Pond snail overpopulation

[Leo2o915]

What do you recommend to help keep it under control I also have Shrimp in the tank 

[Bill Smith]

The most effective solution for me, barring snail-eating loaches, has been to reduce the availability of food. The snail population seems to dwindle pretty fast when there's less food.

[Leo2o915]

Just now, Bill Smith said:

The most effective solution for me, barring snail-eating loaches, has been to reduce the availability of food. The snail population seems to dwindle pretty fast when there's less food.

Do dwarf chain loaches eat shrimp too ? Or what fish eats only snails lol I’m also thinking of getting a assasin snail or 2

[Bill Smith]

2 minutes ago, Leo2o915 said:

Do dwarf chain loaches eat shrimp too ? Or what fish eats only snails lol I’m also thinking of getting a assasin snail or 2

I think most snail-eating loaches are probably likely to eat your shrimp, or at the very least keep them from populating your tank.

In my experience, assassin snails have not been very effective at curbing snail populations. Maybe I needed lots?

But if you combine two measures, like assassin snails AND reducing the feeding, you might have better luck.

[StephenP2003]

I got my hands on a sera snail trap recently, and it's the ultimate in snail catching. Don't know why it's basically gone from the market (save for international ebay sellers). The only downside is that it's a real trap, so not to be used in tanks with small fish or shrimp unless you leave the gaps tight to just catch babies. Even my betta managed to wedge himself through a small gap and get caught in there -- luckily I witnessed it happen and got him out. With shrimp, you can watch it closely and just set them free when you remove the trap.

Edited August 19, 2020 by StephenP2003

[Mr. Ed's Aquatics]

I like to put in a small plate or the bottom of a clay pot and put something the snails can't resist in the center (Repashi works well). Every once in a while I reach in, waive away any shrimp or fish and take out the plate. I remove all the pest snails to a collection container hanging from the tank and replace the plate.

While I'm doing this, I keep cleaning any eggs I see from the glass. Within a few days I usually notice that the plate only has the stock I'm keeping. Then I just clean the plate and drop the pest snails into my dragon puffer tank.

Edited August 19, 2020 by Mr. Ed's Aquatics

[Jefft51]

I like the plate idea.  Similarly, I have a homemade minnow trap out of a plastic bottle. I tried using it this morning as I wanted to move a couple fish.  About 5 minutes later it was covered in snails.  There was no food in it. I also got the fish I wanted. Something about the plastic the snails liked?

[KBOzzie59]

I use a weighted slice of cucumber with a string on it so I can just lit it out to remove the snails then drop it back in for more.

 

[Alesha]

I had an enormous pond snail population. I tried the cucumber and the traps, and also the Denerle snail catcher. Nothing worked for me. So, I got 3 assassin snails and 6 pygmy chain loaches and they are controlling it admirably. The assassins actually bred and I now have over a dozen of the cute little guys in my tank. Almost all the ram's horn snails are gone and there are very few pond snails left. I make sure to include food for them all when I feed the fish, since the snail population is dwindling. But honestly, I see lots of snail eggs on the glass surface and in the java moss, so I suspect there'll be plenty to go around. 😉 

[Travis]

In my planted nano tank I have had good luck with using a combination of the Denerle snail catcher(when there is a bunch on the glass) and putting blanched zucchini in a small glass petri dish. I leave the dish in all day and overnight to really draw a crowd then carefully pull it in the morning. Repeat. When I started doing this the dish would literally be crawling with snails. Its less effective now that I have their numbers down but I would be feeding the zucchini to my shrimp and fish anyways so 2 birds etc. If you can keep them from getting to egg laying size for whatever species you have you should see a decrease pretty quickly

[Mmiller2001]

This is the nuclear option. Do your research and make sure this is right for your problem. This is safe for shrimp. Be warned, do your research about how to prepare for this.

https://www.amazon.com/Panacur-Canine-Dewormer-Packets-Packet/dp/B081P915V5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=FJUHQGMR0HQB&dchild=1&keywords=panacur+c&qid=1599799881&sprefix=panacur%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-2

[Bill Smith]

33 minutes ago, Mmiller2001 said:

This is the nuclear option. Do your research and make sure this is right for your problem. This is safe for shrimp. Be warned, do your research about how to prepare for this.

https://www.amazon.com/Panacur-Canine-Dewormer-Packets-Packet/dp/B081P915V5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=FJUHQGMR0HQB&dchild=1&keywords=panacur+c&qid=1599799881&sprefix=panacur%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-2

Ah, I've been curious about this. Does anyone know if it will be harmful to fish eggs or fry?