Kill or Keep?

[anitstuk]

Hello everyone! I'm in the final stages of getting my new 10 gallon tank set up but I've ran into a problem. I've seen several 'pest' snails on the rocks and walls. I've got a few options I believe. 

Option 1: I Keep the pest snails and they can live alongside my Golden Mystery Snail and Cherry Shrimp (maybe also a Nerite Snail  soon?)

Option 2: I try my best to capture as many as possible and get rid of them. this means either throwing them out in the bin or in my garden.
 

Option 3: I put them in a 2.5 gallon tank that I have which is completely covered in hair algae and see if they can try get rid of it.

What should I do with them?
 

 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Personally, I would go with option 1. They’re beneficial. 

[anitstuk]

On 3/9/2023 at 5:32 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Personally, I would go with option 1. They’re beneficial. 

Do you think that if I did go with option 1, they would steal the food from the shrimp and Mystery Snail? There isn't much algae in the tank. I do have some algae blocks if needed however.

[Lennie]

On 3/9/2023 at 9:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Option 2: I try my best to capture as many as possible and get rid of them. this means either throwing them out in the bin or in my garden.

Snails don't die for hours and hours. They literally suffer until they die. This is not an option in my book.

On 3/9/2023 at 9:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Hello everyone! I'm in the final stages of getting my new 10 gallon tank set up but I've ran into a problem. I've seen several 'pest' snails on the rocks and walls. I've got a few options I believe. 

My suggestion would be correct what you have wrong in the tank. It takes months, but their population corrects themselves over time. I had an MTS population bloom when I left the town, I had thousands when I came back.

After 6 months of regular maintenance and adding competition for their food sources. I am seeing around 50. Everything is food for snails, algae, uneaten food, decaying plant matter etc. So adding something to the tank that competes them in these areas generally works great in my opinion. As well as keeping up with weekly maintenance, removing any decaying leaf manually and balancing tank nutrition/light. Try to control your feeding as well.

Nerites would compete them for algae. Mystery snails eat decaying plant matter and extra uneaten food. Shrimp does both. What else do you have in the tank?

On 3/9/2023 at 9:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Option 3: I put them in a 2.5 gallon tank that I have which is completely covered in hair algae and see if they can try get rid of it.

They won't get rid of the hair algae. It is not something that snails eat really. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Lennie

[anitstuk]

On 3/9/2023 at 7:07 PM, Lennie said:

Snails don't die for hours and hours. They literally suffer until they die. This is not an option in my book.

oh wow, I never knew that, I'll make sure to scrap option 2 then

 

On 3/9/2023 at 7:07 PM, Lennie said:

My suggestion would be correct what you have wrong in the tank. It takes months, but their population corrects themselves over time. I had an MTS population bloom when I left the town, I had thousands when I came back.

After 6 months of regular maintenance and adding competition for their food sources. I am seeing around 50. Everything is food for snails, algae, uneaten food, decaying plant matter etc. So adding something to the tank that competes them in these areas generally works great in my opinion. As well as keeping up with weekly maintenance, removing any decaying leaf manually and balancing tank nutrition/light. Try to control your feeding as well.

Nerites would compete them for algae. Mystery snails eat decaying plant matter and extra uneaten food. Shrimp does both. What else do you have in the tank?

Well, I don't want to overstock my tank so what I'm thinking will go in the tank are

- 7 Harlequin Rasboras (moving them from another tank)

- Golden Mystery Snail (also moving them from another tank)

- Maybe around 10 Cherry Shrimp

- Uninvited Snails 🙄

-Some sort of bottom feeder. (I'm trying to steer away from corys just incase they uproot the plants)

I'm open to other suggestions too

[Lennie]

On 3/9/2023 at 11:14 AM, anitstuk said:

oh wow, I never knew that, I'll make sure to scrap option 2 then

If you really want them dead, euthanize at least. But trapdoor ones still may remain unaffected if I am not wrong as they close themself hard.

 

On 3/9/2023 at 11:14 AM, anitstuk said:

Well, I don't want to overstock my tank so what I'm thinking will go in the tank are

- 7 Harlequin Rasboras (moving them from another tank)

- Golden Mystery Snail (also moving them from another tank)

- Maybe around 10 Cherry Shrimp

- Uninvited Snails 🙄

-Some sort of bottom feeder. (I'm trying to steer away from corys just incase they uproot the plants)

Sounds like a good stock to me! As long as it meets fish's needs and you like it, it is good.

The cories or any other bottom dweller would also increase competition for uneaten food that falls to the ground. Probably pgymys/dwarf cories would be the ideal choice there if you like corys. For bigger corys 10g would be small, and pygmys cannot uproot the plants!

You can also consider maybe a borneo sucker, if you don't want cories? IT would help competition with algae and they eat food that falls to the bottom to some extend as well in my experience! They also look cool too

[anitstuk]

On 3/9/2023 at 7:22 PM, Lennie said:

If you really want them dead, euthanize at least. But trapdoor ones still may remain unaffected if I am not wrong as they close themself hard.

 

Sounds like a good stock to me! As long as it meets fish's needs and you like it, it is good.

The cories or any other bottom dweller would also increase competition for uneaten food that falls to the ground. Probably pgymys/dwarf cories would be the ideal choice there if you like corys. For bigger corys 10g would be small, and pygmys cannot uproot the plants!

You can also consider maybe a borneo sucker, if you don't want cories? IT would help competition with algae and they eat food that falls to the bottom to some extend as well in my experience! They also look cool too

There's a lot of options when it comes to bottom feeders. My dad was suggesting Otos maybe? 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/9/2023 at 3:54 AM, anitstuk said:

There's a lot of options when it comes to bottom feeders. My dad was suggesting Otos maybe? 

otos can be a little difficult, and while sold as "clean up crews" its because they eat algae, not really food from the bottom.

Maybe a few kuhli loaches if you dont want cories?

[Lennie]

On 3/9/2023 at 11:54 AM, anitstuk said:

There's a lot of options when it comes to bottom feeders. My dad was suggesting Otos maybe? 

There are a few things to consider about otos.

As you already have 7 rasboras, you probably know about the schooling behavior of fish. The more, the merrier. Otos lives in schools of thousands in nature, so at least it is considerably good to keep them in a group in our tanks to make them feel more comfy and safe.

Rachel O leary mentions 10 or even 15 min, which means you need a very big tank to support them. I have 5 in a 33g. They are mainly grazers, they eat diatoms, soft green algae and biofilm. Not any other algae really. They do much better in established tanks that has been running for a couple months at least. They are tricky when it comes to feeding. Some never accept any food. Some may accept commercial foods, some people report having success with repashy. You never know if they will ever accept food. Blanched lettuce, zucchini and spinach are some that may work as well. But again, it purely depends on the fish. From my experience, they love to graze on catappa leaves, so I always keep two in my tank, and introduce one whenever I see decaying starts on another.

So, if you consider possibility that they will not accept any commercial foods or veggies, your tank and algae/biofilm growth needs to be able to support them. Which means you need to have only a few in a 10g to make sure they can constantly graze, which means you gotta cut from their schooling size.

Besides them being fragile, From what I know, if otos don't eat for some time, they lose their gut bacteria. At that point, even if you feed them like crazy at home, it is a ticking bomb that you cannot save them. So people advice to get the ones with full bellies and healthy looking/colorful ones at the store. 

They are wildcaught. So they may carry potential diseases, especially parasites. A good observation quarantine or direct medicine quarantine is suggested. If you wanna quarantine them in a seperate tank, it is better to run the seperate tank for some time for algae/biofilm build up as well as this is what they eat nonstop.

If you have any questions I may try to help.

Also they are not really like classic bottom dwellers. They love to be on glass and plants, especially big leaf plants. They are constantly grazing everywhere! Highly recommend lots of plants if you decide to get them

Edited March 9, 2023 by Lennie

[Guppysnail]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Hello everyone! I'm in the final stages of getting my new 10 gallon tank set up but I've ran into a problem. I've seen several 'pest' snails on the rocks and walls. I've got a few options I believe. 

Option 1: I Keep the pest snails and they can live alongside my Golden Mystery Snail and Cherry Shrimp (maybe also a Nerite Snail  soon?)

Option 2: I try my best to capture as many as possible and get rid of them. this means either throwing them out in the bin or in my garden.
 

Option 3: I put them in a 2.5 gallon tank that I have which is completely covered in hair algae and see if they can try get rid of it.

What should I do with them?
 

 

I find trying to feed shrimp and snails that are slower eaters and always having food about for them causes overpopulation of my bladder snails. I intentionally keep bladders in many tanks and they are beneficial but the overpopulation in snail/shrimp tanks quickly starts to outcompete my intended pets. 
Im not certain which type you have @TeeJaycan speak to his recent ramshorn world domination experience. 

[anitstuk]

On 3/9/2023 at 10:17 PM, Theplatymaster said:

otos can be a little difficult, and while sold as "clean up crews" its because they eat algae, not really food from the bottom.

Maybe a few kuhli loaches if you dont want cories?

Will Kuhli Loaches eat snails too? I know that some other loaches eat snails but I haven't heard much about the Kuhli Loach. I wouldn't mind if they ate the pest snails, but they better stay away from my mystery snail. 

 

On 3/9/2023 at 11:32 PM, Lennie said:

There are a few things to consider about otos.

As you already have 7 rasboras, you probably know about the schooling behavior of fish. The more, the merrier. Otos lives in schools of thousands in nature, so at least it is considerably good to keep them in a group in our tanks to make them feel more comfy and safe.

Rachel O leary mentions 10 or even 15 min, which means you need a very big tank to support them. I have 5 in a 33g. They are mainly grazers, they eat diatoms, soft green algae and biofilm. Not any other algae really. They do much better in established tanks that has been running for a couple months at least. They are tricky when it comes to feeding. Some never accept any food. Some may accept commercial foods, some people report having success with repashy. You never know if they will ever accept food. Blanched lettuce, zucchini and spinach are some that may work as well. But again, it purely depends on the fish. From my experience, they love to graze on catappa leaves, so I always keep two in my tank, and introduce one whenever I see decaying starts on another.

So, if you consider possibility that they will not accept any commercial foods or veggies, your tank and algae/biofilm growth needs to be able to support them. Which means you need to have only a few in a 10g to make sure they can constantly graze, which means you gotta cut from their schooling size.

Besides them being fragile, From what I know, if otos don't eat for some time, they lose their gut bacteria. At that point, even if you feed them like crazy at home, it is a ticking bomb that you cannot save them. So people advice to get the ones with full bellies and healthy looking/colorful ones at the store. 

They are wildcaught. So they may carry potential diseases, especially parasites. A good observation quarantine or direct medicine quarantine is suggested. If you wanna quarantine them in a seperate tank, it is better to run the seperate tank for some time for algae/biofilm build up as well as this is what they eat nonstop.

If you have any questions I may try to help.

Also they are not really like classic bottom dwellers. They love to be on glass and plants, especially big leaf plants. They are constantly grazing everywhere! Highly recommend lots of plants if you decide to get them

Okay, so I might try stay away from the Otos then. What about any other substitutes? I know that earlier you mentioned Borneo Suckers but do you think that they would be too big? I've got quite a lot of plants in there and I'm worried that the Borneo sucker could potentially uproot them. Unless I'm wrong? I'm not 100% sure. 

 

On 3/10/2023 at 3:38 AM, Guppysnail said:

I find trying to feed shrimp and snails that are slower eaters and always having food about for them causes overpopulation of my bladder snails. I intentionally keep bladders in many tanks and they are beneficial but the overpopulation in snail/shrimp tanks quickly starts to outcompete my intended pets. 
Im not certain which type you have @TeeJaycan speak to his recent ramshorn world domination experience. 

I'm trying to piece together what type I have..  All I remember about the snails are that their shells going in a swirly circle and the shell is quite clear.  I can try to get a picture when I get home though.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/9/2023 at 6:59 PM, anitstuk said:

Will Kuhli Loaches eat snails too? I know that some other loaches eat snails but I haven't heard much about the Kuhli Loach. I wouldn't mind if they ate the pest snails, but they better stay away from my mystery snail. 

 

Okay, so I might try stay away from the Otos then. What about any other substitutes? I know that earlier you mentioned Borneo Suckers but do you think that they would be too big? I've got quite a lot of plants in there and I'm worried that the Borneo sucker could potentially uproot them. Unless I'm wrong? I'm not 100% sure. 

 

I'm trying to piece together what type I have..  All I remember about the snails are that their shells going in a swirly circle and the shell is quite clear.  I can try to get a picture when I get home though.

The more clear shells are most likely bladder snails. 

[anitstuk]

On 3/10/2023 at 11:05 AM, Guppysnail said:

The more clear shells are most likely bladder snails. 

Yeah I agree, the size comparison makes more sense  

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/9/2023 at 6:59 PM, anitstuk said:

Will Kuhli Loaches eat snails too? I know that some other loaches eat snails but I haven't heard much about the Kuhli Loach. I wouldn't mind if they ate the pest snails, but they better stay away from my mystery snail. 

im not sure.

most sources ive seen claim they are snail safe.

but ive heard from @Chick-In-Of-TheSeathat they do eat snails, so thats a good question for her.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Some aquarists have reported their snails were eaten by kuhli loaches, yet other aquarists have kuhli loaches that leave snails alone. Depends on the loach’s personality or temperament I guess. I don’t know that there’s a way to predict what the loach will do other than observation.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[anitstuk]

On 3/10/2023 at 12:58 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Some aquarists have reported their snails were eaten by kuhli loaches, yet other aquarists have kuhli loaches that leave snails alone. Depends on the loach’s personality or temperament I guess. I don’t know that there’s a way to predict what the loach will do other than observation.

Fingers crossed then 🤞

[Lennie]

Kuhlis mouth structure is kinda different than the loaches that are known to eat snails. They basically suck the snail out of its shell. Kuhlis are not really capable of doing that.

Here are some examples of mouth structure of kuhlis vs other loaches that are known to eat snails:

 

[Lennie]

On 3/10/2023 at 2:59 AM, anitstuk said:

Okay, so I might try stay away from the Otos then. What about any other substitutes? I know that earlier you mentioned Borneo Suckers but do you think that they would be too big? I've got quite a lot of plants in there and I'm worried that the Borneo sucker could potentially uproot them. Unless I'm wrong? I'm not 100% sure. 

Borneos stay small. You can get one if you like. It mainly eats biofilm and algae but also accepts whatever food I throw in my community tanks, in my experience. They don't grow as much as a hillstream loach too. They usually prefer groups but from my experience they do really okay alone. When in groups, they wanna establish territory and you gotta keep at least 3 as 2 is a good number to avoid in general as long as you are not keeping a pair. 3 might a bit extra for a 10g I think. I have one in my 29g, everywhere is hers 😄

They cannot uproot anything, no way. My substrate is so soft and easily moves around, it can't even make any particle move around while eating on it. they are very gentle creatures. But they don't like open areas, they spend time around rocks and plants or hiding in dark corners sometimes, usually sticking to glass.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

 

 

 

https://shrimptips.com/do-kuhli-loaches-eat-snails-everything-you-need-to-know/

Edited March 10, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Lennie]

On 3/10/2023 at 12:54 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

 

 

 

https://shrimptips.com/do-kuhli-loaches-eat-snails-everything-you-need-to-know/

I feel like they just die and people find shells around 😄 Even normal fish can considerably pick on them, I really don't think their mouth structure is suitable as they have to suck it all through the shell. I've seen my pleco sucking on MTS by mistake once. But I have no personal experience

 

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/9/2023 at 12:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Option 1: I Keep the pest snails and they can live alongside my Golden Mystery Snail and Cherry Shrimp (maybe also a Nerite Snail  soon?)

It's really hard to keep a mystery snail fed and also keep a pest snail population under control. 

On 3/9/2023 at 12:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Option 2: I try my best to capture as many as possible and get rid of them. this means either throwing them out in the bin or in my garden

This is one way you can plausibly keep the mystery snail fed as well as pest snail populations down but it does take a lot to do. I've been doing it for months and have started to hate it. 

 

On 3/9/2023 at 2:07 AM, Lennie said:

Everything is food for snails, algae, uneaten food, decaying plant matter etc

This is something people sometimes fail to realize. The food you drop in is not the only food source. Everything is a food source including dead snail and sometimes live plants!

On 3/9/2023 at 10:38 AM, Guppysnail said:

I intentionally keep bladders in many tanks and they are beneficial but the overpopulation in snail/shrimp tanks quickly starts to outcompete my intended pets. 

Exactly this. Pest snails are beneficial in most situations however I would not advise them along side other intended snail species. 

[Lennie]

On 3/10/2023 at 1:49 PM, Cinnebuns said:

It's really hard to keep a mystery snail fed and also keep a pest snail population under control. 

Idk, in my experience, as long as you target feed mystery snails, it is not an issue. I have my rabbits with pest snail tanks, and I managed to decrease their population a lot by target feeding. Mystery snails eat so fast anyway. I think the trick is feeding small portion but more than once a day

 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/10/2023 at 5:49 AM, Cinnebuns said:

It's really hard to keep a mystery snail fed and also keep a pest snail population under control. 

mine is fine.

mine will come and eat with all the fish, my mini ramshorns just get the leftovers.

[Lennie]

@Cinnebuns Sharing is caring! Mysteries finished their bigger piece ages ago, rabbits still took only a few bites. They are born to be slow  😄

Edited March 10, 2023 by Lennie

[The endler guy]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:19 AM, anitstuk said:

Hello everyone! I'm in the final stages of getting my new 10 gallon tank set up but I've ran into a problem. I've seen several 'pest' snails on the rocks and walls. I've got a few options I believe. 

Option 1: I Keep the pest snails and they can live alongside my Golden Mystery Snail and Cherry Shrimp (maybe also a Nerite Snail  soon?)

Option 2: I try my best to capture as many as possible and get rid of them. this means either throwing them out in the bin or in my garden.
 

Option 3: I put them in a 2.5 gallon tank that I have which is completely covered in hair algae and see if they can try get rid of it.

What should I do with them?
 

 

take option 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

and throw it into an incinerator in Antarctica, then dig a hole 7 miles down, drop 20 nukes on it and then dump in concreate and delete Antarctica from the current collective human knowledge. 

 

this isnt even a joke NEVER RELEASE CAPTIVE ANIMALS BACK INTO THE WILD!!!!!!!!!! Even if they are native/ collected from the wild near you, it is ILLIGAL!!!!! And seriously damages the environment, also thats how things get banned from the aquarium hobby. This isnt directed at you, but I get very heated when it comes to invasive species (yes I flip off invasive plants when I come across them, im very odd)