More often than not, snails in an aquarium can be quite beneficial: they are efficient cleaners, thus lowering nitrates in the environment; they are peaceful; they are fascinating creatures that can be very educational; and, depending on species, they can assist with the growth of plants. However, when the more parasitic species increase in number, they can also out-compete some scavengers or shy tank mates for food. Not to mention that thousands of snails crawling on the glass can be distracting and a bit of an eyesore.
The Peaceful Methods of Removing Freshwater Aquarium Snails
- Make a House for Aquatic Snails – Set up a separate small snail aquarium or “snail refuge.” Just pick out the snails and drop them in. Even on their own, snails are truly interesting specimens. Feeding them is even easier; it can be as simple as dropping them an algae wafer or sinking fish food or even vegetables you might have around the house. They only need the most minimal of water filtration and aeration to survive.
- Lure Snails Out of the Aquarium – It may be undesirable to get wet or introduce outside elements to the aquarium. In this case, get a shot glass or other small container to act as a trap for the snails. Place the shot glass in the center of the aquarium, or wherever the snails tend to congregate the most. Drop in the bait—something suitable such as an algae wafer. It may take a few hours for them to smell the food and seek it out, but after some time all that is required is to scoop them out in mass or in the shot glass itself. Easy as pie.
The Alternative Uses for Aquarium Snails
- Use Snails in the Aquarium as a Food Source – There are quite a few fish out there that feed on snails, including puffer fish, loaches, and certain cichlids. Snails are, after all, part of the food chain. So treat them as such. Puffer fish are very efficient at removing unwanted snails. In fact, it is necessary for them to feed on such snails as their hard shells help to properly wear down the puffer’s ever-growing teeth.
- Subvert the Snails – Use snails to fight snails! There is a specific breed of snail called the Assassin Snail (Antentome Helena) which lives off other snails. Just a few of these guys will cure snail infestations of any size. Assassin snails are small and breed slowly, so they won’t overrun a freshwater aquarium. These stealthy guys won’t hurt aquatic plants either!
How to Kill Snails in the Aquarium
- There are chemicals on the market that specifically eliminate aquarium snails. Copper solutions are very efficient at killing invasive snails. However, this is wasteful, as with a little ingenuity, the snails can be put to much use. Also, the introduction of chemicals to the aquarium can very easily disrupt the system much more than the snails. They will almost certainly kill off any other invertebrates in the aquarium, and can possibly endanger your other sensitive fish and plants. Chemicals should only be used as a last resort.
While it is often necessary to remove freshwater snails from the home aquarium, one should not overlook their potential usefulness. There are plenty of methods out there to kills snails, but effort should be made to incorporate them into the environment, whether that be as a worker, or as a food source.
Aaron Guzman - Aaron Guzman currently lives in Eureka, California and works as a freelance writer. He spends his spare time writing fiction, playing ...
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