New “Pest” snail variety just showed up in my tank

[Nicole]

So, get this. I have the usual “pest” snails in my tank, but the other night, these two guys made their presence known. Their eggs must have hitched a ride in some newly acquired water lettuce. I have never seen any in my tank with pointed shells, and the one that is darker in color and has black spots kind of looks like the pattern on some of my nerite snails. He is to the right of one of my usual “pest” snails. Any snail experts know what kind it might be? He’s pretty cool! Google Images identified him as a yam, as in the root vegetable. Lol!

Edited July 21, 2023 by Nicole
Added more info

[MattyM]

I think that is a Malaysian Trumpet Snail (MTS) - I have them in one of my sanded tanks and they typically burrow down into the substrate and spend most of their time there, surfacing occasionally. They churn the sand which helps keep the tank clean and bring nutrients to plant roots, buy they multiply insanely quickly. 

I'm not sure if they burrow into gravel or not. 

[Odd Duck]

Yes, like @MattyM says, they look like MTS.  They do burrow into pretty much any substrate and they are prolific livebearers.  They can fairly quickly overrun a tank if there is overfeeding going on.  Controlling feeding will help limit overpopulation but you might want to start pulling out everyone you see if you don’t want to be overrun.

[MattyM]

On 7/21/2023 at 10:29 AM, Odd Duck said:

might want to start pulling out everyone you see if you don’t want to be overrun

Agreed - whenever I siphon the tank I suck up a bunch of MTS's and don't even think twice about it. I have bottom dwellers to feed so I will never starve them out - but I do like having some for sand-churning reasons. 

[RedPots]

i asked for a few MTS at LFS last time i bought some Vallisneria. 

MAY BE 6 weeks a go. 
they are present and growing - but no menace so far. 
in a 5 gallon planted ember tetra and shrimps tank along w. Ramshorns , bladders and Nerites. 

seems like everyone has a job to do and does it. 
word is they like to be In your sponge filter so mind their sharp edges when performing maintenance. 
✌🏽🪴🐟
 

[Comradovich]

I've noticed MTS opinions fall into two categories here:

1. @Irene@Dean’s Fishroom are more in the "nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure" camp.

2. Those of us with sand substrate in our tanks tend to treat these more as an intended feature of the tank.

I also intentionally bought some MTS from my LFS, they were surprisingly cheap... which tells me they were probably not intending to sell them so much as removing an infestation. Nothing really churns your sand over quite like an MTS colony, though. Even Corys and Earth Eaters can't really compete. You will not get anaerobic bacterial blooms down there with some MTSs. They also go around plant roots, which keeps your root tabs down where they're supposed to be. They'll definitely eat a dead or dying plant root, but they leave the lives ones alone.

However, you need to be planning how you'll manage that colony. My suggestions:

1. If your substrate is finer, like sand, then you can get an ordinary blue Top Fin style net. You siphon the tank as normal, sticking the end of the siphon into the sand until it swirls up. Now just pop the net over the end of the siphon before that sand swirls fades and let it all drop into the net. Shake the net to "sift" it, and most of the sand will fall through the net. Snails stay.

2. If you've got coarser substrate, like your gravel looks to be, then you want to introduce a predator. Something like some Dwarf Chain Loaches, or Assassin Snails. Stick to one type, though. My DCLs decided my Assassin Snails were also on the menu. Now I just have DCLs. Also, predators will pick off whatever is the easiest meal first. Which means you'll want to have some place for your bladder snails to hide out. If your filter is a HOB variant, they'll be fine if you drop one or two inside of the cartridge area. That'll breed often enough to supply the rest of the tank with babies. Or just have some hardscape or mesh areas that the predators have trouble getting into. MTSs come out of the substrate at night, and they don't really hide out in driftwood, stone, or the like. So long as the bladder snails have places to hide, they won't ever be completely exterminated by your MTS control measures.

3. The old sunken piece of lettuce trap. Pop one, (may require a weight), in there just before the lights go out and take it out with all the snails first thing in the morning. Best part of this method is that you'll be able to pick off the bladder snails and put them back in the tank.

You won't need to control them much if you keep your feedings manageable. They really only become a menace when you overfeed, and that leftover food is available after dark. Just like the Aliens, "they mostly come out at night, mostly."

[Nicole]

I have some amano shrimp of various sizes. The majority are actually about the size of my golden white cloud minnows. Do you think assassin snails would go after the smaller shrimp?

[Odd Duck]

On 7/21/2023 at 7:43 PM, Nicole said:

I have some amano shrimp of various sizes. The majority are actually about the size of my golden white cloud minnows. Do you think assassin snails would go after the smaller shrimp?

Yes.  Usually not until the snails are depleted, or nearly so, but they are known for going after shrimplets when it’s lean pickings.

By the time an assassin snail has depleted the MTS, your smaller Amanos won’t be so small, though, and should be safe enough.

Edited July 22, 2023 by Odd Duck