# Snails



## ryu1 (Mar 25, 2011)

Is snail good for a planted tank? Will it damage leaves or any plants in my tank? I was shopping for plants in lfs and saw many tiny snails in the tank? Are they good to have in my tank? What are the pros and cons? Thanks.


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

ryu1 said:


> Is snail good for a planted tank? Will it damage leaves or any plants in my tank? I was shopping for plants in lfs and saw many tiny snails in the tank? Are they good to have in my tank? What are the pros and cons? Thanks.


pros - snails help eat algae and aerate the substrate, the bacteria in their excrement is food to baby shrimp

cons - snails could carry algae spores and damage leaves as they eat the algae covered part of the leaf.


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## ryu1 (Mar 25, 2011)

Crispino Ramos said:


> pros - snails help eat algae and aerate the substrate, the bacteria in their excrement is food to baby shrimp
> 
> cons - snails could carry algae spores and damage leaves as they eat the algae covered part of the leaf.


Does that mean pros outweigh cons? If I do put snails, then I should put shrimp in the same tank too?


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

I don't mind the snails myself. They really won't bother the plants until the leaf starts to die.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

It really depends on the snail. I have Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS), They burrow thru the soil, a good thing and dont eat my plants. I accidentally got Flat Ramshorn Snails and #%[email protected]%&*^%$, they eat my plants. I now have two Assassin Snails to search and destroy.


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## LVKSPlantlady (Oct 4, 2009)

the flat ramshorns I had didnt bother my plants. They grew really slowly. IKD if they had anything to do with the fact that while they were in my tank the normal ramshorns and MTS didnot reproduce, the mystery snails had no problems though... once the skunk loach finished all the flat ramshorns off the normal ramshorns and MTS took over!


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

Newt said:


> . I now have two Assassin Snails to search and destroy.


:-({|=

lol, if you don´t mind them most should be allright with plants.. i have tylomania snails, mts, assassin (to eat the pond busterds)


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## Treetom (Jan 23, 2011)

I have Nerites and they do a fantastic job as do red Ramshorns. The rams eat the dead and dieing plant material as well as clean up little food bits on the bottom of the tank that the fish don't get.


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