If ever there was a pest that you actually like, it’s the snail. Snails are rather pretty and fascinating, but don’t get too attached. Once they find a home in your fish tank, they will multiply and infest it faster than you can say, “Well where did that come from?”
To answer that question, invasive snails typically enter your fish tank from live plants or are scooped up with new fish.
If you’re a “fish tank is half full” type of person, you’ll see the bright side. Snails eat the algae in your tank, so they can help keep it clean.
If you’re more of a “fish tank is half empty” type of person, you’ll see the flip side. The more algae they eat, the stronger they’ll become. And that means multiplying even faster.
Either way, you definitely will want to get rid of the snails. Snails multiply quickly because they don’t need a mate to reproduce; they simply fertilize their own eggs. As the snails become bigger and more plentiful, they could damage your plants and clog your filters, which will endanger your fish.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind in order to prevent snail infestations and get rid of snails if you do have them.
- Make sure you maintain regular water changes using RODI water.
- Avoid overfeeding your fish, which creates more waste in the tank.
- When you buy a new fish, check the bag to make sure nothing else is in it.
- Soak new live plants before adding them to the tank. Our preferred method of doing so is to dip the plant in a saltwater mix comprised of one cup of aquarium salt per gallon of water. Dangle the plant upside-down into the saltwater, but do not submerge the roots. Keep the plant in the water for 15 minutes to give the salt time to get rid of the snails. After taking the plant out, rinse it in RODI water and plant it into your aquarium.
- Add fish that eat snails into your tank, such as loaches, puffer fish, and blennies.
- If you do get snails in your tank, attach a leaf of lettuce to the glass inside your tank. Snails will cling to it, and then you can dispose of the lettuce. You may also try additives such as AZOO Nano-Tech Snail Treatment.
