Keep Your Aquarium Free of Snails

Parasites in your tank can be such a hassle. They not only ruin the atmosphere of your tank; they also can grow out of control and be almost impossible to get rid of. This article will provide you with information on how to get rid of snails, one of the most common pests. It will also discuss options that are less harmful to your fish than treatments you may find at the store.

Snails generally come into your tank with fish from the pet store or on live aquarium plants, and can be horrible to get rid of. They start out so small that they can be all over your tank before you realize you even have a problem. There are many ways to control or get rid of these pests entirely.

If you go to a pet or pet supply store, you'll probably find many chemicals that can help you remove snails from your tank. However, just like many other chemicals, these can be hazardous to your fish and you should only use them if you can't control the snails any other way.

One way to get rid of snails is to introduce a natural predator. These animals will eat snails; just be sure you are able to take care of them and that they will get along with the other fish in your tank. The best kind of fish to get for this purpose are loaches. If you have a larger tank, you can get clown loaches (Botia Macracanthus) or skunk loaches (Botia horae); however these fish can get quite large. If your tank is smaller than 30 gallons, you can get yoyo loaches (Botia lohachata or Lohachata loaches). They do not get as large. For those of you who are more into exotic fishes, Puffer fish (Tetraodon) eat snails, but can be quite aggressive and many require a brackish environment. There are several other fish that will eat snails that may fit better into your tank environment including upsidedown catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus), and malawi cichlids (Pseudotropheus Melanochromis). You may need to do some research on how many of each fish you will need to keep in the tank to control the problem (and to make them happy if they prefer groups).

There is another natural way to control snails, although it may have to be done on an occasional basis because it will not rid you of your snails, only keep them under control. Place a piece of lettuce on the floor of your tank and turn out the lights. A few hours later you can return and many of the snails should have accumulated on the lettuce which you can then remove and dispose of. If the problem is bad, you may need to do this several times in a row. You can also use a saucer with a few fish pellets (make sure they're not the kind that float). Just make sure if you have a lot of bottom feeders they don't eat all the food.

If none of these methods work, as a last resort, you can break down the tank. Remove all gravel and decorations and boil them, then remove the snail shells from them. Make sure to remove all the shells. Soak the filter in a solution of 10mg/l potassium permanganate while running to kill the snails in the filter. Then rinse it thoroughly. You should also use this solution to clean the tank and hood. This should not be done except as a last resort and remember to always rinse several times to make sure all the solution is gone.

Hopefully these tips will help you rid your tank of snails and make your tank beautiful again.