From: jimh@ultra.com (Jim Hurley)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: [F] How to get rid of snails?
Date: 16 Dec 92 17:52:16 GMT
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies


Well, with all this talk of snails, I'll relate my experiences in their
elimination:

1) A little over a year ago I started a 100g densely planted tank with
CO2 fertilization. With those plants came a huge number of pond snails
which rapidly multiplied in the tank and throughout the trickle filter.

2) At first I tried manual elimination. Each night about an hour
after lights out I removed every one I saw. After about 3 weeks of this
I realized it wasn't working, they were growing faster than I could find them.

3) Then I tried the bait approach, every delicatessen item - lettuce,
cabbage, liver, etc. etc. was tried for a while. I guess the tank was 
too big for my snack's flavor to spread for that also was a complete 
waste of time.

4) Then I tried a chemical approach. I figured that most of
the snails seemed to be coming from the sump and their eggs must
be scattered by the pump, so I removed the sump and cleaned it out
with potassium permanganate, which is extremely effective against
snail eggs. For a while the sump was clear, but a few months later
the population returned. (I have since found that soaking new plants for
a few minutes in a weak permanganate solution works very well against
snails - use gloves working with potassium permanganate, it stains the skin
and isn't very good for you).

5) Then I bought 3 small clown loaches and added them. They are now quite large
and have accomplished the task, mostly. After about 3 or 4 months
the snail population declined, except for the sump. If I cleaned it
out again that might do the job. After I had the loaches for a while
I noticed that the snails were coming from under some driftwood.
I took it out and found the bottom to be covered with them.
After I cleaned that, the number reduced to near 0 where it has stayed.
I don't consider that tank to have a problem any more.

And now for the oppposite story:

In July I started 7 small tanks with sponge filters, a good substrate,
and lots of light. I planted all these tanks exclusively with plants from my
100g that were snail-free. About a week after starting these up I noticed
that one tank had ramshorn snails (the 100g only had pond snails). I have
no idea where these critters came from, I suspect either the Duplarit
laterite or the Tetra Hilena D additives, or maybe some food I had,
had some snail eggs. (I doubt the latter, no snails appeared in any other
tanks). After trying in vain at removing them by hand from that 20g tank
for a while, I noticed that that tank was the best-looking of all -
the tanks sides were clean, the plants were algae-free and faster growing,
etc. So I decided to keep the snails for a while. 

After a few weeks I was quite happy with that 20g snail tank, so I decided
to add ramshorn snails DELIBERATELY to all my other tanks (even the 100g)!
That was about 2 months ago and I haven't had to clean the tanks much since
then, and the plants in all those tanks look great - very green, fast-growing,
very good shape, etc. The snails disappeared in the 100g almost immediately,
I never saw any after the first day and none since then. So I guess the
clown loaches got 'em.

-- 
Jim Hurley --> jimh@ultra.com  ...!ames!ultra!jimh  (408) 922-0100
Ultra Network Technologies / 101 Daggett Drive / San Jose CA 95134
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria