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snails (MTS and "other")...
When I set up my tank about six weeks ago, I added 3 Malaysian trumpet
snails, and now I have tons of them, which is great! I seem to recall
someone asking for some; if you still would like a few, I could spare some
at this point. Please feel free to email me privately (Canadian
destinations only, sorry).
The MTS's are invited residents, but somehow I ended up with other snails
that I don't want. They have round, dark shells, and I have been picking
them out by hand, usually when they're still small (alive). I even found
one living in the bottom of my filter when I cleaned it out yesterday. Two
were also stuck in the Eheim surface skimmer intake. They seem very
fragile; as soon as I touch them, the outer parts of their shells seem to
crush. I read in Baensch that the flesh of dead snails will poison a tank,
so I don't want to use any chemicals to kill them.
I am thinking of adding a few clown loaches to my tank, as a means of
controlling the unwanted snails, and also because I have become quite
intrigued by these cute guys (the loaches, not the snails!). But I have a
couple of concerns. Firstly, would they wreak havoc with my plants? Also,
I have read so much about their susceptibility to ich (ick?). Assuming I
could get some small ones (why do the LFS's have only big ones?), how could
I ensure that ich wouldn't become an issue? Some people say it depends on
water quality, which is fine in my tank. Or, what quarantine setup would be
appropriate for them? When they get bigger, I intend to give them a tank of
their own with some tiger barbs, but for now I want them in this (50-gal)
planted one.
Thanks.
Gitte