Snail issues?

[Baphijmm]

Hey there!

So, trying to figure out how best to approach this particular problem. I've got a tank I've been setting up as a Rio Negro biotope tank; part of that is--not necessarily, but because I want to keep to the theme as closely as possible--making a blackwater tank.

Unfortunately, at some point, one of the plants I bought for that tank had bladder snail eggs on it, and so I've got a massive infestation now.

I completely see why y'all don't see "pest snails" as a problem! The tank is freaking spotless! But, unfortunately, they've gotten grossly out of hand; bladder snails consume dead plant matter after all, and in creating and maintaining blackwater, large quantities of dead plant matter are used. So, it's not that the tank is being over-fed; it's that exclusively the snails are being overfed. It's become kind of a big issue, and honestly I'm not sure what to do at this point.

I've tried the de-wormer "solution", but that doesn't seem to do much of anything; maybe I'm not doing it correctly? I'm following the instructions on the label, but of course that's intended to get rid of worms; snails also tend to die with the medication, or so I've been told, but maybe it requires a larger dose? (I've always been too scared to try.)

Any suggestions?

[Colu]

What's the active ingredient in the dewormer you used 

[Baphijmm]

Flubendazole. I remember doing a search and reading that this was the best medicine, then finding some on Amazon and buying it; this was quite some time ago, so I don't remember the specifics. I'd basically given up on it for the longest time, but then last night I was watching Aquarium Co-op videos on YouTube just because, and I realized I could probably ask for advice on the forums. 😛

[lefty o]

stuff with copper sulfate in it will generally kill snails quickly. to be noted, it will kill any snail,shrimp,crab, it doesnt care. also in heavy enough doses that are sometimes required to eliminate snails, it can harm fish.

[Baphijmm]

On 4/16/2022 at 1:56 PM, lefty o said:

stuff with copper sulfate in it will generally kill snails quickly. to be noted, it will kill any snail,shrimp,crab, it doesnt care. also in heavy enough doses that are sometimes required to eliminate snails, it can harm fish.

Yeah, that's what concerned me about the flubendazole; it's got a big warning on the package that overdosing could kill the fish, too. I don't have any other invertabrates in that tank, so I'm not terribly worried about that (I have experience with shrimp, so I know all about being careful with medications).

[Cinnebuns]

@Baphijmm I have an unrelated reason I have been looking to dose a tank with flubendazole. I looked on Amazon and was confused which to get. If you don't mind, which exactly did you get?

[Baphijmm]

On 4/16/2022 at 6:05 PM, Cinnebuns said:

@Baphijmm I have an unrelated reason I have been looking to dose a tank with flubendazole. I looked on Amazon and was confused which to get. If you don't mind, which exactly did you get?

This was the exact listing I purchased from, though it seems they've changed the packaging since then: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B085TPGTKR/