[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Uninvited Guests
Ian Brown wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've set up a heavily planted tropical freshwater tank, and it's just
coming to the end of its one month maturation period.
>
> Unfortunately, it appears I have been the recipient of some "uninvited
guests" - namely snails - that have started making an appearance over the
last week. I'm assuming they have hitched a ride in on the plants.
>
> So far they haven't reached infestation levels, and I have been picking
them out when I see them, but the number has started to rise, and they are
now beginning to get larger and I'm getting concerned that they may be
breeding soon.
>
> Can anyone recommend a method of poisoning them off without killing the
plants? With the tank only just becoming mature I don't yet have any fish,
so that's not a concern so long as the treatment can be removed through
water changes.
Ian,
Your "uninvited guests" are a normal part of the "maturation period". Check
the archives of this list for references to Malaysian Trumpet Snails, or
MTSs. They perform some useful roles in consuming detritus, sifting the
substrate, etc.
After a while, their population will drop down. If you don't want to wait,
add some loaches to the tank. I would suggest a single yo-yo loach or a
small group of botia striata, which remain small even when full-grown.
Alysoun McLaughlin
Wheaton, MD