# Good or bad snails



## jerl77 (Nov 14, 2015)

Good or bad


----------



## Daniil (Oct 30, 2009)

Pond snails, in small quantities are ok. They do a lot of cleaning, but if they get out of control, bad things start happen. They start to eat plants. And it's hard to get rid of them. About two months ago I had a pond snail problem in my tank, I tried may different things to keep them under control, nothing helps. The only solution I found is clown loaches. Now I have zero snails. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

They eat algae, dead plants and leftover fishfood. Very useful snails and not bad. They only multiply fast when there is a surplus of any of the 3 mentioned above. A clean 'algae free' tank where you don't feed too much will never have them go wild! They don't eat healthy plants, they got this reputation from people not taking care of their plants!


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Agree with Johan. In the hobby there is a deep-seated and unreasoning prejudice against snails. Almost any species of snail that does not eat plants can be useful in a planted aquarium.


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Snails are evil. They eat plants. Put them in a tank with no fish and therefore no feeding at all and watch them. They eat plants.


----------



## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

IMO the only good snail for a planted tank is the MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snail)


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

BruceF said:


> Snails are evil. They eat plants. Put them in a tank with no fish and therefore no feeding at all and watch them. They eat plants.


If I was starving to death I would eat aquarium plants too.


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Well we really wouldn't want to lose you Michael!


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Lol!


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I just find snails in general overwhelming. I would much prefer not to have them at all. The little good they do is not on balance worth the mess they make for me.


----------



## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

BruceF said:


> Snails are evil. They eat plants. Put them in a tank with no fish and therefore no feeding at all and watch them. They eat plants.


Like Michael said, without any other food eventueel they will. But as long as you only got a few in a normal tank, they'll only start eating plants after the entre tank is clean. My 250 gallon does have a few snails since the beginning. Still, after 9 months, I see maybe one a week and I don't think he /she can do much damaged to my plants.


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Doesn't that depend on what fish you have in the tank? I find that certain fish will keep snail populations at a minimum.


----------



## familytank (Aug 29, 2014)

I used to have a snail problem, I got 1 assassin snail and I now only have 1 snail in my tank the lone assassin and i rarely see him


----------



## PhilipS (Jan 14, 2014)

Look like Physella Acuta Bladder Pond Snails. That's one of only two snail species that I keep. The other is Melanoides Granifera Spike Tail Malaysian Trumpet Snails.

Snails are very good for dirt aquariums. Burrowing snails help aerate the dirt and keep the compost low.


----------

