Aquarium and fish breeders see snails as unwanted inhabitants that are found in an aquarium.
Snails and snail eggs can get into the aquarium through the tank décor that is been transferred from an unclean wet tank or live plants planted in the tank, snails can also get into the through a bag of water where new fishes are captured or a net transfer from one aquarium to another.
Snails reproduce very fast, for this reason, it takes only one snail to make a huge populace in the tank, and they overpower the tank so easily. It only takes just one snail to make a huge populace. Disposing of them will not be easy and will require you to sparing a lot of effort but you must obtain a snail-free aquarium.
Snails can serve as a group of cleaning group for a fish tank, they are pretty very interesting to watch, but then this activity does not work for all tank snail variety.
Snail in Fish Tank | Is it Good or Bad?
It depends on the amount of snail residing inside the tank. It can be good and it can also be bad. The reason for that is Snails are considered as good algae eaters. If your aquarium tank starts to develop algae, you can add a freshwater snail to clean up the tank. There are plenty of freshwater snails like Assassin Snails, Gold Inca Snails, Ivory Snails, etc.
We can address this issue from two perspectives. One is to completely get rid of them using some of the methods like using chemicals, cleaning tank, or adding snail-eating fish like a dwarf chain loach or a pea puffer. Another most preferable way is to minimize the number of snails in your tank from excess to a countable number as they will keep your tank free from algae and be free with other fishes.
How do Snails Multiply in Fish Tank?
These creatures have an astonishing feature- fast reproduction, even if it’s only one snail present. They don’t need a male mate to reproduce; you don’t need to find a matchmaker. A lone snail can fertilize its mature eggs and in a couple of weeks the baby snails mature and the ever-increase continues.
If you don’t know, this is how it happens; a snail can get into your fish tank by one means or the other and before you know what’s happening there are plenty of them in your tank and just keep multiplying, and you’re wondering how this happened. A snail attack can be difficult to get hold of but there only a few things you can do to ward off this hitch and put an end to this threat.
If you’re an aquarium keeper and you are just thinking about how to get rid of these snails successfully, then in this article we will explain in detail on how to manage your tank and ward off these unwanted snails in your aquarium.
I got you covered in this article so read on and learn to chase snails away from your tank so they do not have to multiply in your aquarium.
What is the Purpose of Snail in an Aquarium
Snails are not that bad you know they offer valuable help in your aquarium, they clean up your tank by feeding on unwanted and leftover food, they tidy up waste and debris, to some levels, they feed on algae. Snails aid your fish tank! If it is quite beneficial to you and your aquarium.
The issues we have with these snails are when they begin to multiply and their number becomes too much. Snails create waste, take in oxygen and deteriorate when they die, just like any other fish or aquarium creatures. This makes them serve as an additional bio-load, resulting in the increasing numbers of snails in your tank and promoting their survival.
These creatures are so tiny that you won’t even notice them and if you do, it may not make any difference. If you allow things to get out of your control you will notice that they start competing with your fishes which will keep your aquarium and fish under pressure and stress.
A lot of people believe that creatures deserve to be treated kindly and with respect. This includes these snails too!
However, I suggest you try to keep the population of these snails under control don’t forget they are valuable too. But, if they become excess in your tank they must be removed from the tank.
Getting Rid Of Snails in Aquarium Tank
Outlined below are various ways you can try out to successfully get rid of unwanted snails in your aquarium.
Avoid Excess Feeding
Feeding your fish tank excessively will help promote the increasing population of snails. Try reducing your feeding rate of your inhabitants to see if the snail invasion is resolved. But, always give your fish the required feeding but avoid feeding them in excess.
Copper sulfate is the most widely used chemical for eliminating snails in tanks and it is also very safe for your fish. If you want to introduce this chemical in your tank, do ensure to read the guidelines and instructions carefully so you don’t put your fish in danger or end up killing them.
These chemicals bring a fast and massive snail to dismiss in your tank which may unfilter your tank. If you’re going to use this method be ready to spend time taking off the dead snails and changing your tank water constantly to ensure it’s clean and healthy for your fish to live in.
In most cases, this will bring about a massive snail vanish which may foul your fish tank. If so, be prepared to spend some time evacuating the dead snails and changing the water to ensure that it is healthy for your aquatic inhabitants to live.
Using bleach to check and control snails is also very effective and causes less harm to your tank and fish if you follow the instructions;
- Prepare a soaked solution using a gallon or can of water and a half cup of bleach (any bleach can serve).
- Soak the live plants in the tank for 5 minutes.
- Soak the plants for another 5 minutes into plain water that contains a de-chlorinating agent and rinse carefully afterward.
Note that fragile live plants might not survive this method. However, bleach is an effective agent that kills snails and their eggs.
Using Potassium Permanganate (PP)
If you find the bleach method not confident enough for you then maybe you can try to method;
- Prepare a solution by using a gallon of plain water and adding up a half tablespoon of the potassium permanganate.
- Soak live plants for 20 minutes and rinse carefully.
Snail traps work too!
There are wide selections of snail traps that can be bought in pet stores or online used to capture snails. However, a very simple method is introducing a large piece of lettuce or cabbage into your aquarium, dig in the strong stem end (the root end) to the side of the aquarium and leave it for a night.
When it’s daybreak, take away the leaf and you will see that several snails gather under the vegetable leaf so you just gather them and dispose of them. Repeating this method everything for a few nights will help keep your aquarium free from snails.
Some big fish are snail feeders they scavenge any snail they see insight, you can think of adding these snail predators to your tank.
For smaller tanks, fish like Dwarf Chain loaches or the Zebra kind will be ideal. Clown Loaches or Pitctus Catfish will do a very good job.
Try Various Solutions
Having these guys around is not ideal for the survival of your fish and your aquariums because they overcrowd your tank and add pressure to fish, so taking them off should be your priority, try various solutions to keep snails in check.
Cleaning Your Tank
If snail infestation is totally out of your control, the pressure and stress of your fish become too high; you have to ensure 100% resolution and that taking off everything in your tank. This means that everything should be removed, from plants to decor, water, and gravel, the aquarium should be emptied, cleaned, and restock.
There are many ways to control the ever-increasing population of snails just as outlined below, but you should just prevent these snails from regularly entering into the tank in the first place.
These snails do not just show up in the tank from nowhere, there are certain things you do that invite or help these snails get in. they find their way in through live plants, rocks, and filter materials. Having a single one of them is enough to cause a massive disorder in your fish tank!
Cleaning your fish tank and regularly changing the water will help you keep the snails in check, you can notice one or two and evacuate them before they start to multiply.
Aquarium equipment and rocks should be cleaned and dried before inserting into the fish tank.
Snail eggs are quite difficult to notice but you can dismiss them by taking off new plants and cleaning them well by putting them in a saltwater solution for about 20 minutes then rinse them through in fresh running water before placing them in the aquarium.
This will destroy the snail eggs that are hanging on the plants and the eggs that cling to the plant leaves without causing damage to the plants.
Snails are beneficial to the aquarium but considering the damage they cause. Too many of them will cause more harm to your aquarium than good.
If you want to evacuate snails or you want to ensure they are do not enter your tank, the outlined methods and sections discussed are the easiest, cheapest, and the most effective technique to adopt and try out.
Carrying out these methods and following the guidelines you will be able to control these snails from invading your aquarium and you will have the ability to control the snail population.
The discussed methods will not dismiss all these snails immediately but trying it more often will keep them away and keep your aquarium free from snails and your fish comfortable.