# Snails- How Is This Possible?



## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

When I replaced the bulb on my 30 gal. white cloud aquarium, it brightened it up so much that I noticed little brown specks on the glass. A closer inspection revealed baby snails! 

How could this be? How did they get there?? I have NO live plants in this tank(Not yet), nothing is new except the flourescent light bulb. If someone knows please tell me. I do not like snails, they freak me out.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Have you added anything from a pond, or any other place? You sure they are snails?


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm sure, their little heads go in their spiral shells when I move my hand over them. 

Now that I've calmed down, I believe the plants I had in there that died from not enough light is probably where they came from, even though I did clean them(obviously not good enough). That has to be it, unless fish can carry them?

They look to be either ramshorn, or more likely, pond snails, but really small. I've seen no big ones so as long as they don't try to escape from the tank, I'll be ok :-(


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

They probably laid their eggs on the plant and you didn't know it. It's weird, like a long jelly substance. Spiral shell? I have some of those, they are flat, but spiral. I think the are pond snails. They don't get very big, so I hardly see them.


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

YES, I seen a long jelly substance right before I noticed the snails. I didn't know what was going on until I noticed the moving specks on the glass. The eggs can't hatch out of water, can they?
The snails do look like you described, I haven't seen any big ones, they are probably hiding under the sand. The visible ones are about half the size of this: :idea:
I hope they don't eat plants, that will ruin the whole idea of the new light.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

They might, but it's unlikely that they will at this size. It is too much work for the small snails to chew on hard plant matter, so they go for algae instead which is actually useful. But if they do turn out to get about fist size then they will probably chew on plants as algae will not be enough food, but as soon as they do that you can just remove them.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Yes, that jelly stuff is their eggs. I dunno if it can hatch out of water ? They won't eat plants. I have them in all my tanks and all are planted the biggest they get are about this in length and width : ___ So pretty much harmless. And I've seen fish eat them before.


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

Fist size? I think I'll die if I see one that big:shock:. 
Zebra hopefully they will stay as small as your snails. I hope they are the same kind. It would be great if the white cloud minnows started eating them, that's the only fish in the tank.

They don't seem to be bothered by the light at all, I thought snails were nocturnal.
If they stay this size:___ and don't eat my plants (and stay in the water) then i can learn to live with them, even if I don't want to, lol. The jelly eggs are a bit distracting.
On the bright side, at least my sand will stay stirred and gas won't build up in it.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Yeah, they lay their eggs all over the places in my tank and all over my plants. But hardly any snails make it to adulthood in my tank. My fish will eat them


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## Kimberly (Jan 22, 2012)

I have been dealing with pond snails in my 125g planted tank for quite awhile now. I have been squishing about 5 a day for months now, the biggest i've seen is about __ by length and width.

Some people don't mind them, but i hate them. Its to the point im ready to take my fish out and crash the tank to kill them all.


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Kimberly, get a clown loach. No more snails. You have a big enough tank for one.


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## Kimberly (Jan 22, 2012)

ZebraDanio12 said:


> Kimberly, get a clown loach. No more snails. You have a big enough tank for one.


I have thought about that.. But then i have two problems
1. I have purple apple snails in the tank as well, which i love
2. I'm not a big fan of loaches, and know i def don't want one long term

I just need to come with terms with this and accept its just apart of my tank.. Bahhh but stupid stupid pond snails!


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

Since they are just babies right now you won't know what species they are. They might get big or stay small. My dad has a snail that is roughly half fist size in his 5g in germany. When we set it up there was no snail in there so you might not get so lucky after all.


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

I did squish a few when trying to get the 'dirt specks' off the glass until I realized what they were, then I freaked out. If the snails get to fist size, I will be crashing the cycle to kill them :chair:


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Other fish will like them as a snack if you crush them  Tasty treat!


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

I smash the adults when I see them for my fish!

I just looked at my newest set up tank (been running for a month) and saw a ton of snails on the glass as well. I had some of the plants in the tank outside for tadpoles to clean them off of algae, but snails laid eggs all over. >:C


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## TankdreamerJim (Sep 25, 2012)

You shouldn't be moving stuff from one tank to another and outside that's how you end up with problems in all your tanks if you have algae problem there are better ways to solve them one of the best is Otocinclus Catfish they can go into just about any tank that doesn't have fish that will eat them and they will eat all the algae specially on the glass.


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## TankdreamerJim (Sep 25, 2012)

Also get some type of shrimp they will eat the snails.


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm placing some cherry shrimps in as soon as the plants start growing, i was hoping they might eat at least the snail eggs.

I saw my male white cloud try to eat a snail today but he couldn't get it off the glass, so I smashed one on the glass and he happily ate it


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