How To Clean Aquarium Plants Of Snails

Hi,

I am sure this subject is covered somewhere in the Forum, but i cant find it.

Setting up a planted tank at the weekend and want to try to ensure any snails that are on the new plants are removed.

Have seen mention of a bleach solution on other sites, does this work?

Thanks,
George

ian_m

Global Moderator

UKAPS Team

Joined: 25 Jan 2012

Messages: 5,272

Location: Eastleigh

Bleach, hydrogen peroxide, liquid carbon and potassium permanganate will all kill snails and their eggs.

alto

Member

Joined: 24 Dec 2014

Messages: 6,228

Plant species?

Many plants are likely to experience leaf damage from sufficient levels of the listed chemicals needed to kill snails - most snails are capable of "closing the door" & surviving short term dips (long terms dips are not recommended for plants)
In general only small populations of snails come in with plants, limited food tends to limit snail numbers, most anabantoids & dwarf cichlids will eat "baby" snails, larger snails are easy to manually remove, do check plants for snail egg "blobs" if you see many snails in the plant tanks

Nursery grown plants are snail free, but may be contaminated at the retail shop

Tim Harrison

Joined: 5 Nov 2011

Messages: 8,662

Location: UK

An alternative is eSHa Gastropex. It can be used as a preventative bath for new plants of dubious origin, and may not be so harsh on your plants as bleach.

Best method though is to avoid plants that maybe contaminated with pest snails and other 'orrible nasties. Take a look at plants grown in-vitro like Tropica's 1-2 grow http://tropica.com/en/plants/1-2-grow/

By experience, I ll say "Fight nature with nature". Check out the place where you are buying the plants first. If you see any signs of snails; eaten leaves, shells etc or the snails itself, then it is a big no-no. If the snails are already in the tank, get some assassins snails. If you are overrun, then get some clown loaches. I personally will stay away from all these fancy chemicals

Tim Harrison

Joined: 5 Nov 2011

Messages: 8,662

Location: UK

Assassins are a good idea, I always place a few in a snail infested tank to clear up any stragglers after I've dosed molluscicide...obviously after a couple of substantial water changes.
I think that often the numbers of pest snails are way too large for assassins to make a dent in otherwise.

Clowns maybe OK, but they grow too big for most folks tanks http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/chromobotia-macracanthus/ and are best kept as a group.

These are a tad smaller and also seem to feed on snails, but also darn expensive, at least at my place and recalculated to GBP around 10 gpb each.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/ambastaia-sidthimunki/
But also seem to feed on soft leaf plants, so that could be back to square one..

But when is a tank snail infested? I my experience a healthy tank has a healthy snail popualtion.. It only grows snails as much as it can feed.. So next question is, which link/hand feeds them to over population?

alto

Member

Joined: 24 Dec 2014

Messages: 6,228

"Rosy loaches" are likely the most suited to planted tanks & (like the other fish I mentioned) clear away the masses that can erupt from egg clumps

Tim Harrison

Joined: 5 Nov 2011

Messages: 8,662

Location: UK

They're feisty little fish and amusing to watch as well.

GeorgeR

Evening, thanks for all of the advise.

The plants are coming from Plants Alive, so hopefully they will be snail free.

Bit conscious as i managed to import snails into my 190 Litre tank (which has never been planted). Guess they were a freebie from the LFS!

George

Much better to buy in vitro plants or plants that hasn't been in water yet straight from the nursery at tropica and dennerly etc as almost all aquarium plants are grown emersed. Just ask your fishstore for it.

GeorgeR

Ended up getting some Assassin snails. Maybe take longer to do the job but they get there in the end Thanks anyway.

Chubbs

Member

Joined: 25 Oct 2017

Messages: 146

Location: UK

Ended up getting some Assassin snails. Maybe take longer to do the job but they get there in the end Thanks anyway.

Having the same problem, will be nice to see how you get on.

I buy invitro plants, but some cool varieties and stem plants aren't available this way. So my tank now has a small population of them. Every so often I'll see one or two and just squash them. This seems to be helping. It's taken me months but now I hardly see any. That or they've smartened up and hide better.

GeorgeR

I put 2 Assassin snails in my 45l tank a couple of months ago and now haven't seen a snail for some weeks, so it would appear the little chaps have done the job!

I put 2 Assassin snails in my 45l tank a couple of months ago and now haven't seen a snail for some weeks, so it would appear the little chaps have done the job!

Put about 10 assassin snails in my 500l tank, to control pest snails which they did ofc, then got some freash water nitrile snails. Had to catch all the assasins, took a few weeks ofc, then a few weeks later the baby assassins started to show. Took them out ofc, nitriles doing really well ATM, pest snails on slow way back, keep crushing them on glass.

Sent from Mountolympus via neural interface

ian_m

Global Moderator

UKAPS Team

Joined: 25 Jan 2012

Messages: 5,272

Location: Eastleigh

I just kept on removing snails each time I did a water change, remember they live in filters as well. After about a year or two no snails.

Miss hunting them out at water changes and watching them race across the front of the tank.

GeorgeR

I have 2 Nerite snails in the same tank as the Assassin snails and have not had a problem. The Assassins don't bother the Nerites as they are to big for them. I have done this previously in other tanks and never had a problem.

I my experience a healthy tank has a healthy snail popualtion

Probably our old skool dutch upbringing. I can't see a healthy tank without MTS either, but i guess these new scapes, which are torn down each year for a new look can do without