Boston Aquarium Society Message Board

I have lately noticed a number of tiny (1-2mm) snails on the walls, driftwood, and occasionally on the plants. I have tentatively identified them as ramshorn and trumpet snails. I have stopped feeding the fish more than twice a week, cut down the amount of light and am more diligently changing water. I am not too keen on squishing them or Cu treatment. Lately, I have seen hair algae as well.

The tank has a few cherry barbs, rasborras, a blue gourami, a few cory cats, and a pleco. The tank is fully cycled and also houses a few grasses, saggitaria, and java ferns.

Can I just leave them alone? Any harm other than the unsightliness of these little guys?

I can post pictures if there is interest. Thanks.

I'm not a planted tank expert but you should control them because they do grow and multiply. If you can't crush them then an assassin snail or a clown loach would probably work. I have a heavily planted 75 with a ton of snails and I keep them down by collecting them during water changes and after the light is out.
hope this helps
chuck

Thanks, I just changed about 30% water and vacuumed out most of the critters on the glass and the sagitaria leaves. I also took the driftwoods out and cleaned them best I could to remove all the hair algae. In the process, I lost most of my java fern which were not doing too great anyway.

I also read somewhere about something with a lettuce leaf and a cup that made an effective trap, if I can find it again, I will try that next. Or an assasin snail from an LFS if I can find it. My tank parameters are probably not be suitable for a clown loach.

I just destroyed my snails, by netting all my fish into a bucket, used a salt solution for planted and poured scolding hot water all over my tank and run the filter to insure it killed all the babies snails as well. Then I rinsed everything off and did a water change.

Potassium Permanganate should have also worked but I didnt have any of that available.

Here is how I used the "kosher salt solution"

Just as salt will harm snails or slugs on land, it will dehydrate snails underwater as well (and yes, even things underwater can be dehydrated!) For this method, use aquarium salt or kosher salt to make a solution of one cup per gallon of water. Do not use table salt or iodized salt – this has other chemicals and preservatives that are not suitable for your aquarium or plants. Once all the salt is dissolved, rinse the plants in the saltwater for about 15-20 seconds, holding the roots above the water. After this saltwater rinse, rinse the plants in dechlorinated freshwater before planting in the aquarium.