# snail problems that won't go away



## LilD (Jun 20, 2005)

I got a loach to eat my gross snails and he didn't even last a week before disappearing  any ideas on why he may have died?

So I got my fish and about 30% of the water out and scrubbed that puppy with boiling hot water, got new rocks and all new decoratons. I go to do a water change today... and I found 3 SNAILS. Can they have laid eggs on my FISH? and how can I avoid another infestation? I can't handle those foul creatures anymore. They clogged up my filter with snail guts, my tank smelled, and you couldn't see my beautiful fishies.

I need help in a bad way.


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

what type of loach? not all loaches eat snail y'know.

What are your water conditions?

I would say DRY EVERYTHING OUT except for the filter medium and fish and plants. 

Check the plants thouroughly for egg clusters and snails.

I dont think your snails could have laid eggs on your fish.
I think another member could introduce you to a fish that will get rid of your snails.


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## LilD (Jun 20, 2005)

I don't have a quarantine tank to put my fish in while I dry it. I am getting a 3 gal from a friend, do you think they would all be happy in there for a day or so if this gets bad again? It would be a good way of getting it semi ready for the tetras I want to put in it I suppose.


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## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

use a bucket. a 3gal? depends how many fish.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

well if the loach disappeared as you put it it's very common for loaches. They bury themselves deep it the gravel sometimes. Also if you have a Under gravel filter(the kind that uses a airstone, not a powerhead) loaches have been known to fly down the tubes and live under those things for weeks at a time or just slip under them(slipping under is possible with a powerhead if the base is small and the loach finds a gap).

To keep snail numbers take a cleaned soda bottle and put small holes all around, maybe even larger ones. Now put lettuce in the bottle and submerge it in your tank, come back in a hour and snails should be covering and (depending on the size of your holes) be inside the bottle. Mearly remove the bottle and kill the snails(i sugget freezing them then trashing them). This trap usualy works and will cut down the numbers of snails making them easier to manage. Also copper based meds(which are common) will kill all the snails but dead snails quickly fouls your water


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## LilD (Jun 20, 2005)

fishboy said:


> Also copper based meds(which are common) will kill all the snails but dead snails quickly fouls your water



If I were to do this, I would just let it do it's thing and then scoop out the dead snails right? Then do a large partial change? Would it kill the eggs too? I am now sitting at about 100, those *expletive*s are going to foul up my tank again, I know it!!


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

If they're MTS, catch a bunch and sell them on the FF auction. They're usefull for sifting sand


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## LilD (Jun 20, 2005)

fishboy said:


> If they're MTS, catch a bunch and sell them on the FF auction. They're usefull for sifting sand


I don't know what they are

they are red and they clog my filter and last time they actually stunk up my apartment if you can believe that. my tank looked like crap, there were at least 1000 of them, if not more. It's not so bad yet but I am scared it's going to go over the top again and my sanity can't take it :chair:


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