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try some aquarium salt. i put in salt because a lfs reccomended, because they said it was really good for fish, they didnt say that it would kill off snails. since i did it i havent had ANY snails, but i have since stopped using salt because it made my hood crusty from evaporation and i didnt see any change in the way my fish acted or looked.

So to sum up (because i was rambling :%) ) aquarium salt will get rid of them, not hurt your fish but it will make your hood crusty. Oh and just use the reccomended amount and leave it for a week and a half, and you should be fine.

MONKEYS ARE COOL, BUT SEA-MONKEYS ARE BETTER.

I've seen a lot of yo yo loaches around.... there is even a current auction up on aquabid... Sometimes at the fish store they go by pakistani loach as well... scientific name is Botia lohachata. Good luck in finding some!

Just got back from vacation, haven't had opportunity to buy the lettuce yet.

Still interested in yo-yo loaches. Are they readily available in the U.S? I do not recall ever seeing one in the many LFS I visit.

You can always dump the lettuce in a plastic bag and seal it but the snails will dry out quickly anyway. They won't be wandering around the house. From what I've heard yoyos are about like clowns for both personality and care but I don't have a big enough tank for clowns.

And sham, your solution is next. Yo-Yo loaches. I will have to study them, though, before adding them to my tank. I know nothing about them unless they are a lot like clowns. Thanks!

This may show up twice, I got booted off!

First of all, to Communist Hamster. Why do I freak at mysterious snail appearances? Because they give me the heebie jeebies, that's why! I don't even care how they go there, they are just ICK, YUCK and BOG!!!!!!!!

To Houston, I think your solution sounds easiest ..... for starters anyway. And, yes, I will have to have hubby take the lettuce out of the tank because I will have nightmares if I do it.

Now, how do I dispose of the lettuce?? Will I get snails in my garbage can?!?!? LOL!!!!!

EEEEWWWWWW. I feel like i have snails crawling on me!

I am going away for a few days, will try the lettuce treatment at end of the week and report back.

Yuck.


]:|]:|

Some people have kept dwarf puffers in a tank of mixed fish without problems but the chances of a problem is much higher than with loaches. Alot of puffers like to nip fins and with the small size of a dwarf puffer sometimes other fish will end up picking on them or trying to eat them. My yoyo loaches at some point have been in with just about every fish I have without problems. Right now they are being kept with an angel, a trio of neon swordtails, and a large cory and lone giant danio I aquired from someone who was going to leave them to die. I haven't kept the other small loaches but have heard the same from people that keep them. They usually just go about their business without bothering anyone too much and in turn get ignored by even agressive fish. Their favorite activity is hunting snails or for mine when the snails run out they do endless loops around the heater.

i think they came in the gravel - too gross to think they came in the drining water!

i bet you don't have any in the in the 72 cos of the clowns.

I have one tank with clowns and one with out - its full of snails gross !!! and I remove them weekly and place them in the Clowns tank where they get eaten there are no suriviving snails in the clown tank, just the occasional shell!

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Zero, welcome to fp

Zero, clown loaches grow very slowly, and you are risking stunting them by keeping them in the 12 gallon, sorry folks, but I had to say it...by stunting we mean, the outside of the fish will quit growing, but the insides of the fish will continue to grow, and thus will kill them eventually in a very painful way. (again sorry for the rant)



Back to what is coming out of our taps....
I'm thinking the water purification plants here in the states may be set up, and run differently than those in australia, and other places. As each country has their own regulations...So I'll give it you could have gotten the snails from the tap, but I doubt it...so as to how they got in there, you may never ever know...how to get rid of them, try this...get a nice big piece of lettuce in the tank at night (like a whole leaf) and in the morning pull it out with all the snails that are on it, or if they are grossing you out too much, have someone else pull it out If you do this every night over a period of time they will eventually be cleared out. If you see any others in the tank on the side, and they are small enough for you to handle, mush them (yes, at first I had to begin with the tiny ones, but eventually you get into it and are trying to mush the big ones as well) leave them on the glass where they've been mushed, your fishies will go crazy for them, and maybe after enough snail goo, they will start attacking them as well...

OK I'm through rambling again, hope you get rid of them, somehow, heidi




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"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Commy Hamster... I think part of the problem here is that it is NOT a planted tank. It has fake plants which of course is not the same. I would lean towards the theory of the gravel. Those darn snails can survive anything like roaches.....

Why do people get so upset about snails appearing "mysteriously" in planted tanks?

now on the clown loaches ive had 3 2" clown loaches in a 12 gallon for about 2 years and they havent grown at all

Hi Mary,
Clown loaches even small are not suitable for your tank.
There are however other loaches that are.
Some suggestions:
Polka Dot/Angelicus Botia - 4 inches, snail eater, very peaceful, beautiful chocolate with golden polka dot markings, very social, group 3 or more.
Queen Botia - 6 inches, snail eater, peaceful and very social, group 3 or more. Chocolatey color with golden stripes.
YoYo Botia- 4 inches, snail eater, peaceful with other fish, often squabbles among itself. Very social group 3 or more. Silver to whitish, to pink or golden with darker markings when young resemble the letters YOYO often fades to marbled patterns in adults.


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i wouldnt put clowns in a hex tank, or any tank that isnt regular (other than bowfront) if it is smaller than 92 gallons.

I thought a few weeks ago while cleaning my 65g hex that I saw some very very small snails. The light colored ones (swhirley (sp?) triangular shaped ones (for lack of a better description) Today I confirmed it when I got home from work and turned on the tank light.

I have no real plants. I have not added new fish in 6 mos. What gives?!??!?

I store my Python tank cleaning hose in hot humid garage. Could that possibly attract snails from somewhere (who knows where??) I know that sounds like major "grasping", but with no live plants and no new fish purchases I don't get it.

Further, snails gross me out bigtime. I get the heebie jeebies from them like some folks get from snakes. They must go. I think clown loaches eat them??? I have clown loaches in my 72g bowfront, but clowns are schoolers and require at least 3. I think a 65g hex too small.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]:|]:|]:|

It is very lickly that some snail eggs came via the tap water.

For a temporary measure add one of the clowns until they are all gone also ease up on the feeding and make the clown hungry he will soon find his own food. The clown should also eat the snail eggs.

If I get any snails into my 10G I will buy 2 small clowns and let them have a feed then place them into the 5ft tank.

Best of luck

Keith

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If you want a permanent solution to keep snails from coming back you can try a group of the smaller loaches. 4 yoyos would wipe out the snails real quick and you will never see them again. The snails could have been in the tank for months and been hiding in your gravel during the day until the population got big enough for you to see some. I set up a 20g tank, fishless cycle, add everything at once and 4months later I found snails.

queen botia are very nice and very attractive, and grow to only 6 inches. you could fit a group of queens in there.
They are really incredibly good snail hunters

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try feeding your food sparingly 4 the enxt few weeks and they should die naturally. it is better not to use chemicalscause dead snails cam foul the water.
another way to get them out is by putting an up turned saucer in the tank with a food tablet on top and turn the lights on. the snails should all climb on to it.
easy

Maybe they came with the gravel or with something that you added in your tank. Snails are pests & they survive difficult conditions.



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