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I have just up a new 2 ft aquarium with some sand and gravels. I have also placed two plants in it. The new set aquarium has been running for three weeks now. The plants are growing well as I see new roots and shoots coming up. However, I also noticed tiny snails each mesuring 0.3cm to 0.5cm in length climbing up the walls of the aquarium. I have not placed any fish in the tank. I have however distributed some fertilizers randomly on the gravel/sand. I am wondering how the snails have come about? Are they good ? Is it ok to leave them alone? My plants seems unaffected by them. For advise

they were probably attached to the plants when you bought them

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

probably pond snails that came on the plants. they're harmless unless they multiply too fast and you end up with a million of them. unless that happens i wouldnt worry about them

Most snails that you'd get as hitchhikers on your plants should not pose any serious problem. To control the population, you can 1) not over feed the fish 2) stock a few loaches 3)blanch a piece of lettuce and put in tank. In morning, see if the snails went for the bait and then physically remove the lettuce and attached snails 4) squish the snails against the tank wall after you get some fish in there.. most fish will enjoy the treat 5) in the future, treat all new plants before placing in tank [link=http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1445&highlight=potassium+permanganate]http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1445&highlight=potassium+permanganate" style="COLOR: #FF4040[/link]

Most snails are more beneficial than not, and if they are not voraciously consuming your plants then I would not worry too much about them. I've gotten both normal pond snails and ramshorn in as hitchhikers and neither have put any of my plants or livestock in danger.

The best anti-snail device I've come across: Botia almorhae (aka yoyo loach, aka Pakistani loach, formerly Botia lohachata). http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_almorhae.html
and http://www.loaches.com/botias.html

And, besides the fact that they love to eat snails... they are absolute comedians and utterly priceless entertainment. They do live for long time - about 15 years or so. Beware, they sleep on their sides (or belly-up) and look quite dead while doing so.... And they're supposedly excellent jumpers and if they want to get out, they'll find a gap in your hood......

Getting them out of a tank is another matter entirely. Netting them (they're high speed swimming torpedos!) is quite a challenge. I've found it better to exploit their desire to get in things and just carry the entire "thing" (ornament in my case) to the new tank.

They have a tooth to puncture the smaller snail shells and they then suck the snail right out. They wont hurt large snails though. Its the small ones and the eggs that they'll take care of, and will give you zero population growth. Seeing a yoyo cruising around with a snail shell stuck on his nose is quite amusing. You'll have to pick up the empty shells though.

I've kept them with tiny through large tetras as well as fancy guppies without incident. They can get a little pushy at feeding time, but they're not aggressive.

Finding them might be a challenge though, depending on where you are.

Botia sidthimunki is also excellent at eating snails, and would proably be more appropriate for a 2' tank. They tend to be kind of rare, however.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

My dwarf puffers love to crunch snails.