# population in a week!!



## nilo (11 Nov 2007)

Having just got back from holiday in malta for a week i was excited about making sure my tanks were ok and to see if there had been any changes (its amazing what happens to plant life in a week ) well there was a change alright!! i now have (at last count) 120 tiny snails all over my tank, they are tan/see through and the shape of a catherine wheel, they are not ramshorns but another type, the only way i can think of how they got in was with the water from my cherry shrimp which were delivered the week before.

Any advice on how to get rid of the blighters ?


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## Matt Holbrook-Bull (11 Nov 2007)

pick them out  buy some polystyrene pots on ebay, and some fibre wool, and sell them for Â£1 a go!  theyll mail out no problem like that, make the fibre wool moist.

they can also come in on plants, eggs laying in the roots etc.  they wont harm anything at all, they will only eat algae and dead/dying plant matter.


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## Themuleous (11 Nov 2007)

A loach is your best bet, the dwarf chain loach only gets to 2" so wont take up space like the clown loach favourite.

Sam


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## nilo (11 Nov 2007)

cheers guys,

just didnt want a sea of snails..sell them in polystyrene pots matt? what are u like !! lol

i may go down the chain loach approach , it wont eat my cherry shrimp right?


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## Matt Holbrook-Bull (11 Nov 2007)

nilo said:
			
		

> cheers guys,
> 
> just didnt want a sea of snails..sell them in polystyrene pots matt? what are u like !! lol
> 
> i may go down the chain loach approach , it wont eat my cherry shrimp right?



i was being serious  i do that alot, with inverts, and plants like riccia.  theres a large market for either


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## nilo (11 Nov 2007)

hhmmmm interesting...

Though after research i may have to pick the snails out myself , the chain loach likes to be in groups of 5 minimum and its only a 6 gal nano tank!! lol


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## Superman (22 Jun 2008)

I found a few of these guys about 2 weeks after I planted my tank.
There's not many of them but there were about 10 or so at the start and when I get chance I pick them out.
Not had a massive outbreak as yet tbh (touch wood)
Not sure if they actually do anything as never see results of their eating.


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## Wolfenrook (22 Jun 2008)

Don't overfeed and your snail population shouldn't become a problem.  From your description though they are a type of ramsorn, they sound pretty much identical to the ramsorns I have.  They might nibble your plants a bit, but not enough to cause any real harm.  Mine don't, its the ugly gray/blue things that like to nibble in my tank, but again they don't do enough damage to be a problem as they mainly like the leaves on my mexican oakleaf, which grows stupidly fast anyway.

Ade


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## garynolan2 (4 Feb 2009)

caution chain loach will eat the legs of of your shrimp try adding a jbl snail trap it worked for me you will catch some shrimp aswell but these can be removed from the trap with no ill effect. i got mine from maiden head aquatics in morden and use it once a week to keep down the snail population.


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