Snail Problem

[BarryH]

I'm starting to get a problem with snails in one of my shrimp tanks. The only way I can describe the snails is 'small'. The largest they seem to grow is roughly 3 to 4mm. Can anyone advise on a safe way to get rid of them from the tank please? I have been picking them out when they're on the glass or the sandy bottom but now they've started getting between what few rocks I have in the sand making picking them more difficult.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mort]

Hi Barry, sounds like bladder snails which are a common hitchhiker. Are you wanting to remove them all or just control the numbers? I don't mind them personally as they don't do any harm and are actually beneficial so I don't use anything chemical to kill them off but I know others do and perhaps they can advise.
If I was to want to control the numbers I would add a piece of cucumber or lettuce, weighted down, on a small dish or saucer if you have room, leave it over night and remove the snails and bait in the morning. They congregate on the food and are easily removed but this won't eradicate them. There are snail traps available but I've seem more shrimp killed by these than snails caught and again they won't eradicate them all.

 

[Wolf6]

Whenever I see many snails its usually a sign of overfeeding the fish/shrimp. I then feed less and see far fewer snails again. Like Mort suggests, you can lure and catch them using Courgette or cucumber.

 

[MichaelJ]

Hi @BarryH If you feed algae wafers put the wafers in a small glass dish like this... It ensures you can easily remove uneaten food so it won't rot and pollute the tank and brilliantly work at the same time as a snail trap without potentially harming the shrimps and makes the snails easy to remove - just wave off any shrimps before removing the dish. You wont be able to eradicate a sizable snail population, but you can keep it in check that way - works for me and some snails are beneficial for the biology in the tank... Don't try and kill the snail with chemicals as it will likely harm/kill your shrimps as well, and the dying snails will pollute your tank.

Cheers,
Michael