Too many good snails?

To: Aquatic plants list <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Subject: Too many good snails?
From: Cynthia Powers <cyn at metronet_com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 23:23:34 -0500 (CDT)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Plants FIDO-Gate <Plants.FIDO-Gate at f78_n480.z2.fidonet.org>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 96 23:55:27 +0200
Subject: Too many good snails?
Yoadie yo ho !!!

Based on a message from G.Tong to All,

 G> With all the talk lately of Malaysian Trumpet snails, I took a torch to
 G> my tank last night and found them carpeting my substrate. Tiny ones to
 G> large 3/4" long ones. All of them the progeny of two snails Dave Gomberg
 G> gave me not too long ago.

Hehehe, the usual case with Melanoides tuberculata. You wake
up one night and find that there's more of them than the
gravel ;)))

 G> Now I wonder if having so many snails can be too much of a good thing.
 G> I'm thinking of their extra bioload (since added up, they may exceed my
 G> fish load) and even the risk that they might die off en masse without
 G> our knowing about it. Any thoughts?

Well, to be honest, I never had too many problems with these
guys, they don't have a large mass (notice that they're in
reality fairly small) and from my experience don't cause a
massive bioload. Also they have very very good metabolism
and really clean the bottom, and don't produce too much
waste. The problem of them dying remains, however, I had
massive deaths of this snail (it doesn't enjoy low pH too
much...) and it never caused any problems, it seems it's
really a very small mass...

 G> Besides loaches, what other "natural" means of control are there?

Loaches won't control this guy that easily - all other
snails, yes, this one, since it moves below the substrate -
not really. To be honest, the best method is turn off the
light, turn down the oxygen for a while and scoop these guys
off the walls then, alternatively give them a tasty bite to
get close to (of course when it's dark) and then get'em
while they don't know what's up :)

           /
          ||/   -=< TONID >=-
     | /| |/   Tomasz Nidecki
     || |//    2:480/78, 39:200/110, 52:4804/16
     ||////    Tomasz.Nidecki at f78_n480.z2.fidonet.org
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