Home  Articles Aquatic Plants Getting Rid of Aquarium Snails
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Getting Rid of Aquarium Snails |
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Sunday, 05 March 2006 |
 Ever had snails in your aquarium? If so, you know the pain. Once you start seeing some of them, their numbers continue to grow until they infest the whole aquarium. In addition, they are difficult to eliminate, as a single snail is both male and female, and is capable of reproduction by itself.
The good news is, there are several ways to get rid of them from your aquarium. And here we'll discuss the pros and cons of each approach.
Chemical
This is probably the approach most used by beginners. Snail-killing chemicals all claim to be safe for your other livestock in the tank, but veterans will tell you not to go this route unless you simply do not care if they die. Especially if you have shrimps, which are more susceptible to anti-snail chemicals.
If you have tried every other means and has absolutely no choice but to use chemicals, be sure not to overdose for it can be very deadly.
Dwarf Puffer Fish
Using a dwarf puffer fish is my personal favorite method. They are cheap, and they certainly love eating snails. Some may tell you that putting a puffer fish in your aquarium is just asking to get your other fishes killed, but I beg to differ.
"As long as there are snails in sight, the dwarf puffer fish will usually leave your other livestock alone."
First, dwarf puffer fish is unlike other puffer fishes such as the green-spotted puffer fish and the figure-eight puffer fish. They are very tiny, about the size of a boraras, and are known to be much less aggressive. As long as there are snails in sight, the dwarf puffer fish will usually leave your other livestock alone.
However, then comes the problem of personality. Although chances might be low, it could still be possible for you to get a puffer with either a very aggressive personality or simply dislike the taste of the snails that you have got to offer. Therefore, we would not rule out the possibility that your puffer simply would not cooperate.
So if you are up to give the dwarf puffer a shot, do monitor him closely for signs of aggression.
Manual removal
This is probably the most tedious method, but many aquarists still use it. They usually do it during aquarium maintenance by squashing any unfortunate snails that comes in sight. Although this method will never be efficient enough to totally remove all snails, it can still aid in keeping their numbers down.
If you really want to do this, I would suggest that you do not use your bare fingers to squash them. There have been reports of aquarists being cut by snails’ shells in the process, resulting in serious infection on the wound area. Throwing away the snails instead of killing them can be a good alternative.
Other fishes
Fishes such as clown loach, sparkling gourami and kuhli loach are sometimes known to eat snails as well. However, reports have shown that they never do it consistently, unlike the dwarf puffer that prefers a diet.of snails over anything else.
Then there is the problem with loaches in planted aquariums (which are most prone to snail infestations). Loaches love to hang out near the tank bottom and are known to cause disturbance to the plants. Sometimes even uprooting them.
Vegetable Bait
Snails love vegetable such as lettuce, cucumber and cabbage. As such, pieces of these vegetables can be used to bait the snails and keep their numbers down. During the night, place a piece of vegetable in a saucer and place it at the bottom of the aquarium. Keep the lights off, and when you wake up in the morning, you will probably find a good number of snails in the saucer, ready to be removed from the aquarium.
Like the manual removal method, this one will not wipe out all the snails, but it could be effective in keeping their population down.
Prevention
As you probably have realized by now, snail removal is not a straightforward task. So if possible, preventing the introduction of snails in the first place is your best bet.
"Most snails are introduced into an aquarium by "piggybacking" on the plants that you buy from shops."
Most snails are introduced into an aquarium by "piggybacking" on the plants that you buy from shops. Their eggs are extremely tiny and difficult to spot with the eyes. Therefore, it is a good idea to quarantine your newly acquired plants before planting them into your aquarium.
This can be done by soaking your new plants in Potassium Permanganate before introducing them into the aquarium. The concentration is 10mg per liter of water. Soak them for 10 to 15 minutes, and wash them clean with water. Do note that some plants are more sensitive than others are. Therefore, to avoid losing all your plants, the best solution is to treat only some of your plants, introduce them into the aquarium, wait a week, and observe their condition. Meanwhile, keep the rest of your new plants in another place with proper lighting and carbon dioxide.
Conclusion
Alas, if all else fails, you may even consider leaving the little buggers alone. Other than turning your aquarium into an ugly sight, they do not really cause any other kind of harm, since most of these snails are just tiny snails that will not cause significant damages your plants.
Hope this article will help you get rid of your unwanted snails! |
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