# Share experiences using Had-a-Snail



## random_alias (Nov 7, 2005)

I have a 55g full of snails. It contains java ferns and one dwarf gourami. That's it. Filtered with an Eheim 2026, Co2 and 80w light. No algae.

It would be impossible to remove them manually. I don't want to get loaches or puffers.

I searched for Had-a-Snail and all that really came up were opinions. 

"It worked for me." 

And then a whole lot of, "This stuff is terrible, toxic, will kill everything and should be banned."

I realize that a massive snail die-off will threaten to cause water quality problems but I can vacuum and do extra water changes.

I'd like to hear from people that have actually used Had-a-Snail. I'd like to know if there were any problems.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Perhaps it is a copper based item? if so, say bye by to your shrimp if you use it in a shrimp tank.


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## random_alias (Nov 7, 2005)

Yup copper based. But I'm in the fortunate position of having no shrimp


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

That things is bad to the overall tank and plant health.
Boil some lettuce and use that to remove the snails...


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## random_alias (Nov 7, 2005)

How is it bad?

I'm asking for specifics, not generalizations; experience, not heresay.

No opinions please, just cold hard facts/experiences.

I need information, which seems to be lacking based on my forum searches.


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> How is it bad?


Copper is poison. You are going to use it to kill the snails. 
A couple of quotes: 
"Depending on the hardness of the water, copper binds to a greater or lesser degree with hardening constituents to form copper carbonate and precipitates. This occurs particularly rapidly in saltwater. The precipitated copper carbonate is stored on the floor of the aquarium. Under certain circumstances, it may revert to a solution (changes in pH level, use of CO2 fertilisers, the activity of micro-organisms). After several treatments, sufficient amounts of copper may collect which, converted back into a solution again, could lead to the death of the fish by poisoning. Any treatment with substances containing copper should always be carried out in a quarantine tank."

http://www.jbl.de/uk/report/uk_kolumne1.html
"Copper is a toxic metal and very poisonous (it disrupts the photosynthesis process) if used persistently."
http://www.algone.com/algaecides.htm


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Last week a friend of mine used this product on a supe rlarge amount of snails. I warned him to watch water quality. He "nuked" the tank. Most of the healthy fish died. Ammonia and nitrites sky rocketed and the filteration could not keep up with the rot of the carcasses. 
Clean up the bodies if you "nuke" them.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Well, here's my case. I've never used the product and never will. It's sort of like using an "algae gone" product. You aren't dealing with the real problem. 

If you have so many snails in the tank that you can't manually remove them, there is something amiss in there, like overfeeding, or poor conditions in general. If you get the tank balanced, you're never going to have an outbreak like you describe here.

The first line of defense is to not let the population get out of hand in the first place, and chemical use is always the last resort.


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

When I kept an apple snail only tank I would generally overfeed and had a lot of "pest snails". Now I keep cherry shrimp in the same tank I only feed a couple of times a week and I have very few pest snails.....lots of empty shells too.


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## random_alias (Nov 7, 2005)

ok.

I have one fish, small dwarf gourami. I feed it about 6 pellets of New Life Spectrum small fish food a day. I feed it on average once daily and probably skip 2 days a week. It is underfed. I place the food inside a floating ring so that it doesn't get swept under in the current.

I thinking it's the wood in the tank. It's clean but there are tons of snails on it. There's no other source of anything going into the tank for food. It does not appear to be decaying. I wonder if the snails are feeding on some sort of fungus or something that most people mention on new driftwood, eating it as it grows so that it isn't visible?

I do 50% water changes every week, with java ferns and one fish. No algae.

I''ll try manual removal but with the intricate wood placement I know I'll never be able to get them all


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

random_alias said:


> How is it bad?
> 
> I'm asking for specifics, not generalizations; experience, not heresay.
> 
> ...


Here are my cold hard facts/experiences. In my case..it formed precipitates on the water. FIsh died and the plants stop pearling as usual. Half the plants melted.


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## random_alias (Nov 7, 2005)

Now *that* is useful information. Seemed like a lot of what I saw was, "It's bad." "It can kill everything." etc. but no real stories to go along with all the ridicule.

I'll definitely be avoiding Had-a-Snail. To tell the truth, the 55 is just a holding cell for Java ferns so I'll probably just let the snails have it all. I intend on replacing the whole tank anyway.


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

One method I find useful to remove snails is to tie thread (or fishing line) to a rock, attach a piece of zucchini to the rock with a rubber band. Then lower it into the tank. The snails attack the zucchini especially after dark. Use a net under the rock while raising it with the thread to catch any snails that fall off. Much more productive than trying to pick them off one at a time. Probably would work the same with lettuce.

Sometimes it seems like snails really like the conditions in one tank and the population explodes even with a similar feeding regimen to other tanks. Snails are resourceful in finding things to eat.


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## random_alias (Nov 7, 2005)

I may end up using that method.

I pulled everything out of the tank and removed ALL the flourite. I had no intentions of putting anything but bare java ferns back in the tank. Turns out, I looked down at the pile of wood on the floor (I just layed it all in a pile as I took it out) and really liked it! So, I put it back in the tank, and stuck the ferns in it here and there. Now if I have a snail explosion I'll know there's something up because there's nowhere for detritus/food/decaying plant matter to hide!

I think this tank is cursed. It's given me all kinds of problems even though it's higher water volume/filtration and lower light than all my others. I can't wait to get rid of it during an upgrade.


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