Snails in the aquarium

Snails belong to the class of mollusks and are characterized by a skeleton-less structure of the body. The shell, which serves snails for defense against predators, is part of their bodies. Aquatic snails breathe through gills and reproduce both sexually and asexually (hermaphrodite), lay eggs or give birth to live young.

In the aquarium, snails are rather perceived as pests, but essentially all may contribute to the beneficial effect on the biological balance (if only their population is strictly controlled).

1. Benefits of breeding snails in the aquarium

• effectively remove algae from plants, panes and decorative elements, and are very gentle;
• feed on leftover food and decomposing organic matter - both animal and plant, thereby significantly limiting its anaerobic decomposition;
• do not eat healthy plants (with the exception of the great pond snail);
• are an excellent addition to the breeding tank - they do not eat spawn (they only eat spoiled eggs), while maintaining water in perfect condition (e.g. ramshorns) and their feces are populated by protozoa, which are the first food for fry (e.g. apple snails);
• can indicate the cleanliness of the water in our aquarium (e.g. Melanoides tuberculata);
• are resilient and have interesting behaviors and habits;
• are a colorful addition to the aquarium.

2. Disadvantages of breeding snails in the aquarium

• uncontrolled population growth, which looks unattractive;
• overcrowding of the tank resulting in disruption to the biological balance;
• possibility of transmission of some parasitic diseases, including fish pox, velvet disease, or schistosomiasis (which also spreads to humans).

3. Ways to control the snail population in the aquarium

From the above analysis, it follows that snails are beneficial. However, it seems necessary to take certain steps to balance their population. So how to do it? The basis is to realize that the rapid increase in the population of snails is dependent on water conditions (these mollusks prefer alkaline and harder water) and the available food source (only in a safe environment, rich in food, snails proceed to unlimited reproduction). There are several ways to limit this population.

Ways to control the snail population in the aquarium

• limit the natural food of snails: do not overfeed fish (we feed fish and other animals with such portions that they are completely eaten within a few minutes), introduce more effective filtration, use or increase the frequency of water replacement, systematically clean the aquarium along with the substrate, properly cultivate plants, do not allow the tank to get too full;
• introduce natural predators: fish (e.g. botia fish, angelicus botia, pufferfish, dwarf botia, mouse botia, Leporinus species, gourami, betta fish) or snails (e.g. Clea Helena syn. Anentome Helena - however, care should be taken not to release these snails into the wild, as they are a very hardy and tolerant species);
• use various types of bait when the snail population has grown too much: such bait includes vegetables e.g.: blanched lettuce leaves, boiled carrots or zucchini. The bait should be placed stably at the bottom of the aquarium in the evening and removed in the morning before the lights are turned on, along with the gathered snails. We repeat this action every evening until the situation is under control;
• use traps: traps can be handmade (e.g. a small plastic bottle filled with bait and sunk at the bottom) or bought in aquarium stores;
• breeding of freshwater snails, which need brackish water to reproduce e.g.: Clithon Corona (horned nerite), Nerite Natalensis sp. Zebra or Vittina Semiconica.

4. Removing snails

If, however, we do not want to deal with any snails in our aquarium at all, the only effective solution seems to be to prevent their transfer to it. For this purpose, we quarantine and/or disinfect plants. Decorative elements (especially if they were used before) and substrate should also be disinfected. We also remember not to add water from the aquarium store along with the new acquisition to our tank.

Methods of disinfection of plants (here consider their delicacy), substrate, and decorative elements to remove snails and their eggs:

• rinsing in a solution of aquarium salt - all elements, substrate and plants are soaked for 10 minutes in warm, salted water, after this time all elements must be thoroughly cleaned of salt before introducing them to the aquarium;
• rinsing in a solution of potassium permanganate - half a tablespoon of potassium permanganate is dissolved in 4l of water, elements are soaked for 5 min, before introducing to the aquarium they must be thoroughly rinsed;
• rinsing in a solution of potassium alum - 2-3 teaspoons of alum are dissolved in 1l of water, elements and plants are soaked for 2-3 days, necessary lighting, after this period all elements must be rinsed thoroughly before introducing them to the aquarium;
• rinsing in a solution of bleach (chlorine) - this method is intended only for adult aquarists after applying appropriate precautionary measures (protection glasses and gloves, well-ventilated room), this is probably the most radical measure, which unfortunately will be harmful for most plant species, and also fish (if the bleach is not completely removed), 1 part bleach is spread in 20 parts of water, plants and elements are soaked only for 5 minutes and immediately we move to a separate container with freshwater with the addition of a dechlorinating agent - water conditioner for a minimum of 5 minutes, then everything must be thoroughly rinsed before introducing into the aquarium;
• use of snail chemical agents available in aquarium stores - these preparations usually contain copper compounds - harmful for delicate plants and animals, and potassium permanganate compounds, they should be used according to the instruction on the package.

However, remember that we NEVER use any chemicals in our main tank to exterminate snails. Any chemistry added to the aquarium reduces the natural resistance of fish, will kill most delicate species of both plants and animals and disrupt the biological balance (bacterial flora will be killed, and dead snails will be the source of ammonia in water).