# Bladder snails in my good tank



## Sfsam (Mar 15, 2017)

So... I have a 5 gal tank moderately planted for my betta Neptune Steve. Well Neptune was always fantastic at picking off the random bladder snail that might show up. Then a while back I found a foreground plant I thought would be perfect, later I decided I hated it (was a grass type and just collected all the nasties right there for the world to see first thing). So about two weeks ago I pulled it out and tossed it into the bucket with my extra Anacharis. That night I saw a couple bladder snails and they looked significantly larger than those I normally see... Smooshed them since Neptune wasn't interested... Shortly after I see 4-5 more, not good... Anyway tonight I decided I'm officially infested after doing some trimming and finding an un Holy amount of eggs, bladder snail eggs on my plants. All of them... Though I've never seen more than a 4 bladder snails at once and I've been diligent at their smashings I've lost the battle. 

So, to get to the point. My personal best course of action appears to be assassin snails... But I have some nerites and I happen to like them. I'm confident that an assassin will have plenty to eat for, well, probably forever off the bladder snail disaster. 

Is one assassin reasonable to eliminate a bazillion bladder snails that will shortly be out of their eggs? Or am I better getting another tank going and rehoming my nerites to the new tank and just getting a couple or three assassins and letting nature do its thing? 

I can elaborate more if needed, and I'm open to suggestions on the nerite only tank. I'm also looking for input to jump start some algae production in the new tank off the bat for the nerites as well so suggestions how to get it growing are also appreciated. 

Also exciting as I'll get to Germany more plants for a "new" tank!!


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

A. Snails will do the job. If not, move the betta and get some Freshwater Puffers, but be prepared to feed frozen food to the puffers once they eat all the snails. (Do more research before the puffers, please!)


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## Sfsam (Mar 15, 2017)

ThatFishThough said:


> A. Snails will do the job. If not, move the betta and get some Freshwater Puffers, but be prepared to feed frozen food to the puffers once they eat all the snails. (Do more research before the puffers, please!)


I regularly feed frozen food for a ctenopoma and lacy cats that I have already so frozen is a completely acceptable option. I hadn't thought about puffers and they are cute little guys but yes they have some traits that I'm not exactly sold on. Any thoughts on a sustainable number of assassins to get the population of bladders in check? Obviously I'm willing to allow time for assassins to resolve them to reasonable numbers... But I'm not sure if one can do the job or if I should go ahead and get a few and allow them to populate which means putting together a permanent new home for the nerites. 

Also I failed to ask before, what kind of decimation of my plants should I expect due to the bladder snails? I've grown attached to this tank and established a fantastic balance between all of the inhabitants, I'm very sad that this is going to change but am I expecting too much to hope my plants are going survive the onslaught?


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Bladder snails eat only decaying plants and some algae. They don't eat healthy plants. People hate them because they multiple. As long as there is not enough food, they wouldn't reproduce crazy. 5 gallon is fairly small. I think one betta and some nerites are good enough to have. I only have a betta in my planted 5.5 gallon, nothing else. 


You can place a slice of zucchini in the tank at night. You can remove the zucchini next day because you will find bladders on it. Repeat the process until you are happy.


I just smashed bladders and removed eggs when I saw them. They no longer exist in my tanks. 


Assasin snails are supposed to reproduce crazy. I don't recommend you to get more than one unless you have many tanks. I have never owned an assassin snail, so I don't know for sure though.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have Assassin Snails. They are very tiny and have next to no bioload. Unlike bladder and pond snails, they only produce one baby snail at a time. I've never had a problem with a population explosion even when I had three in my 20 long to get rid of approximately 200 bladder snails...I think they were too busy eating. ;-)

It's always a risk to put Assassin Snails in with Nerites but I haven't lost a Nerite to them. I wouldn't, however, put them in a tank with Horned Nerite which are so tiny; only with larger species.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I have Assassin Snails. They are very tiny and have next to no bioload. Unlike bladder and pond snails, they only produce one baby snail at a time. I've never had a problem with a population explosion even when I had three in my 20 long to get rid of approximately 200 bladder snails...I think they were too busy eating. ;-)
> 
> It's always a risk to put Assassin Snails in with Nerites but I haven't lost a Nerite to them. I wouldn't, however, put them in a tank with Horned Nerite which are so tiny; only with larger species.


Oops for the wrong information. I recently read a post somewhere else that said the person's Assassins reproduced so fast and s/he had too many of them.


Just curious. Do Assassin's attack shrimp? Do you have to feed them fish food or live food when there is no longer bladders?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

They don't attack shrimp unless they're dead (the shrimp, that is). If you have heavily-planted tanks, as do I, they will clean up any bodies of Nano fish, too.

I feed frozen food as a staple diet but for those who don't, AS will clean up leftover food. The occasional frozen bloodworm will make them very happy.


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## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

What about Bristlenose plecos? Would the assassin snail do anything to them? I also have an infestation of bladder snails in my 20g and tried traps and placing zucchini in the tank neither worked and I just lost a PKG to a trap (the PKG in the 20 was not my idea). Trying to get rid of the bladders.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Assassin Snails are harmless when it comes to fish. They are tiny at .75"-1".


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## Sfsam (Mar 15, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I have Assassin Snails. They are very tiny and have next to no bioload. Unlike bladder and pond snails, they only produce one baby snail at a time. I've never had a problem with a population explosion even when I had three in my 20 long to get rid of approximately 200 bladder snails...I think they were too busy eating. ;-)
> 
> It's always a risk to put Assassin Snails in with Nerites but I haven't lost a Nerite to them. I wouldn't, however, put them in a tank with Horned Nerite which are so tiny; only with larger species.


Well maybe I'll get one, pray for the nerites, and see what happens... 
I do of course have some dead plant matter I'm sure, I cut leaves and whatnot as I see them and go through everything every couple weeks in the corners and the hidey holes and clean up anything back there that may have wandered which is generally next to nothing, used to be mostly that awful grass that I tore out. As for live plants.... I'm full lol I never could kill a house plant and aquaria plants I seem to have the same effect they just grow like mad! Lol

Seems that it's the season though as today I noticed in my other tank my sole mystery snail deposited a surprise for me as well, right at the front though! They are scooped out awaiting dinner to finish cooking and spend some time with the oven before the trash just to be sure that there's no miracles in the bunch.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can throw the bladder snails out into the yard for the birds and other insects to eat. Or, you can put a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight and that will remove a great many of them. Before the Assassin Snails that's what I did. Within a few days all were gone.


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## Sfsam (Mar 15, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> You can throw the bladder snails out into the yard for the birds and other insects to eat. Or, you can put a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight and that will remove a great many of them. Before the Assassin Snails that's what I did. Within a few days all were gone.


I tried lettuce, spinach, and cucumber, blanched and not blanched and I did better smashing them daily. Plus Neptune just makes a giant mess doing a crocodile shake with all vegis except carrots which didn't attract any thing but my largest nerite. 

I talked to my lfs guy whose been doing all types of fish for 40 years who recommended making it a single puffer tank while I get my 20 long going with a fish in cycle with what I have in there for now, but then I'm stuck with the puffer whom I don't want to essentially build the big tank around. His other suggestion was assassins. I did more research and came here for input on the assassins as well as damage to expect. I think I'll still go with a single assassin and I sent my sister off with my favorite nerites tonight just in case. 

Seems though (and thank you everyone who gave input) that bladder snails aren't the horrible things I thought they were lol. Seems that they are just prolific breeders and I can have patience while letting an assassin get things under control and not worry about them annihilating my plants or some such catastrophe.


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## marabriscoe (Jul 22, 2016)

i just recently bought an assassin snail for my pond snail infestation in a 20G. he's tackling the population pretty efficiently and i've already had to clean up a couple empty shells. my betta has thus far completely ignored him while he does his thang.


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## Sfsam (Mar 15, 2017)

I got my assassin, and I removed the nerites into a different smaller tank, and with a bladder snail quite literally crawling on the assassins shell, it chose instead to go after the nearly golf ball size mystery snail... I watched as nearly everything I read says that they won't bother them and the assassin knew just exactly what it was doing! He wedged himself up onto my big snail where so that he was unable to close his trap door and then started biting or stinging, the pond snail couldn't shake him or escape so now the assassin is in my little 2.5 gallon with a Loki. I've been moving all the bladders I see to that tank until I can get another something set up and running for all the nerites and the pond snail. 

Ultimately the new plan is to get the 20 long I've been wanting anyway and I'll move Loki and the snails there, completely dismantle and start over on the 2.5 and then the assassin can complete his mission in my favorite and beautiful planted tank. 

I thought I would let it be known for anyone considering assassins that if you do have ANY snails no matter how large, if you want to keep them safe, don't have an assassin with them. I know that by all accounts it's supposedly only happens when there's nothing else for them but it can happen anytime whether or not they have food their size. 

In the mean time I've accepted my new terrorist and the extra changes I'll be making. After all my research I'm actually considering possibly letting the 2.5 just become a breeding ground for the bladders and if and when my planted tank is completely free from the bladders I'll have a food supply for him and the lfs puffers and loaches. Lfs is always happy for the extras and I'm sure that my solitary assassin will appreciate a lifetime banquet as well.


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