# Snails?



## BUGGER (Nov 7, 2013)

I have 17g. What snails that are small enough for my tank that can help with algae and other cleaning chore? I was considering mystery snails but I think they may be too large for my tank.


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## Tugg (Jul 28, 2013)

Pond, Bladder,and Ramshorns you can typically get free. MTS are live bearers, so watch out for them. If population is a concern, you could buy some nerites.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

No snail eats enough algae to be called an algae eater. The Neritinas are the best but they turn on the algae eating overdrive whenever they feel like it. Which is pretty rare.

The role of snails in a freshwater planted tank is two-fold:
1. Aerate the substrate (if they bury themselves)
2. Show you that you have an accumulation of organics.

Funny thing people want to get rid of snails by using Assasin snails but do not address the fact that their tank is dirty.

The best algae eating "crew" for a planted tank is a mix of different kinds of snails, Amano shrimp, and dwarf shrimp. A tank with all three definitely accumulates less mulm and that mulm is also finer. It's about breaking up the dirt into smaler and smaller particles and the snails will help with food leftovers and such. The dwarf shrimp "processes" what the Amanos "produce". The Amano shrimp are the roughest shrimp for a planted tank - they will try to eat anything they can. What happens is that they make the fine particles waterbourne and that way the fine dirt has a chance to go to the filter instead of clinging to leaves, decorations, etc. If the water flow is setup to move from the outtake to the intake without being disrupted then the Amano shrimp's help is actually useful. If the flow does not carry away the fine particles that the Amanos raise then these particles endlessly dance in your tank and break up into smaller and smaller pieces. These small pieces have a huge surface area and bind and release all kinds of chemicals without you having any control of that. That is what you do NOT want happening. So the best approach is good water flow pattern + snails, Amanos, and dwarf shrimp.

Fish that bury themselves are perfect for keeping the tank's substrate clean but in a planted tank usually we want some cool looking hills etc and such fish are not a good idea. Some years ago I had a single loach that constantly moved in and out of the gravel. Deep vacuuming the bottom produced completely clean water. Zero mulm. I guess the entire bottom was one big and well aerated biofilter. Snails can help with that although not as aggressively as an active burying fish.


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## BUGGER (Nov 7, 2013)

I thought I post this in inverts section. Anyway, looks like I'll get few nerites and couple of shrimps and a few ottos. I can see where the shrimp do their work, i see a lot debris on the leaves and just stay there. I really don't mind having alot of snails which I'm sure I can control if it becomes a problem. I had tons of them in my saltwater tank and yeah it's very important they stir the sand.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

You can keep any of the common snails in a 17 gallon tank, just don't overdo it with mystery snails because they are relatively large animals.


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## BUGGER (Nov 7, 2013)

Ok that sounds good, it gives the tank a variety. I have other question, which snail that doesn't climb out of the tank? I have rimless.


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## Method (Aug 18, 2011)

I've never had a snail crawl out of my open-topped tanks. You should be fine. I happen to like MTS the best.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

The Apple snail group (Mystery etc) are known climbers. They breed out of water, so have that inclination to climb. 
The other snails discussed here are fully aquatic, so should not climb out of the tank.


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