FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I these things more beneficial as far as algae, substrate mixing etc. or are they more of a nuisance ruining plants making a mess.

My Scapes

That depends what you have. The giant ramshorn(marisa applesnail) will eat plants unless you provide alot of vegetables such as lettuce. For the most part they can be distracted away from all but the tastiest plants. The small planorbid ramshorns have more than one species. Some eat algae, some eat plants. It's a bit a gamble with ramshorns on what they'll do.

The snails that I had ID'd as ramshorns ate my plants quite a bit. I've gotten rid of most of them (*fingers crossed*) just by smushing them and letting the fish eat their innards, combined with MTS who hopefully outcompeated them for the food.
I do still see from time to time a little ramshorn which almost always gets it's shell smushed as a greeting (I'm a nice person really I am ).

^_^[font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

Well I just let two of them out of the bag. Should I go catch them?

My Scapes

Try to find them and mush them as Babel said. There is no sense in buying trouble, and they can multiply like crazy.

I have both pondsnails and ramshorns (think the planorbids)
in my 10 gal.. Last night I had it, my whole 20% water change was sucking up every visible snail. (over 30)
Today there is more on the glass.. I'm changing this tank soon for bigger, but I enjoyed vacumning them up (cause I hate them) I can't copper the tank due to shrimp..
I'll be doing this more regularly so hopefully can be rid of them.

Babelfish made a good point about squishing them for the fish. My guppys and platies fight for the snacks and it's a great natural diet supplement for them.

Last edited by DaFishMan at 17-Aug-2005 20:50

The Amazon Nut...

I do about the same as Babel and outcompete the snails I don't want with mts and applesnails. Those that survive make good loach and puffer food. Chances are fairly high your plants will suffer if you leave the ramshorns.

In almost 2 years I have never seen a snail eat a healthy leaf. They prefer rotting or dying leaves, fresh algae or left over food.

Conditions will determine population growth. A lot of rotting leaves, left over food will bring a population explosion.

I'd leave them in, they can be quite handy, just keep an eye on population.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I've always had the "hitchhiker snails" in my tank. Those are the little snails that end up in your tank after buying live plant. I always seem to have about 10 or so, they have never exploded in numbers. But I'll take everyone's advice under consideration.

My Scapes

Let me show you my snail problem LOL
I dont know why but i keep feeding them
LMAO
[/font]

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

SneakyPete,
I just viewed your pic while eating my breakfast. Thanks much:%)

All:
Well maybe I'm crazy, but there's something about this ramshorn snail crawing along the bottom going over some rocks with the fish swimming past that makes it seem like a more natural complete system. But then again, if the bottom of my tank starts to look like SneakyPete's I'll have to rethink things. I already have another problems with grey slime that I vaccum out on a daily basis with a thin gravel wash.



Last edited by tetratech at 18-Aug-2005 12:56

My Scapes

I can the loaches in the tank behind me "clicking" their chops to get to them snails...lol.



(for those of you that dont have loaches, they can make an audible clicking noise. It's rather loud actually.)

In almost 2 years I have never seen a snail eat a healthy leaf. They prefer rotting or dying leaves, fresh algae or left over food

There are snails that without a doubt will strip a planted tank bare overnight. I had pest snails destroying my crypts and a few applesnails that loved my dwarf lilly. These snails couldn't possibly be starving and the plants were a healthy color with plenty of new growth and no yellow or brown areas. They will eat dying leaves but if you have healthy plants with few dying leaves and lots of snails they'll go after the healthy plants for lack of something to chew on. With some snails like the Marisa ramshorn you can keep a near constant supply of lettuce leaves in the tank and they won't eat plants. With other snails like canas.. well... say bye to your plants they'll be gone by morning and sometimes they'll even eat plastic plants

In almost 2 years I have never seen a snail eat a healthy leaf. They prefer rotting or dying leaves, fresh algae or left over food.

Same.

I have at least four species of snails in my tank (including ramshorns), and I have not once seen them eating my plants. And the plants show no signs of being eaten either.

Snails only become a problem when the tank gets too much food, causing too many snails, and in turn not enough food to feed all the snails (and hence they begin eating plants).

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

By the way, are snails a good indicator of your water quality.

My Scapes