always see them on top. But now theyre all gone. only a few 2-5mm ones remain. Anyone else ever had mts vanish like that?