# Ramshorn snails? No thank you?



## HannahM (May 24, 2020)

I have discovered that there are ramshorn snails growing in my tank and honestly I don't want to keep up with them. I heard regular cleanings get them out, but also I hear theres a chemical that can help too? My betta is alone with no other fish so I was wondering if anyone knew the right product to get them out that's safe. If there isn't a product that can be used, then any other advice is appreciated. 

Thanks!


----------



## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

There is a recent thread about rams horn snails








Snails Mysteriously Appeared


Hello! I have ramshorn snails in my tank. I didn't deliberately put them there, but here's what's changed the last couple of weeks: 16 days ago I added new plants to the tank 6 days ago I bought and added two bags of stones to the tank (sealed and purchased from PetSmart.ca) 4 days ago I...




www.bettafish.com


----------



## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

There are four main ways to get rid of snails, three are done in the aquarium itself and the fourth requires plants & decor to be removed.

Method one is to remove them yourself. Squish the snails when you see them, bait them with lettuce or something and scoop them out in the morning, scrape any eggs you see, etc. If you're not super diligent you'll probably never eradicate them, just keep the population down.

Method two is to get an Assassin Snail (or a few, depending on how big your tank is and how many snails there are), which as the name suggests will eat other snails. Other snail-eating critters are Loaches and Pea Puffers, but they have their own care requirements and shouldn't be added to a tank unless it's suitable. Some people have good luck totally eliminating snails via this "biological control" and others find the population is only reduced, not gone.

Method three is chemical, via adding an anti-parasite medicine to your tank, most commonly copper but I believe Malachite Green may also work, and possibly others. The drawbacks are that some fish and any other snails or shrimp you want to keep in your tank will also be affected. Copper doesn't kill snail eggs, just the young once they hatch, so it's not a one-time treatment but will need to be dosed for about a month to be sure all the eggs have had a chance to hatch.

Personally, I tried copper for Bladder snails- it didn't touch them. I experimented with a separate container and found I needed about three times the recommended dose of CopperSafe to kill a Bladder snail, which was far too high for me to want in my tank. Copper will also "soak" into the substrate, soft decor like driftwood, and even the silicone seals- which can affect shrimp and desirable snails later if it isn't leached back out.

Method four is to remove and treat your plants with something that will kill the snails, but isn't safe to be used directly in the aquarium. You'll also need to boil or clean any decor that may have eggs laid on it, and potentially treat the substrate and possibly even the filter depending on where the snails are hanging out.

My weapon of choice for this is Alum, a powder that's available in the spices or canning section- about a Tablespoon per gallon will kill snails and their eggs if plants are soaked for a day, and it rinses out cleanly afterwards. Other people do bleach dips, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate... There are tons of "recipes" for snail-killing soaks out there.


That all said, snails aren't necessarily bad to have in your aquarium! Unless they are eating your plants or growing out of control (which usually means you are overfeeding your fish anyway), they can actually be beneficial if you have live plants.

But of course, it's your choice- I know I intentionally added Malaysian Trumpet Snails to my tank on purpose, but then nuked the Bladder snails that showed up uninvited.


----------

