Advice on snail removal required!

so i seem to be having a bit of an issue with snails populating my 10g tank. its gotten to the point where theyre producing more waste then the tank is capable of dealing with and need to get gone asap. its planted pretty well with crypts (like 2 java ferns) so anything that will damage plants id like to avoid, but at this point theyre breeding faster then my assassin snails can keep up. any advice would be well appreciated, thanks in advance.

Do you have enough room in there for a Pea Puffer or 2?

If you have the option, I would move all of the fish that you have in there to another thank, and starve the snails out. While doing this pick out as many as you can at least once a day. Maybe invest in an assassin snail as well? Are they MTS?

fishNAbowl wrote:Do you have enough room in there for a Pea Puffer or 2?

   They will destroy the snail population in no time.

I have a pea puffer you can borrow to clear out those snails.

what is your feeding schedule like, over feeding can cause a population outbreak, cutting back feeding will help also blanching a piece of zucchini or lettuce then put it in your tank over night the next day remove the piece itll be covered in snails repeat process until snail are in smaller numbers adding extra livestock to fix and issue isn't always the best option whats your stock in your 10g

Indeed. Cut back on feeding and maybe add a few more assassins - they should bring the population under control within a month or two as long as you stop over-feeding.

Adding stock to solve a problem is rarely a good idea, but there really aren't any negative consequences to assassins (in my experience).

I agree with pbmax. All my tanks have snails in them. From 9.5g to 140 gallons. Like everyone always says the population can be controlled by how much fish food goes into the tank. However, pea puffers rock! But , now that I think about it I should add. IF you where to add something to eat the snails like a pea puffer I would recommend more frequent gravel vacs. The puffers will leave bits and pieces of snails and once these start to rot it could foul the water. I just like watching puffers decimate snail populations

i have no idea what type of snails they are, at this point all the assasins just cant keep up with the amount of breeding going on, currently its a shellie pair so that wont work for adding anything, theyll pick it to death for sure. however i could easily move the pair to a spare tank and toss a puffer in for awhile. id rather borrow then buy, but im at the point where id poison them and just hope the plants survive and come back. its been 2-3 month fight. also the other issue here is the simple amount of waste the snails are producing. no matter how often i do the changes it doesnt seem to matter, im hesitant to do too much as last time i did that the tank crashed and i lost all but the pair i have now.

Can you post a pic that would help a lot and I agree once they are there its hard to get rid of them but with patience and hard work you can get it done try the piece of lettuce or blanched zucchini method it really does work also googling snail traps might be a good idea

Put some zucchini in a glass jar and the snails will crawl in then once the zucchini is covered in snails take the jar out.

MorganEA wrote:Put some zucchini in a glass jar and the snails will crawl in then once the zucchini is covered in snails take the jar out.

I agree

Borrow the puffer! Your snails go bye bye, the puffer is fat and happy, and its owner doent have to buy something most are trying to get rid of.   

Chiisai wrote:Borrow the puffer! Your snails go bye bye, the puffer is fat and happy, and its owner doent have to buy something most are trying to get rid of.   

Coming from a puffer owner, I agree! lol Move the shellies to a temporary tank, borrow the puffer and then let the puffer have at it. Mine eats me out of snails and I have to buy them. Seems silly when most people have snail over population! Or use the jar/green veggies option and give them away to people who have puffers? Even flat rate small box could probably hold quite a few for a cheap price. They also LOVE unsalted french cut green beans. I put them in my for my bristlenose and the snails latched on to them first. When you get the beans underwater just squeeze them a little and it will push the air out and they will sink. I would put them in a jar as well. Snail trap would work well too.

any update on your snail problem