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After planting my 37g just over a month ago, I noticed a few very tiny baby snails in the tank. They were too tiny to tell what kind they were. A few weeks later, I added my angelfish to the tank and the tiny snails seemed to disappear. I was under the impression that she ate them. However, I was messing around with a flash light after I had turned off the lights (searching for my elusive L066 pleco), and noticed a snail on the glass. It was at least three times the size of the tiny ones I first noticed. I figured it might've been the only one NOT eaten.

Any way, it is big enough now that I could tell that it is not a Malaysian Trumpet snail, which I KNOW do not damage plants. My question is, can anyone tell me what other types of snails do not harm plants in the aquarium? Also, can you recommend a good website that can help me identify this species so that I can remove it ASAP, if necessary? Thank you in advance for your help.

ps--I would post pictures, but the snail is so small it just appears as a blur. Sorry. The shell appears to be fairly round; a shade of light brown, though a bit transparent...Any ideas?

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

Sounds like a common pest snail that arrives with most any aquarium plant. I don't know what they are actually called, but anyone with a planted tank has had them at some point. Some people love them because they do eat algae and detrius, and some people hate them becuse they are very prolific and not very pretty. They will not grow very large at all... maybe 4-5mm is the biggest they get. You just need to make sure you don't overfeed your fish. The more the snails have to eat, the more snails there will be, and there can be a LOT of snails very quickly.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I get these little fella's, theyre only about 2- 3 mm across and breed from that size,I actually encourage them because I have dwarf puffers to feed,

Anything like yours?

not a bad macro shot, lol.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a245/longhairedgit/IMG_4572.jpg

Hmmm could be--I wish I had a better view of the snail last night. If I remember correctly, the shell appeared to be a little more biege than the snails in the picture, which is a nice shot, by the way. Do these snails you guys mention harm your plants at all?

I haven't noticed any damage to my plants--yet. But then again, I've only noticed one snail so far. ("so far" being the key phrase, probably, huh.)

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

If they get completely out of control, they can start harming plants. You may notice a few pin-holes here and there in the leaves, but as long as there are only a few of them, they won't harm your plants.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

They put the odd hole on the plants yes, but not a lot.I harvest them fornightly to monthly with a net to feed them to the puffers, leaving only a dozen or so to keep laying eggs. That gets me about 60-70 to feed to the puffers. Generally I think if theres food around and a bit of algae these smalls ones dont bother the plants much. I have a lot of tough leaved echinodas and stuff, they dont seem to make much impact on them. I think if I had a lot of softer plants they might decimate them though.

I think these guys are hermaphroditic and the reproduction rate is scary,if you didnt purge them now and again they probably would harm the plants. They do eat the roots of floating plants, but they grow back so fast in my tanks theres almost no noticeable impact.

ps, they look a bit red because the lights were shining through them, when they get bigger or under normal lighting they do look a bit more beige.



Last edited by longhairedgit at 06-Dec-2005 12:41

Yep, I'll agree with the others here. The typical pest snails don't seem to be plant destroyers; they just go wherever they can find food and rasp away with their mouths, almost like a pleco. They may eat some types of algae and will feed on debris, they usually leave plants alone unless they're very hungry.

I think that most species are hermaphrodites; that is, each snail can produce its own fertilized eggs. If you don't like the snails, just start pulling them out whenever you see them.

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Yes, i had those type of Snails in my Planted tank & some Plants where slightly eaten. I think that they will eventually eat the Plants.

I got a Clown Loach & it seems that the Snails disappeared in a few days. Honestly, i was surprised that i didn't see more Snails & i think that a Clown Loach will do wonders with Snails.


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Thanks for the info, guys. I'll keep a close eye on them. I won't mind having them too much.

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

I have scores of both pond and ramshorn snails in my planted 10 gal.. Java ferns and java moss are the 2 main plants.. Not only are the plants in perfect condition with no algae on them, but the glass and gravel is clean and detritus free. This tank does not get vacced. Although I hate these types of pest snails, they are definately not harming the tank, and possibly cleaning it and eliminating any plant detritus and damaged plant material before I see it. So you'll prob be ok with them



The Amazon Nut...

I also have many different species of snails in my tank - Ramshorns, Pond Snails, Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Limpets, and a couple others I do not know the identity of. My plants are perfectly healthy, and the snails only eat the old dying leaves.

I also have more "fragile" plants when it comes to snails, such as Vals, Crypts, and Sagittaria, and I have not had any problems. Destruction of plants only occurs when there is too much food in the tank, causing an explosion in the snail population. As the new snails grow, they need more food than is being put into the tank, so they start eating the plants as a last resort.

Feed your tank sparingly and the snails will not pose any threat.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.