# Getting rid of snails



## o2cats (Jan 18, 2005)

I thought that I cleaned the plants that I added to my tank, but now it is full of snails. I have been trying to pull them out as I see them, but just noticed some eggs on the glass, so it is probably a lost cause. What would you recommend to rid the tank? I used neons as starters and plan to add discus when it is really stable, but do not want to be reaching in everyday. I hear clown loaches are good at killing snails, but not good with discus. I like blue rams, but am not sure they would do the job. Additives, snail killing fish, HELP?

Thanks

Probably need another thead, but also interested in good cleaning fish(botton and alge) with discus

Thanks again


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## nosilver4u (Jan 23, 2005)

normally, i'm all for a pleco, but apparently they cause problems...
see here http://www.rockymountaindiscus.com/Catfish.htm


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

You may also find some certain sorta loaches come to handy! (Not oly clown loaches). But, I'm not sure that clown loaches don't get along well with discuses ???


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## soccermouth (Jan 19, 2005)

I have this same problem (or had this same problem???). I was told that sticking 2 to 3 pennies per 10 gallons in the tank would kill the little [email protected]@rds. I never tried it though. I got some stuff called Had-A-Snail and it destroyed my hornwort but didn't damage any of the other plants in the tank at all. The dose i used was about 2 times as much as i should have used because the regular doses weren't working. I still have snails but they are much less prevalent than they used to be. Just remember that you need to get the dead one's out as soon as possible.


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## Arash (Jan 17, 2005)

well, if you can't find a fish that would be compatible with discus and eat snails, you could always do this trick:
Get a piece of lettuce, put it on a plate and put some gravl in the centre so it woulden't float once you put it in the water, then put it in the bottom of the tank, and shut the light off, so the fish would go to sleep, then after a couple of hours go back to the tank and bring up the plate, on there should be 50% of all the snails you have in your tank, do this a couple of time, and you'll get rid of them after a few tries (hopefully).. 

And as for the bottomfeeders, at petland in their big (3-400 galon) discus tank they have variouse species of corys, and even a couple of stingrays, and they all seem very fine with eachother.. 

I hope I'v helped


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## joe kool (Jan 24, 2005)

if nothing else see if you have any local hobbiest with some clown loaches and see if they'll let you "borrow" them for a couple weeks. Those guys are snail eating machienes! the reason alot of folks say they don't "get along" with discus is the fact that clowns swim .. all over the place when in a group ( 4 or more reccomended) and the rapid erratic swimming might stress the more laid back "chill type attitude" of the discus. Not that they actually "clash" or butt heads or anything, so a couple weeks with some rapid swimming snail snipers might be just what the Dr. ordered :wink: 


[fade:0c0b208261]:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: [/fade:0c0b208261]


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## karatechic007 (Jan 28, 2005)

i used to have the came problem as you....the way i got rid of some of them is to get a small plastic bottle (like an empty fish food bottle) and cut a little hole in the lid. put some lettuce and some gravel (to hold it down....rocks or just about anything heavy will work) in there and put the lid on....sink it in the tank and the snails will go in there to get the lettuce and will not be able to (or not want to) get back out again....just empty it every 1-2 days and put new lettuce in, and that will help get rid of a whole lot....i dont know of any way to get rid of them all....good luck!


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

I also prefer trapping - especially since for every one snail you see, there's at least 10 in the gravel - so that treating with "meds" to kill the snail often leads to a mass die-off -- nothing like having a few dozen dead snails trapped in the gravel to ruin your week...

You may want to try some smaller, less "active" loaches - I like the little skunk loaches (cost about $1.50 each and stay about an inch long, but love baby snails)... make a great biological control, especially after a few nights of snail trapping to remove the adults...


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## pixycct (Feb 4, 2005)

I would not add any chemicals that claim to rid snails. ( aka snail away, etc.) If you need to rid snails, though they don't hurt anything.I would buy a few yoyo loaches, they wont hurt the discus.Just make sure that you are finished cycling before you add them because they don't do well with ammonia/nitrite/ or high levels of nitrate.


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## icp (Jan 18, 2005)

how far are you into the cycle ? maby make it a sw tank for a 1hr or so an redo the tank ?


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## BlueAmbist (Feb 1, 2005)

I would not recommend skunk loaches and discus together, skunks have a habiat of picking on angelfish/discus.


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## Courtney (Jan 18, 2005)

Umm, Do you know what kinda Snails they are? 
I would gladly take them off your hands, if shipping isnt outragous... see i have two dwarf puffers to feed and they LOVE their little snails.....


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