How did the snails get in my tank? (2024)

I am currently cycling my 4.4G Flatback Hex tank. I planned it to be planted so I have java moss (in a decorative rock for experiment) and a java fern in a lava chip.

Today, I was just sitting in front of this tank and I realized I am seeing something moving. They are very small (kinda like a little bud when you first see little baby ferns). I put my face closer to the tank to look at it, and WALAA, I got snails in my tank.

How did they get in there? I didn't buy them. I had an eco-complete as a substrate, and when I bought the lava chips, they were dry and I washed them good before I put them in my tank. The only other thing in my tank is the Profile Aquarium heater (came with the tank when I bought it from toddandbecka) and the new penn plax small world filter. Where could have they attached themselves before?

EDIT: The java fern came from my 10G tank (that tank doesn't have snails in it) and I also have the 2xlily bulbs from my 5G tank (there is no snails there either). Although I got my java moss in the LFS. Is that possibly where they came from? I do have the same java moss in my 10G and 5G but I didn't notice any snails there at all.
Are they okay in my tank or do I have to take them out? Are they beneficial? Please help....

And oh, I have found 3 snails so far. Will they populate fast?

Snail ALWAYS hitch rides on plants, especially from LFS's. That is most likely where they came from.

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Here are some pics so you can see what they look like:

In the java fern leaf:

In the back of the filter:

In the side of the glass:

More view in the glass:

Far View:

They aren't hurtful but they may breed and over take your tank. Get some gold barns if you can they eat snails.

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Should I take them out?

EDIT:
what are barns? I am cycling without fish..will that affect my cycling if i get something that will eat the snails?

Those are common pond snails. And they're common because they do reproduce quickly.

Your best chance to get them is to get them early before you start adding food to your tank. If you can remove them before they get too much bigger, they wont be able to fertilize any eggs (even if they do lay some) and you'll be able to just scrape them out.

Otherwise yes, Assassin Snails are a very good investment. My 26gal Bowfront has ramshorn snails (that I added intentionally as a bit of a "extra food cleanup crew") - and the Assassins clean them up without wiping them out.

As far as bioload - it's not so much the assassins that will add to the bioload - the bigger bioload will come from the half-eaten dead snails that they can't finish in one sitting.

Ohh no. I have been doing the food flakes method for this cycle....maybe that is why I am seeing them now because they have been getting bigger from the flakes...grrr...

I gotta take them out there now....thanks everyone....

thanks vircomore for the identification and the description of this sneaky little snails. greatly appreciated!

daileene said:

ohhh thank you so much jason.....that would be so awesome..i already tried catching them and I only caught one. The other one I tried getting, jump out on me and camouflages in the gravel. The other one is hiding somewhere. :-(

Click to expand...

You may want to trap them with a food source. I've read where you can place a piece of lettuce on the tank floor at night and remove it in the morning with all the snails that took the bait. I suspect if you do that a few nights in a row you will be able to get rid of your snail infestation. You may have to experiment with a type of leafy vegetable that your snails will be attracted to since they already have food sources in your tank with your java ferns.

I just cleared my tank of snails with lettuce. Every night I put a couple of weights on a piece and let it sit on the gravel overnight. Just pull out the lettuce in the morning and it is loaded with snails. Took four nights and now it's under control. All the snails went in a tub to be be rehomed to my brother-in-law's pond in the spring. Some of the baby snails ate mystery snails too. I Must have pulled at least two hundred snails out of the tank and it's only a 25 gallon tank.

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