# Getting rid of snails - alternative to gastropex?



## spleenharvester (3 Jun 2022)

I'm suffering from a ramshorn invasion in one of my tanks, unfortunately they're quicker than I am - every time I think I've picked them all out even more hatch. 

I've seen good things about gastropex, but I'm a tad concerned as it contains proflavine, which possesses carcinogenic properties - so I'm not sure I want to expose all my bettas to it.

Has anyone had any luck with other, potentially less risky treatments? There's nothing in the tank other than bettas.


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## Midwife (3 Jun 2022)

From experience  you will not eradicate them unless you strip down your aquarium and start again. Even this isn't 100% due to many reasons. Get assassin snails and cut down on feeding. Its very easy to introduce  snails into your aquarium but  hard to get rid of them totally.


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## spleenharvester (3 Jun 2022)

Cheers. Touch wood I've managed to keep my 200l snail free for the past two years, by picking them all out as soon as they're visible. Unfortunately these ones seem to be getting the best of me, they've made it into the filter media and I think the eggs are getting dispersed via the pump.


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## spleenharvester (7 Jun 2022)

Tried cupramine, had no effect whatsoever. I've now purchased some assassin snails. Hopefully they can keep up, there's at least 30 tiny ramshorns I can see just sat where I am.


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## castle (7 Jun 2022)

I like snails, population explosions are often symptoms of over feeding. You can control a population of snails quite easily by controlling how much you feed.


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## spleenharvester (7 Jun 2022)

castle said:


> I like snails, population explosions are often symptoms of over feeding. You can control a population of snails quite easily by controlling how much you feed.


I think these ones came in as eggs on a new plant a few weeks ago, and have just hatched. They're all still tiny.


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## castle (7 Jun 2022)

I'd let them grow a bit, they do more good than harm. A solid member of the cleanup crew.


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## Tim Harrison (8 Jun 2022)

If you want to go for a biological method of pest control buy a dozen assassin snails.
They'll predate the pest snails and eradicate them all eventually, but won't proliferate out of control.


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## Wookii (8 Jun 2022)

Ramshorns are one of the best algae eaters out there. Let the babies grow out, and their population will eventually become self regulating. They'll repay the favour ten fold, by ensuring they continuously devour every microscopic piece of algae growth they can find before it ever becomes visible to your naked eyes!


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## spleenharvester (7 Jul 2022)

Still struggling with huge explosions in ramshorn populations. They keep laying eggs all over the filter - I take it out, rinse them off, and then a day later it's covered in eggs again. They've also taken hold in my main tank. I've got assassin snails and they're not even making a dent. Any more ideas?


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## Tim Harrison (8 Jul 2022)

I feel your pain. Pest snails are one of the few organisms I will eradicate with extreme prejudice. So I don't hesitate to use Gastropex. Maybe it's an option you might have to consider after all. If you do go down that route obviously remove the Assassins, you'll need them to mop up any resistant pest snails afterward. Several water changes, as near to 100% as possible, will be needed before you can reintroduce them though.


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