Can someone please help me. I have a serious snail problem in my tropical fish tank, sometimes the glass is so obscured I can't see my fish clearly. I have tried anti snail which works temporarily and I have a clown loach who is supposed to eat the blasted things, I also replace a third of the water every week and syphon off as many as I can but nothing seems to be working. I would be grateful for any help as this problem is spoiling my fish keeping experience

So you have a snail problem do you?

Remember that everything must have source of food if it is to survive, however you appear to be cleaning the tank properly so there shouldn't be any gunk or uneaten food left. Do you have any live plants in your tank or have you added any recently? Live plants are usually the starting point for snail problems as they offer a 'happy breeding ground' for the snails. You may have seen small, clear sacks on the aquarium glass, these are the eggs sacs.

What I would do is use a bit of elbow grease and remove as many snails as possible by hand, also crush any egg sacks you can find. This isn't going to sort the problem out completely however it will give you a better footing.

If this doesn't work then it may be a case of stripping down the tank and zapping the little termites!

Hi snodhutch, this article Snails: Friend or Foe in the Aquarium article might give you another perspective on snails.

also check out the section on how to keep snails in check. i'm sure you'll find it useful.

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-penelopedarcy
“Fish die belly upward, and rise to the surface. Its their way of falling.”
Fish Tank Pet

Yeah im having the same problem with my tank....i remember a thread on here a few month back and i only had a couple of the little bliters at the time and i thought they was rather cute....till they multiplied several hundred times and now my tank is covered with the things...gggggrrrrrr

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A good preventative measure is to dip any live plants in a weak solution of Potassium permanganate. However be very careful as it will burn through anything, including clothes and skin, so don't blame me if you make a huge hole in your favourite T-shirt.

anyone ever tried assassin snails?

@pleccy - doesn't salt water do the same job?

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-penelopedarcy
“Fish die belly upward, and rise to the surface. Its their way of falling.”
Fish Tank Pet

It can, however it will also kill the plants if you leave them in for too long.

Glad i'm not the only one with a snail problem! I bought live plants then they started appearing.

My wee boy is good at telling me ''mummy theres a snail on the tank/plant/bridge'' and we get them out.

I have also tried the anti snail but I am thinking about just stripping down my tank and getting new gravel they just keep appearing!

x

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Don't bother with commercial anti-snail products, they rarely work and some are so ineffective the only thing they will do is stain the water. I've just posted an article on snails which I hope might be of some help... Snails

Yep,The usual suspects for them arriving in the first place is on plants newly introduced to your tank- i hope this seem likely to you.You may have seen small, clear sacks on the aquarium glass, these are the eggs sacs.

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Good source for fish tank aquariums