# Last chance to rid my aquarium of ramshorns



## AndreaPond (May 2, 2020)

I hope that this is my last query, but again it's about those nasty ramshorns. I want my aquarium rid of them because I covet the pristine water I used to have. Here is what I propose to do:

•Dispose of all of the live plants in my 10 gallon;
•Scrub and rinse all silk plants, floating log and all large, smooth stones;
•Scrub the walls and floor of the tank;
•Rinse in VERY HOT water all pebbles and the entire lot of established media from my previous BiOrb which has been in this 10 gallon since the start;
•Keep the filter intact; and
•Buy new plants (anubias and Java fern)

This means a 100% water change. Is this potentially a disaster waiting to happen? Would, should, could I consider putting Mr. Garvey in a hospital tank in order to do this? 
While I understand that ramshorns are not bad for a tank, I simply don't want them there. Further, since I bought the plants from someone and they came with these snails, I've also now discovered those tiny, "thin as a strand of hair" worms, along with teeny, tiny little creatures that dart around so quickly and are probably the size of a pin prick.

Would anyone kindly provide their wisdom on this?
Thank you very, very much.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You could take Mr. Garvey out and treat the entire tank for the Ramshorn and other pests in tank.

There are a few ways to tackle snails. I've been able to get rid of pond/bladder snails by putting a piece of lettuce in a tank when I turn the lights off. I throw the lettuce and snails out into the yard when lights come on and repeat every night until I get no takers. This allows for the newly-hatched. You can also use SeaChem Cupramin Copper. Copper is death to gastropods and inverts so don't use it if you have shrimp.

Or, you could treat with this Amazon.com : Benibachi Planaria Zero [15g] (Japan Import) : Pet Supplies which users claim also kills snails along with Hydra and Planaria.

Hope this helps make it easier for you.

For snail-free plants without going to all tissue culture, try Aquarium Plants Factory or Green Leaf Aquariums. One member got snails from Buce Plants so, as much as I like their plants, I would steer clear.

I've been buying from APF for five years and nary a snail. They grow in a way so there are no snails and I just received an answer from GLA stating they do not have snails.

There is a seller on eBay I've bought from who will treat all plants for snails before sending for $3.00. I've not had snails from her but it would be worth the $3.00.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Hydra:









Planaria:


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## AndreaPond (May 2, 2020)

Thank you VERY much for all of your research and your advice. I really, really wanted to try Cupramin so I searched for it. It turns out that Canada de-listed it in April of 2019, so no such luck. I ended up having to do what I wanted least to do - dismantle the entire aquarium minus the filter. It was a long, sweaty job. I boiled the substrate (small river stones) in pots and now two days later I still have it all drying out in foil pans outside. The live plants were thrown out and I'm getting many, many, many new live plants today, primarily Anubias and Java fern. The good news after all this work is this is that I have NO snails, except for my Assassin, who is eating frozen bloodworms daily.

Thank you again.


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