Trumpet snails for unplanted sand?

[Anomander]

Hello all,

I have a tank with fine (Unipac silver) sand. There are no plants planted in the sand (my tank is all floaters and epiphytes attached to driftwood) but I do get a fair bit of detritus/brown algae on the sand which is unsightly and can be difficult to suck up in the siphon. In addition I will be purchasing Pygmy Cory soon and I don't want the substrate to be too dirty for them.

Would MTS be a worthwhile addition to the tank in this case? Would they clean detritus off the sand surface? And would their ability to turnover substrate only really benefit plants in the substrate, or would it benefit my unplanted substrate too?

Thanks for any help, as always.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I will be purchasing Pygmy Cory soon

I love mine <"Filter recommendations for 30l tank.">.

Would MTS be a worthwhile addition to the tank in this case?

Yes.

Would they clean detritus off the sand surface? And would their ability to turnover substrate only really benefit plants in the substrate, or would it benefit my unplanted substrate too?

<"Both">.

Possibly dependent on your water, but I had Ramshorn (Planorbella duryi), Tadpole (Physella acuta) and Malaysian Trumpet Snails (Melanoides tuberculata) in mind.
These (above) are the snails often referred to as "pest snails", because they maintain self perpetuating populations. I regard this, and them, as an unalloyed good thing. They are more tolerant of poor water conditions and I would be very surprised if your tank wasn't suitable.

cheers Darrel

 

[Anomander]

Sounds like a ringing endorsement! Cheers

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

but I do get a fair bit of detritus/brown algae on the sand which is unsightly and can be difficult to suck up in the siphon

<"Asellus aquaticus"> would be another "and/ or" option.

They aren't to everyone's taste, but they are a very low maintenance tank addition and are <"detritus shredders">.

cheers Darrel

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Sounds like a ringing endorsement! Cheers

I'm a <"pest snail"> fan. I would never be without them.

cheers Darrel

 

[Anomander]

Hi Darrel,

Would a combination of MTS and Red Cherry Shrimp be effective on keeping the sand clean? Cheers

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Would a combination of MTS and Red Cherry Shrimp be effective on keeping the sand clean?

It might be, it is certainly <"worth trying">.

You tend to get a lot of black <"tea grout"> faeces with all crustaceans (including shrimps and Asellus), and I'm not sure the MTS (Melanoides tuberculata) will be interested in these, they don't have a <"lot of food value"> left.

cheers Darrel

 

[Anomander]

Hi all,

It might be, it is certainly <"worth trying">.

You tend to get a lot of black <"tea grout"> faeces with all crustaceans (including shrimps and Asellus), and I'm not sure the MTS (Melanoides tuberculata) will be interested in these, they don't have a <"lot of food value"> left.

cheers Darrel

Good to know, thanks Darrel. Hopefully, MTS, RCS, and some TLC will do the trick!

 

[tiger15]

Don't count on MTS to remove detritus. MTS will consume uneaten food and contribute more detritus from pooping and diseased shells. The only way to reduce detritus is through substrate vacuuming. I regret introducing MTS to my shrimp tank and now I have to find way to reduce their population. MTS compete with shrimp for food, help aerate and turn over the substrate, but not much an algae eater.

 

[Anomander]

Don't count on MTS to remove detritus. MTS will consume uneaten food and contribute more detritus from pooping and diseased shells. The only way to reduce detritus is through substrate vacuuming. I regret introducing MTS to my shrimp tank and now I have to find way to reduce their population. MTS compete with shrimp for food, help aerate and turn over the substrate, but not much an algae eater.

Thank you for the info. Perhaps I should try a different / more powerful siphon before introducing MTS

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

but not much an algae eater.

They aren't really an algae eater, although they will scrape algae from hard surfaces at night. I often see them on the aquarium glass feeding, but I can't actually see what they are feeding on.

I regret introducing MTS to my shrimp tank and now I have to find way to reduce their population.

You can just trap them, if you use a net the shrimps will swim off and you can remove the MTS. I'd try an algal wafer as bait, just placed in the net on the substrate.

Perhaps I should try a different / more powerful siphon before introducing MTS

You can still syphon, but honestly <"they are a good thing"> to have in a shrimp tank.

cheers Darrel

 

[Anomander]

Hi all,

They aren't really an algae eater, although they will scrape algae of hard surfaces at night. I often see them on the aquarium glass feeding, but I can't actually see what they are feeding on.

You can just trap them, if you use a net the shrimps will swim off and you can remove the MTS. I'd try an algal wafer as bait, just placed in the net on the substrate.

You can still syphon, but honestly <"they are a good thing"> to have in a shrimp tank.

cheers Darrel

Thanks for the link. I will have a read and a further ponder.

 

[tiger15]

Would MTS be a worthwhile addition to the tank in this case? Would they clean detritus off the sand surface? And would their ability to turnover substrate only really benefit plants in the substrate, or would it benefit my unplanted substrate too?

Thanks for any help, as always.

Since you don’t root any plant in the substrate, there is no benefit of having MTS to aerate the plant roots. Your substrate should be very thin, no more than 1/2 inch. The easiest way to remove detritus is to vacuum the substrate along side with a turkey baster to blow up the dust. Once MTS is introduced, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate. They can be unsightly in over population or crawl up on the glass in twilight.