Tropical Fish Forums

[forever-england]

I have quite a big snail infestation.

I don't want to introduce a clown fish or any other type of snail eating fish.

I don't want to use any chemical solutions.

So what is the best way to get rid of them?

I have heard in the past, to put some cucumber in a jar with small holes in, and leave overnight, this will attract them in, is this right? Or will it just stress the fish as they no food is about but can't get to it?

Cheers
Steve
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Juwel vision 180.

3 Zebra Danios
6 Platy's
6 Cory Sterbai
1 Bristle Nose Plec

[nikelodeon79]

http://www.aquahobby.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=41
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Dumpster Tank
Nano Fish
Mbuna

[forever-england]

thanks
_________________
Juwel vision 180.

3 Zebra Danios
6 Platy's
6 Cory Sterbai
1 Bristle Nose Plec

[snaileater]

You got the old snail bug huh? To bad, Theres only one way to get rid of em the slimy little pests deserve no less than death! so I say. . I hate snails. I battled snails for over a year, It was a war I was loseing untill I discoverd a secret weapon. don't let any one els tell you they help your tank or their good for your ecosystem bla bla bla. they just don't know how to get rid of em, so they helplessly pick em out everyday and and and lick their pride because a snail won the war. a snails a snail and once you get them you have to nuke em and your whole tank. Tis no other way, sorry. And once you see one Just assume theres a few hundred eggs that are gonna hatch. Snails will overload your system especially if theres a die off, and could kill your fish with the black death haze in your tank. Their bad for a fish tank bad bad BAD!! Anyway. You need another tank to put your fish in bare bones notheing in it no gravel notheing just fish and filter (not the one from your infected tank). You are gonna need to keep the water out of your infected tank. When you siphone it put a filter on the end of the hose that is gonna go in the infected tank connect it with a rubber band or something. drain three quarters of it or more into storage. You are gonna need to put it back into your infected tank later. Get rid of your gravel and any air hoses and air rocks throw the bio filter away get rid of your live plants if any (they won't survive the nukeing) and they harbor eggs. Put all your ornaments in the tank throw some gasoline on it and light!! Just kidding . Take the tank (with all ornaments in it and the filter ) Now trust me this is the only way to be snail free espessially if you allready have an infestation. Pour half a gallon of bleach in the tank fill overfill all the way to rim with lukewarm water. IMPORTANT make absolutely sure there are NO air bubbles in any of your ornaments flip them over and get the air out of everything. Let sit for ten houres rinse out tank and repeat with another half gallon bleach let sit for ten more houres you want the bleach to have contact whith every part of the aquarium snail eggs are surrounded by a protective mucus that is hard to penetrate bleach dissolves it and kills the eggs and live snails very effectively. rinse your tank and all the ornaments fill it with lukewarm water and poure a whole bottle of declorinater in it ( might as well be safe stuff is cheap anyway) rinse again put your new gravel in and ornaments or howver you want to set up put the water you saved back in and cycle. this method will guarantee you will never see another slimy snail again ever unless you put one in by accident. Good snail hunting.

[diademhill]

Snaileater, it sounds like you've had the classic, I didn't look after my tank so when things died it must have been the snails that did it scenario but what you have suggested will kill or at the very least stress fish.
Snails are not bad and if you get overrun it is through poor tank management.
Their numbers can be controlled without harming fish or requiring a tank strip down, it just takes a bit of patience and research.

[snaileater]

Never had anything die in my tanks due to poor tank management (accept snails) and I do tend to my tanks everyday. I just have a problem with snails. They were uninvited guests that slimed there way accross the glass in my tank. Forever england wanted some options for getting rid of snails and I gave him or her my strategy for eradicating them (witch is very effective by the way). Might lose a couple or few fish but in war collateral damage is expected (bush gets away with it). I didn't lose any of my permentent fish I got some neons from pet smart as testers threw em in out of ten lost three two more died after I put the rest of my fish in tank, But my permenent residents stayed alive. And just so you know I have seen a snail die off kill fish in a undergravel filter tank there were hundreds of snails under the filter and the eggs were so thick the gravel filter was completely coated with them.

[CraZy_RaM]

[snaileater]

Theory. Your mad ex wife throws an unknown chemical in one of your tanks housing some very expensive fish (Could happen). OMG What are we gonna do?. Get those pricy fishies out of there thats what. So what did she put in it?, Do we have to get a completely new system?, or just clean it cycle and hope for the best when we put our companions back in there home?. OK there is a line between being anthropomorphistic with animals and just plain carefull with well.. the better of the species. This line I will admit in my situation extremely slim, But I did not cross it. Never did I say I was putting the neons in the tank to test for bleach. With the amount of dechlorinater and rinsing I did the water was safe in that respect. Depending on your view of things, Darwinian or creationism (The ladder I suspect). You could call me carefull or a fish killer. But I prefer to call myself A happy camper that my pricy fish didn't die . So go buy a new tank completely set it up then buy the most expensive fish you can find and tell me if you don't feel a little anthropomorphistic when it comes to those neons

[number6]

snaileater, your attitude towards snails is your own, and you're entitled to it... but surely you understand that they can easily play a role in an aquarium if added by someone who does want them and does fully understand how to care for them, plus fish and not be overrun.

"Depending on your view of things, Darwinian or creationism (The ladder I suspect). " You mean latter... not ladder. Extra commentary like this is an insult regardless of the views of the receiver. Everyone knows what you mean by the implied insult. With 3 posts to your username, I would have thought you would have avoided going on the offensive so soon.

Let's try to get along with slightly opposing views folks... Snaileater can have a view of a hierarchy of fish "value" and be anti-snail...

Snail-eater, people can dislike your anti-snail and "sacrifice-able fish" ideas.

Agree to disagree and let's get back to the topic.


Steve, the zucchini in a jar trick does work but will never eradicate the snails. If eradication is your intent, then breaking down the tank and even switching substrates can be necessary.

Personally I find population control to be easily accomplished with the traps.
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"Just don't look in my fish room honey... it's just better for all of us. "

[CraZy_RaM]

I personally achieved snail eradication by simply killing them when seen/ removing eggs and not overfeeding the fish. not once but in 3 tanks.... Took few weeks but it worked. Now I simply clean the plants before putting them in a tank.

Darwinian or creationism - that the best you can come of with some sort of attack based on one satement that pets aren't disposable, it's sad to see you're getting such concepts mixed up.

"Snaileater can have a view of a hierarchy of fish "value" " absolutly right , fits right in with scala natur