How to Get Rid of Those Pesky Snails (Without Killing Your Fish)

When it comes to freshwater aquariums, especially those with live plants, one of the most common uninvited guests are snails! The most common pest snails to look out for are bladder snails, rams horn snails, pond snails and Malaysian trumpet snails. While most of these snails are harmless or even useful on their own or in low numbers, most pest snails reproduce asexually, meaning it only takes one to create an entire snail army and they do it FAST! They can quickly become a nuisance if their population gets out of control. They love to snack on your aquarium plants, clog up your filters, and party on your aquarium glass, blocking your perfect view. But don't worry, there are ways to deal with these prolific and destructive moochers.

Bladder snail

They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it's no different when it comes to snails. In addition to regular aquarium maintenance, taking a few simple precautions can save yourself a lot of future headache!

Here are a few tips to prevent a snail infestation in the first place:

• Don't overfeed your fish. Any food not eaten by your fish will become an all you can eat snail buffet. Luckily, snails can only overpopulate a tank if there is enough food to sustain them and all their growing babies. Our recommendation is to only feed your leave fish as much as they can eat within 3-5 minutes once or twice per day. After feeding make sure anything left over is removed to ensure there's nothing left for freeloaders to snack on.

• Keep your aquarium clean. Algae is a favorite food of many snails, this is often the reason some people choose to add snails to their tanks on purpose. Unfortunately, pest snails also love it! Regular water changes and gravel cleaning will help to reduce nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates starving out algae, AKA snail food. No food=no snails.

• Inspect new plants, and any used decorations or equipment before adding them to your aquarium to prevent hitchhikers. Snails and their eggs can often hitch a ride on new plants, filters, cleaning equipment, nets and decorations. To prevent introducing these trespassers, be sure to remove any new aquarium plants from their pots and rinse the roots and leaves out really well, removing as much substrate as you can, while combing through the roots and leaves for signs of snails or snail eggs. Ensure any used decorations, nets, sponges or aquarium equipment is cleaned really well and is allowed completely dry out before using them in your aquarium.

• Potassium permanganate dip. Snails, especially their eggs and babies, can be very tiny and hard to spot on live plants. To eliminate these tiny stowaways, treat your new plants to a spa day. Start with a nice relaxing shower to remove any old substrate, rock wool or gel from the leaves and roots. Once thoroughly rinsed, treat your plants to a nice refreshing soak in a potassium permanganate dip. To prepare the dip, get a container with enough water to completely cover the plants with a bit of wiggle room. Stir in the potassium permanganate a little at a time until the water turns a nice bright magenta pink, if the water turns purple you've put too much. Once the solution is mixed add your plants ensuring they are completely submerged. Let them soak for 10 minutes, giving them a gentle shake halfway through to ensure the solution gets into every nook and cranny. After 10 minutes rinse your plants thoroughly and they're ready for your tank.

Malaysian trumpet snails

What do you do if they've already infiltrated your defenses and have begun to colonize your aquarium? There are a number of ways to eliminate or reduce these tiny invaders.

Here are a few of our favorite methods:

• Natural methods: These are the safest, and most environmentally friendly options for controlling party crashing mollusks. While they may not completely eradicate your snails, they are usually able to keep them at a low enough population to not be a nuisance.

• The cucumber trap: Cucumbers are a delicacy to snails, that most can't resist chowing down on. This classic method is not only effective and humane but 100% safe for all other aquarium inhabitants. Simply cut a piece of cucumber and place it in your aquarium overnight. The snails will be be unable to resist. In the morning, the cucumber should be crawling with snails. Simply remove the cucumber and the snails with it. Repeat this nightly until you don't see them in the tank and there are no snails on the cucumber in the mornings. To dispose of the snails you can freeze them then put them into the garbage but never flush them or pour them down a drain. Alternatively, snails are a favorite treat for many popular aquarium species such as pufferfish, loaches, crayfish and some catfish so if you would rather not let them go to waste you could ask if any local hobbyists have any critters who would love to take them off your hands, or use them as an excuse to get a new critter to spoil.

• The assassin snail: Assassin snails are a small predatory species of freshwater snail that specializes in eating other snails. If you have a snail infestation, these tiny predators can be your hitmen. Not only are they voracious snail hunters, their yellow and black striped shell is very attractive and they are no danger to your plants, shrimp or fish. While they will mow down any snails that are smaller than them, larger ornamental snails such as adult mystery snails and adult rabbit snails are usually safe so long as the assassins stay well fed.

• Loaches: loaches are comical, active, little fish with elongated bodies and pointed faces who, much like the French, have a taste for escargot! After ensuring your tank is large enough for the loach species of your choice, just plop him into the tank and watch as he sniffs out every snail in your tank like a bloodhound. Once they track one down they'll flip it upside down then slurp the snail right out of the shell. After a week or two the only sign of your snail infestation should the the empty shells littered about. Keep in mind that they will eat ALL snails, not just the bad guys, so be sure you don't have any snails you want to keep before introducing a loach.

Snail Eggs

Chemical warfare: These treatments are useful for eliminating even the worst pest snail problems. While they can often be more effective than natural methods at wiping out every single snail, they often have side effects that can harm the other inhabitants of your aquarium. Also these treatments tend to kill all of the snails at once, so if you have a large infestation it can cause water quality issues and ammonia spikes.

• Copper: This is a chemical treatment that can be used to kill snails. It's super effective! However, it's important to keep in mind that it kills ALL invertebrates, not just the pests, and is difficult to remove once introduced, so do not use this method if you keep or plan to keep ornamental snails, shrimps, clams, crayfish or crabs. Scaleless fish such as eels and catfish can be sensitive to copper as well so it's important to research your tank's inhabitants before using this method. Copper is also not recommended for live plants.

• Commercial snail removal products: There are several snail treatments available on the market, each with varying levels of effectiveness and toxicity. Be sure to thoroughly research any product you plan to use and follow all directions carefully.

Ramshorn Snail

No matter which method you choose, it's important to be patient. It may take some time to get rid of all the snails in your aquarium.

Following these tips, you should be able to keep your aquarium snail-free!

If you're in the DFW area and happen to have a snail infestation, don't fret. Just give iSeaLife a call and we can help you evict them! We offer aquarium maintenance services in Arlington, TX and the surrounding Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. If you need help with your snail problem, want to prevent a snail infestation from happening in the first place, or just want to see your aquarium sparkle, please contact us. We would be happy to help make your fish tank the aquatic paradise of your dreams.