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There are several ways to keep snails in check:
· The ?predator? method. Several species of fish just love snails, for breakfast
that is. The most common snail eater is the attractive Clown Loach, Botia
macracanthus. The Clown Loach will grab the unprotected soft part of the snail
and literally suck the poor gastropod out of the shell. If you don‘t mind me
saying, this can be quite entertaining. In the marine tank, Pufferfish are good
snail eaters and will crunch the shell of the snail and eat the soft parts. In fact,
some people grow snails specifically to feed to their Clown Loaches and
Pufferfishes. I have to admit that my Red Ramshorns live side by side with a
healthy Clown Loach. Perhaps I overfeed him.
· The ?bait? method. Run some hot water over a lettuce leaf and just before you
turn the lights out, tie a piece of cotton around it and drop it in the tank. It will
sink to the bottom and in the morning you should find it covered in snails.
Remove the lettuce, snails and all. Repeat until the snails are under control.
In fact, this was the method that I used to remedy my Malaysian Trumpet Snail
problem. Needless to say, persistence may be called for.
· The ?starvation? method. It is important to note that most snail blooms are
caused by overfeeding. In these cases, the only reason that the snails are
overpopulating is because they are feeding on the excess food that the fish
leave behind. Watch your fish when feeding, if they do not eat all their food after
3-4 minutes or less then you are overfeeding.
· The ?local fish shop? method. There are some commercial snail killers available
that local fish shop owners might try to sell you. If used as instructed these
remedies may well kill your snails. However, these chemical based solutions
should be avoided because they tend to kill the bacteria that keep ammonia and
nitrite levels in check. In turn, this may also kill your fish.
Prevention is usually better than the cure. If buying plants from a local fish shop
or even at a CDAS meeting and you don‘t want to accommodate any hitchhikers
then I suggest that you take the following action. Before introducing your plants
into the aquarium, make the effort of soaking them in warm salty water. After ten
minutes remove the plants and wash thoroughly. This should remove or kill any
unwanted gastropod guests. It will also remove potentially harmful parasites
such as White Spot (Ich).
Conclusion
I have to admit that despite my first impressions, I am now very happy to see a
few snails in my aquarium. When kept in check, they can form an integral part of
a well balanced aquatic environment. So, why not give snails a go?