Ramshorn Snails

[Teddy Kagel]

Hello all!

I have just recently started my first tank and have delved way deeper than I thought I would. I have moved from a 5 gallon gravel planted tank with a few anubias and one crypt to a 10 gal dirted tank with nutrient rich substrate and planted 10 jungle vals along with my two anubias barteri, one reg anubias, and one unknown crypt. I have two ramshorn in this tank and I’m noticing that they’re eating the crap out of my vals and anubias, and they keep replacing the eaten leaves. I’m wondering what I should do because I feel bad getting rid of the ramshorns and I also think they look really nice. Should I give the snails to my local pet store? I don’t want to kill them or release them out into the wild. What’s the best plan? Can I feed them wafers to get them to stop eating the plants? I’ve tried a few times and I can’t see much of a difference but I haven’t done it consistently. 
 

There is a Betta, a school of ember tetras, and a few Ottos, and plenty of Malaysian trumpet snails in the tank as well. 
 

I fertilize the water column with seachem flourish, flourish iron, and flourish excel. 
 

Thank you!

[Colu]

You can get snail food I feed shrimp king snail stixxs in my experience rams horn only eat dead plant matter in my tanks

Edited June 2, 2021 by Colu

[DaveO]

Your snails are eating the dead leaves. The plants are just getting established in your new tank. Leave the snails in there, they only help

[sudofish]

Agreed. I wish I could keep snails. My electric blue acara says no.

[Daniel C]

I wonder if we're talking about "pest" ramshorn snails or the Columbian Giant ramshorn? My little "pest" snails are awesome algae eaters but they never harm healthy leaves. In the past I briefly had a couple of the giant ones and they ate my plants like lawnmowers. I read that they aren't really ramshorn snails but are actually part of the apple snail family.