What to do with extra snails

[Hally M.]

I have hundreds of snails that are just breeding and breeding in an empty tank.  I finally need to use it and I’m not sure what to do with them. I would try giving them to stores but I’m not sure if they’d want that amount of ramshorn/pond snails. Any other ideas? 

[Guppysnail]

List them for sale or free here in the buy/sell/trade section. Contact local clubs,  use Band ap to list. Plenty of keepers use them for live food. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 12/20/2022 at 6:12 PM, Guppysnail said:

Plenty of keepers use them for live food. 

Yup, when my snails get out of control they become excellent meals for my Pea Puffers. Or they go in the 55 gallon where the Angels may or may not leave them alone. 

[Hally M.]

@AllFishNoBrakesThat was my original idea to just sort them out between my tanks but they’re so pesty and reproduce like mad

Edited December 21, 2022 by Hally M.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

@Hally M. Could be a sign of over feeding. Snails will usually only reproduce to the amount of food to feed the colony. 

[Cinnebuns]

When my ramshorn cull tank gets full, usually after like 2 days haha, I take a bunch to donate to my LFS for food. 

[Kurt Brutting]

I was told to throw my extra snails into my garden, it’s good advice but I couldn’t do it. I feel bad, but luckily my loaches go crazy for them so I just collect and feed! 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 12/21/2022 at 2:05 PM, Kurt Brutting said:

 

I was told to throw my extra snails into my garden, it’s good advice but I couldn’t do it.

 

Brutal way for them to go out, for sure. Do the loaches eat the shell? If not, the shells after they’ve been a meal could be a good source of calcium and minerals for the garden. Snail shells are my crushed coral at this point, lol. I’m sure it’s not apples to apples, but it can’t hurt in my soft water 

Edited December 21, 2022 by AllFishNoBrakes

[cavdad45]

I met a couple a few minutes from work who had a bunch. I just bought a few today, just list them on facebook, that's what they do

[JJenna]

Do you know anyone with an aquatic turtle? They might be interested in them for food as well as the calcium in the shell. I feed the pest snails in my community tank to our RES in the big tank...the barbs especially love them and often beat Squirt to the snails haha

[Hally M.]

That makes sense!! I would feel so guilty to throw them in the garden. I listed them in the sell/trade forum like @Guppysnail recommended but I feel like Ramshorns are so accessible for cheap all over I might end up finding a LFS to give away. 

[FLFishChik]

Funny you should post this. I am looking for a way to get a snail population going before embarking on a Pea Puffer journey. How easy/fast do they multiply and how big of a tank would I need to grow them out for Pea puffers?

[Odd Duck]

On 12/27/2022 at 1:44 PM, FLFishChik said:

Funny you should post this. I am looking for a way to get a snail population going before embarking on a Pea Puffer journey. How easy/fast do they multiply and how big of a tank would I need to grow them out for Pea puffers?

I have 2 x 5 gallon tanks that are only feeder snails plus I pull a few red ramshorns for other tanks sometimes.  They don’t overpopulate in my other tanks.  The culture tanks get deliberately overfed and need a higher percentage for their water changes.  These 2 tanks are more than enough for my pea puffers.  They are not fed snails exclusively, they also get a variety of worms - whiteworms, Grindal worms, and blackworms when I can get them.

[Tanked]

When my pest snail population gets to high The Barbs, Angels and Silver Dollars get snack food.  Unintentionally, the HOB removes them as well. The intake slits are too small for the small ones to pass through, so they get stuck until I do maintenance. 

[Darax]

On 12/27/2022 at 11:44 AM, FLFishChik said:

Funny you should post this. I am looking for a way to get a snail population going before embarking on a Pea Puffer journey. How easy/fast do they multiply and how big of a tank would I need to grow them out for Pea puffers?

I like to say that rabbits have a pejorative for how quickly guppies breed. Guppies have the same for bladder snails. 

[The endler guy]

On 12/20/2022 at 7:35 PM, Hally M. said:

I have hundreds of snails that are just breeding and breeding in an empty tank.  I finally need to use it and I’m not sure what to do with them. I would try giving them to stores but I’m not sure if they’d want that amount of ramshorn/pond snails. Any other ideas? 

What species? Just rams horn and pond?