Trumpet snail problem

[Darbex]

Anyone know how to rid a tank of trumpet snails? In the last month I have pulled out about half a cereal bowl full of trumpet snails. For some reason they have all come to the surface twice in the last month making it easy for me to pick up a lot of them but obviously not enough since two weeks later I had to pull out a bunch again. I dont know if there is a loach or something that will eat them but this tank is a planted tank with angels and rams. PLEASE HELP.

[CichlidFan]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

Loach's of any kind might be a good place to start...???

CF

[MikeWhoTruong]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

Drain, your tank, take all the fish and plants out, Throw your gravel and plants away but keep your fish. scrub the tank down, making sure you get all the snail eggs on the glass out. rub the glass with a copper solution. Buy new gravel and new plants froma tanks with NO snails. Aquascape and Voila!! No more snails.

Hope this Helps

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

You could get a couple of Clown Loaches.  They LOVE the trumpet snails.  We had a tank overrun with them as well.  You will probably never get rid of them entirely unless you do what MikeWhoTruong said, but if you want to manage them, clown loaches are good.  

To make it easier to pick them out by hand, put a plate or dish (something flat) in the tank, put a cucumber slice or some fish food that will stay put in the center of the plate.  Turn off the lights and walk away.  Come back in a few hours and you will be shocked at how many snails have made it onto the plate and are feasting away.  Now you can lift the plate out with all the snails on it and toss them.  Of course, you won't get all the snails this way, but sure beats picking them out one by one.  :)

[ImaGuyGeek]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

I would also recommend cleaning out your filtration as well. The snails and eggs get in your filter and media.

[MikeWhoTruong]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

I knew I forgot something !!

[Nickintex]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

I mentioned this before on two other threads, but no problem: South American darters (if you can find them). Also known as darter-tetras and hummingbird tetras. I have a single one in my community tank that I got from Fish Gallery. It consumed all the MT snails in that aquarium in a few weeks. None were left!. I was actually going to use the MTS to feed my Fahaka puffer.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

Loaches are known to nip plants.

[Spot86t]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

My kuhli loaches did a good job keeping the malaysian trumpet snails in check.  Didn't eliminate them entirely, but enough that I was OK with the ones that were in there.  MTS are livebearing snails, so don't bother looking for eggs.  One way to catch them is to get a small (preferably clear) container, put a hole (or a few - depending on size of container) in it big enough for the snails but not big enough for the fish.  Put some shrimp pellets in it and after you turn the lights out, put it in the tank.  The snails will go in, the fish can't.  In an hour or 2 you should have caught plenty.  If it's a big tank, might try a few containers.  Repeat until the population is under control.  I keep a single YoYo in my 100 but he doesnt really put a dent in the trumpets.  He does do a good job of keeping the typical egglaying snails in check - eating both the snails and their eggs.

Often trumpet snails are desired in a well planted tank.  They spend days in the substrate turning it for you and usually are up and about at night.

[Darbex]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

I dont mind having them in there but when I turn on the lights and see the ground covered in them thats what I hate. So something to control them would be great. My worry is that the loaches might eat on the plants, so I will either try the plate/container trick or search for darter tetras.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

Nick brought that darter/tetra to my attention and we talked about it for a bit....it sounds really interesting but I wonder how it treats other small tetras/barbs.

[fshfrk]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

i had a bad problem in a 200. it had been set up for years with no problems. all of a sudden millions.i had ran out of sea salt that i had been adding on all water changes. i thougt i do not need salt anymore.  i think the salt iritates them and they dont reproduce as much. i made a box on the end of a pc of pvc and scopped out the heavy concentrations in crushed coral a little at a time.bleached it and did not put it back in . they hide out in it. cut back on food. made a surface skimmer out of a water bottle and a power head. foor those little ones that clump up and float around at night. when i cleaned sponges in over flow i was carful not to let them get in to sump. now the only food they get is off sponges on under gravel filters so i,m carful when i remove them. so i can bleach sponges and kill them. it was a war, but i finally got it under control. salt really helped me.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

Don't think you could dose enough salt in a planted tank to kill the MTS without effecting the rest of the tank.

[fshfrk]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

yea, i know nothing about plants.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Trumpet snail problem

I kinda figured that your post was more geared towards a non-planted tank so I chimed in to clarify before someone went and dumped a bunch of salt in their planted tank.

I do agree though, the salt probably has something to do with keeping MTS away...my troph tanks have never gotten it and I dose salt pretty heavily in them...doesn't bother the Nerites though, or their eggs.