Snail pace

Dear Prof

I have a small tank (35cm,25cm,35cm)and in it some live breeders,now before put the fish in i notice small white spots on the glass.I said it was nothing but recently i've noticed that they are snails!!!!!!!! But those annoying snails that dont go away.They are all over the place on the plats,walls and decor.I no that clown loaches are the best but i don't want to put one in such a small tank.

What would you recommend?

Thanx

DS DG

 

DS DG,

Although snails are sort of old-fashioned, I am of the opinion that they are actually more beneficial that detrimental. Firstly, they have no negative effect on fishes and although there are differences between different snail species, most of them do not eat plants and prefer algae. As a result they are often more beneficial than negative. I keep snails in most of my tanks. I have ramshorns which I view to be the least negative and best algae eaters, apple snails which are OK, then some snails which are about 1 cm max and have a long shape and then I have only two (out of some 30) tanks that have madagascan live-bearing snails in them. Although Madagascan snails are supposed to be good because they burrow into the gravel and thereby aerate it, I am not convinced because they also multiply tremendously.

However, in summary, I do not think that you should be so negative about the snails, let them grow a little and then check out what they do before possibly manually removing them. Whatever you do, do not treat chemically as the treatments for them are more negative for the fishes and the plants than the snails are.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

Hi Prof

Do you find the ramshorns multiply very quickly? Most people are always in the process of trying to get rid of ramshorns. I added 2 apple snails to my main tank because they are large enough not to become clown loach food. So far, I have not really seen them do much in terms of cleaning up detritus or soft green algae which normally grows on the wood and rocks. Perhaps I should get more or look at ramshorns? At least the loaches will ensure there is no population explosion.

 

Here's a trick:
a slice of cucumber in a net.. Once a fair amount have gathered on the bait pull out the net, kill the snails, repeat untill all gone.. This is the fastest/safest way 2 go without dosing copper..

Good luck, but I would leave them aswell..

 

Hi prof

im having a problem with brown hair algae. I have a few ramshorn snails that are sorting the algae out to a certain extent. Should i add more snails or introduce a fish that can take care of the algae like a pleco for example?

 

Hi Speedz,

Brown hair algae are a real tough nut to crack, the snails will not reduce this and any catfish will also not be able to do this. You need to check your pH to see if it is not too low and you should also check if your nitrate is not too high. How often do you do water changes? Then there is of course a string of reasons related to fertilizer imbalances which favor algal growth which we could consider after these parameters are adjusted. What fertilizer regime do you use?

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

i havnt checked the water parameters yet. I carry out water changes every 2-3weeks about 15%. The substrate comprises of playsand and no fertilizers. Is it possible that the algae could have stayed behind from the previous owner of the tank? , because i purchased the tank second hand. I noticed algae in the previous owners setup, but not as bad as what i am seeing now

 

Hi Speedz,

That frequency and percentage of water changes is not adequate. The nitrates are not removed by a 15% water change only and they will accumulate faster than you are removing them which is food for the algae. Associated with this, you are most probably causing pH drop. Check your pH with a good pH meter. Then you also need to add ferts for your plants or else this problem will just get worse.

Kind regards,

Dirk

Hi Speedz,

That frequency and percentage of water changes is not adequate. The nitrates are not removed by a 15% water change only and they will accumulate faster than you are removing them which is food for the algae. Associated with this, you are most probably causing pH drop. Check your pH with a good pH meter. Then you also need to add ferts for your plants or else this problem will just get worse.

Kind regards,

Dirk

Hi Speedz,

That frequency and percentage of water changes is not adequate. The nitrates are not removed by a 15% water change only and they will accumulate faster than you are removing them which is food for the algae. Associated with this, you are most probably causing pH drop. Check your pH with a good pH meter. Then you also need to add ferts for your plants or else this problem will just get worse.

Kind regards,

Dirk