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	snails down the drain
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	so i was thinking about this last night while doing a water change, but do snails that get flushed down the drain make it to the sewers alive? i'm suddenly wondering how many MTS and pond snails must be crawling around down in the sewers here just from my normal water changes "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Babelfish Administrator Small Fry with Ketchup Posts: 6833 Kudos: 8324 Votes: 1570 Registered: 17-Apr-2003	Hmmm good question Glad I dump my water on my garden .....actually the only time I ever notice them in the bottom of the bucket is after I've already dumped it...so if you pour slow.... Wouldnt help for people that use a python though I suppose. ^_^[hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? Its real, the pain you feel. The life, the love, You die to heal. The hope that starts, The broken hearts... I’ve got another confession my friend, I’m no fool. I’m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
NowherMan6 Fish Master Posts: 1880 Kudos: 922 Votes: 69 Registered: 21-Jun-2004	I suck up probably 50 babies every time i do a substrate skim with the python. there's no way around it. I'm sure the chemicals in sewer water would make it hard or them to survive, no? *Back in the saddle!*
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	I don't think that they'll survive, but they are Pests & nobody knows................ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos http://www.deathbydyeing.org/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	i'm sure most of the snails around here have a big die off over the winter months, but there must be some surviving down there... they are pretty tough little critters after all "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
questor Hobbyist Posts: 62 Kudos: 42 Votes: 1 Registered: 24-Apr-2005	I just read in March 2005 National Geographic a report on "alien invaders"...species that have become major pests in non-native habitats. One of them was the Golden Apple Snail which is now devastating taro crops on the island of Maui after being introduced just 15 years ago. I think all aqua hobbiests always need to be extremely careful of what they dump and where. After battling snails in my tank...I don't think I'd care to chance dumping them in my garden
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Veneer Enthusiast Posts: 174 Kudos: 146 Votes: 0 Registered: 17-Oct-2004	so i was thinking about this last night while doing a water change, but do snails that get flushed down the drain make it to the sewers alive? i'm suddenly wondering how many MTS and pond snails must be crawling around down in the sewers here just from my normal water changes As to MTS - a vivaparous, parthogenetic snail that can pass through avian digestive tracts unharmed, aestivate through prolonged total dessication and ambient temperatures beyond their standard range of tolerance (18-25° C), and tolerate salinities from full fresh water to full saltwater (well beyond 30 ppt) could theoretically survive the trip to the sewers, but pond snails would be better suited to the degraded conditions thereof. Nonetheless, it is highly doubtful that any freshwater mollusc could realistically tolerate raw municipal sewage for any great duration.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Kim Big Fish Posts: 327 Kudos: 436 Registered: 11-Apr-2004	What about a septic tank? Kim
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	my biggest concern is that our sewage gets regularly dumped into lake michigan, especially after a heavy rain (you're welcome chicago ) and i gotta think that snails could theoretically make it all the way to the bottom of the lake, but they would be subject to some pretty cold conditions down there "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
sham Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004	Not sure about the MTS but I'm betting the lake was already full of pond snails before anyone started dumping them down the drain. They survive being frozen or we wouldn't have them in lakes and streams here in Iowa. If the MTS can survive the conditions of the lake someone has probably already dumped them in there without going through the sewer so there doesn't seem to be a point in worrying whether they survive being dumped down the drain.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
Pammy Hobbyist Posts: 148 Kudos: 130 Registered: 30-Mar-2004	Some years ago, Lake Erie was considered "dead", it was just so polluted that nothing could live in it. Somehow, mollusks that attached themselves to the hulls of Freighters passing by in the lake From the Atlantic, managed to populated themselves in this Filthy lake and I don't know how but these mollusks managed to clean the lake, and now it is very hospitable to life. I'm not quite sure if this post is on topic, but this thread reminded me of this. -Pamela
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
moondog Moderator The Hobnob-lin Posts: 2676 Kudos: 1038 Votes: 4366 Registered: 30-Sep-2002	if you're talking about the zebra mussel, that thing is considered an invasive species throughout the great lakes basin. "That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	Yep, they're invading and attaching themselves to everything. As a bonus though, they do seem to be cleaning the water that they come into contact with. Apparently it is because they are filter feeders with big appetites. They consume suspended algae and nutrients, and have helped to improve water clarity and reduce pollution in Lake Erie, for one. And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27


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