[APD] RE: Zebra snails

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> >> We've had them here for some time."
>
> Tom:
> Does that mean you know a source that I could order from in the U.S.?

No, I know someone that has many of them.
They crawl out and they have other issues(Do not reproduce w/o SW from the
rumors).
They do a decent job of eating algae, but....so do many snails.  

> I have very little algae now that I have followed your advice and add 10
ppm 
> NO3 and 1.5 ppm PO4 four times a week.  I add 5 ml Flourish on the other 
> three days.  I also keep the CO2 at about 37 ppm.
> But, as I said, on the driftwood and petrified wood, what I'm quite sure
are 
> little tufts of Black Beard Algae do start growing over time. 

Well an SAE should polish it off easily. 
I just take the wood/rock out, bleach, or leave it in and when you do the
water change, bomb it with H2O2 and tooth brush. 

I can kill off 
> the parts that stick up out of the water, when I'm doing a water change, 
> using H2O2, as I described in another posting.  But I find squirting it 
> underwater is mostly ineffective.

Do a larger water change to get all of it or remove the wood. 

  This is exactly the job Oliver Knott 
> mentioned in recommending these snails.  Whenever he has a client with
the 
> problem, he takes out the rock, etc. and drops it into a tank with these 
> snails.  Overnight, they clean it off.  Problem solved.

Well if you can take the rock out, I can bleach it and 3 minutes later
return the same rock, problem solved also.
I prefer my way to having to use a herbivore in that case. The herbivore
only becomes useful  when I cannot remove the wood or rock(there are few
rocks that are that big, 100lbs is about the max size I've used) and that's
very rare I cannot drain the tank down far enough to get all the algae. 

Why does his tanks have BBA BTW?

> As for the USDA, the left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand
is 
> doing.  I was told by more than one person on the phone that there was no 
> problem with this species.  I filled out the permit application,
answering 
> every question, and pointing out that these snails cannot reproduce in
fresh 
> water, and if I had to get rid of them I would grind them up in the 
> disposal.  When they called me for the particular family they belonged
to, I 
> faxed them pictures and descriptions from the internet.  The fact that
they 
> already had a (rubber/metal) stamp with the denial for this particular
snail 
> is what got me.  Why didn't the other people know that?

Hehe, I'll have a position with them(USDA) in CA working with Caulpera as
well as CDFA.

I'm not sure why, I don't do permitting, I hate permitting so they sent me
to do research:-)
Agencies tend to be very paranoia about being sued or blamed. 
We are the only country as far as I know that does not allow FARM raised
Red Dragon Arowannas.

I don't do bait or critters. Unless it's an efficacy test for biocontrol.
BBA is not an invasive weed in CA.
Perhaps your tanks, but not in the water ways here.
You should call and ask and see who and why the application was denied and
see what you can do to have them imported. I know we can get them, but few
would pay the $ for them, I personally would not pay the $ after hearing
the amount.   

> Anyway, I'm not going to pursue trying to import them.  So, if you know
how 
> I can get some, please let me know.

Email me off list and I can see if you want to go through the trouble.
Personally, I've never met any BBA I could not lick inside a week or two.
I think that would be easier.
SAE's are better I'd say and you can get them. 

Also, get some plecos! They will clean wood most excellent.
C japonica will prevent BBA from attaching.
If BBA could not be beat without the snails, we'd all have it but we don't. 
So that's one way to look at it. 
Basically you have many alternatives, some chemical, some biological, some
environmental

If you use an intergrated multi pronged approach, algae does not stand a
chance.
  
Regards, 
Tom Barr

> John
> John T. Fitch



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