Question: Snails

Hi
I bought a plant from an aquarium shop a while ago and after I put it in the water noticed it had some tiny little snails on it, I took out the ones I could see and after a while the plant died anyhow so removed the lot. Since then id noticed a couple of these mini snails on the tank glass and wondered if they are ok to leave or should I take out, earlier today I noticed quite a few more so they seem to be multiplying quite rapidly.
Should I be doing a full clean out of them?

Nah, snails that small aren't usually a problem..if they bother you...then physically remove the ones you see...but if they don't bother you..let them stay, and they can even help clean any algae that may pop up.

Those mini snail cam get around about thumb nail size fairly quickly, I saw pick them out when you see them.

Also quarantine ANYTHING you're going to put in your tank for at least 30 days to avoid this kind of thing.

yeah, to be fair if there no threat to the axies then im quite happy to leave them, maybe once they get big ill rehome them.
My little guys dont seem interested in them, thought they might try and eat them lol.

I had a snail invasion once..my axolotl ate them all

I asked Michael at www.canberaaquatics.com.au if the product "No Planaria" was safe with axolotls (he wasn't sure by the way, never seen it tried, so that question is unanswered)

I also asked him if the "NO Planaria" could be used to clean plants in quarantine.

Below is his reply FYI -

Hi Bren
No planaria will not treat all the nasties that can find their way into a tank via plants. For treating or quarantining plants before they go into a tank I would first use the below methods,
There is a few methods for treating plants before placing them into a tank. A 1:19 bleach dip for a couple of minutes then thoroughly rinsing the plants. Many sensitive plants such as vals, liverworts, mosses certain stem plants may be damaged by this. Plants with a good rhizome such as crypts or ferns are generally more resilient to this type of treatment, you may lose some leaves but the plants recover in most cases.It is important to use a bleach that is just that, bleach, and contains no scents or any other additives. Home brand bleaches are generally a safe bet.
Potassium Permanganate (available from most chemists) is another common chemical used to dip plants in, a dark purple solution is made in a bucket and plants are soaked in this for 20 minutes and then thoroughly rinsed. Even just a good rinse can also help to dislodge some bugs too. PP is less harmful to plants, but may not be as effective against bugs. (I would advise doing this outside and wearing gloves, this stuff will stain your hands a nasty bronze colour!)
An Alum dip is the other commonly used method for treating plants, a solution of 1 tablespoon per 4L of water can be used to soak plants in, a soaking time of a couple hours is generally used. And as with the other two, rinse thoroughly before placing in your tank.
Many people will then place the plants straight into their tank, if you are a bit paranoid or want to be certain you could then place the plants into a quarantine tank to watch for any signs of bugs or if anything hatches (snail eggs can be a bit resilient)
Hope this answers your questions.

Regards
Michael Jones

It seemed like a balanced and reasonable point of veiw, and some good methods there

bren

I used to keep a beautiful 75 gallon tank full of pretty Oranda goldfish. I had an apple snail, the size of my fist, and he was so cool to watch. I would love to find another one...

I have always wondered how an apple snail would vie in a tank with newts or axolotls.
Has anyone does this? Success? Good idea? Bad idea?
And yes, I have read the disasters-of-mixing....

I remember my snail was such a pig. He/she loved eating lettuce. I wonder if lettuce would be harmful to newts or axies?

trincan said:

Has anyone does this? Success? Good idea? Bad idea?
And yes, I have read the disasters-of-mixing....

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Bad idea really.

Vampy you can keep some little snails in there no problem, but as soon as they get rather big, say half the size of your axie's mouth? I suggest removing them so that they don't cause any of those nasty axie tries to eat snail problems.

oooh... reading that I think plastic plants are the way forward lol.
crysta... my local pet shop found me the neon coral, i got the white like yours, yours still look better though and some orange stick like things, twiglet's investigated but the others have yet to.
Ill keep an eye out snail wise and keep on top of the situation, I spotted some other weird thing in there this morning too but quickly got it out, not sure what it was.

trincan said:

I have always wondered how an apple snail would vie in a tank with newts or axolotls.
Has anyone does this? Success? Good idea? Bad idea?
And yes, I have read the disasters-of-mixing....

Click to expand...

I know others recommend against it but I have 3 of them in the tank with my adult axolotl. They seem to ignore each other mostly - he does snap at them a little bit when he's hungry but they are way too big to get in his mouth (he did eat all my ramshorn snails when I tried those a few months ago).

They rarely close their trapdoors - but I could see the danger to a smaller axolotl. They do seem to keep the tank pretty clean - and conveniently lay their eggs above the water line for easy removal...

If I were to have a set up for newts or axolotls, I would make sure they were giant like the one I had (as I said it was the size of my fist)

cleverfriend, what size is your axolotl, and what size are your snails? The snapping from the axolotl shouldn't be too much of a problem, as I imagine the "door" of the snail's shell can open and close rather quickly if a predator approaches.

I have read that apple snails are kept at a temperature between 64-82 degrees, so temp is not a major issue of difference between the species.

My concern would be toxicity of both species, wastes, foods, etc. I know apple snails tolerate a wide range of habitats, and are kept with tropicals, goldfish, etc., but would a newt or axie be healthy in a shared habitat?

trincan said:

cleverfriend, what size is your axolotl, and what size are your snails? The snapping from the axolotl shouldn't be too much of a problem, as I imagine the "door" of the snail's shell can open and close rather quickly if a predator approaches

Click to expand...

Axolotl is about a foot, snails about 1.5 to 2 inches. Photo of both together here


The axolotl is fed well on earthworms so that probably keeps his hunting urges down a little (he's a fat little axolotl!).

cleverfriend, that photo totally answered my question! Lol! Great pic too, by the way.

Thanks!!

This is an issue that returns again and again. It's like the argument about gravel and rocks. Just because an axolotl is well fed, this does not mean that accidents cannot happen. That snail will fit in your axie's mouth, therefore, it is a hazard. You are tempting fate everyday you continue to keep these two together. I am very happy nothing unfortunate has happened to date, however, this link exists for a reason. Please check it out and reconsider your decision. Mixing Disasters - there is a picture of an axolotl with a swollen mouth about midway down. While this axolotl did make a full recovery, there are others who were not so fortunate. Take care.

dragonlady said:

This is an issue that returns again and again. It's like the argument about gravel and rocks. Just because an axolotl is well fed, this does not mean that accidents cannot happen. That snail will fit in your axie's mouth, therefore, it is a hazard. You are tempting fate everyday you continue to keep these two together. I am very happy nothing unfortunate has happened to date, however, this link exists for a reason. Please check it out and reconsider your decision. Mixing Disasters - there is a picture of an axolotl with a swollen mouth about midway down. While this axolotl did make a full recovery, there are others who were not so fortunate. Take care.

Click to expand...

I totally agree with Shannon on this one.
I dont agree with mixing anything with my axolotls.
I would just rather not risk my axolotls health for an 'experiment'

Mel