Re: snails v pupfish

[Wright Huntley <jwwiii at pacbell_net>]

Wolfgang Schickler wrote:

> I like the shrimp because they are much easier 
> removed (if you want to) and don’t cause
> overpopulation
> like snails tend to do...

Wolfgang makes a very good point. I have rid several tanks of pond and 
ramshorn snails with Loaches, but even "big" Clown Loaches seemed to be 
unable to crunch some MTS shells. [I have heard they are easier to remove in 
water softer than my old Fremont stuff. The shells apparently aren't quite 
so tough.]

MTS are a livebearing "trapdoor" snail and can withstand almost any 
poisoning by slamming the door and going dormant until the toxic substance 
is gone or diluted to safe levels. Weeks of Chlorox just bleached the shells 
a bit, for example. Short of boiling the gravel, or long soak in strong 
acid, I have not found any sure-fire way to eliminate them, once they get 
established.

This tenacity can lead to the kind of paranoia mentioned in the lead post on 
this thread, BTW. :-)

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley -- 209 521-0557 -- 731 Loletta Ave, Modesto CA 95351

      We have a million monkeys typing on a million keyboards.
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