Snail Plague

Snail Plague

Many people call Snails pests, since they usually eat away all the Green Aquarium Plants. This elimination of Plants by Snails, imbalances the tank�s ecosystem, which may prove quite nightmarish for an aquarist. This adverse condition, created by Snails, when they rapidly multiply and are in excess in a tank, is usually referred to as Snail Plague. Snails though are Scavengers as well and therefore, feed actively on dead &decaying plants and other Debris in the aquarium. The ensuing discussion however gives an insight on the negatives of Snails in a tank, in the purview of Snail Plague that is.

Types of Aquarium Snails. Usually there are four types of Aquarium Snails, Trumpet Snail, Pond Snail, Ramshorn Snail, and Apple Snail. The discussion below briefly explores the four varieties of Aquarium Snails, including the ones associated with Snail Plague.

Trumpet Snails. These are found at the bottom of an aquarium and they usually do not eat away all your plants. They are Nocturnal in habit and therefore, come out at night only. You may manually remove Trumpet Snails from the aquarium.

Pond Snails. They are the key source of Aquarium Snail Plague as they multiply rapidly and eat away all your Green Aquarium Plants.

Ramshorn Snails. They are another Aquarium Snail Plague inducers for they too multiply fast and eat away all of your Green Aquatic Plants.

Apple Snails. They result in Aquarium Snail Plague only if they do not find any other source of food in the tank.

Source of Aquarium Snails. Snails reach an aquarium along with food or live plants.

Controlling Snail Plague. A moderate quantity of Snails in a tank is not bad at all. Its their excess quantity in an aquarium that is the root of problems. Therefore, the resolve here is to control the number of Snails in a tank to a beneficial level. This control will automatically relieve a tank of Snail Plague. Following are some steps for controlling the number of Snails in your tank:

Introducing Snail Eaters in the Aquarium. Some fishes love feeding upon Snails, such as, Clown Loach, Skunk Loach, and Puffers. Alternatively, there is beautiful specie, the Anetome Helena, of Snail, which eats away the other Snails, including the Trumpet Snails present in a tank, without harming your plants or consuming Fish Food. Introduce one species of this Snail per 10 litres of tank water, but then do not introduce Fish Eating Snails. Anetome requires around 20-22 degree Centigrade of temperature. In a week�s time, you will find the Snail Plague situation much in control.

Aquarium Food. Place a Lettuce Leaf or some Fish Food Pellets at the bottom of the tank and dim the Aquarium Lights. Soon you will see the Snails gathering around the Lettuce Leaf or the Fish Food. You can now manually pick and remove them from the tank.

Tank Disassembly. This is the most drastic and cumbersome method for Snail Plague control. In this process, you remove all the Sand & Pebbles from the aquarium base and boil them. Then, remove the Snail Shells from the boiled substrate. Put your Aquarium Filter in a solution of Potassium Permanganate for an hour and then rinse the filter with clean water. To be on the safe side, clean the Aquarium Hood as well. Finally, wash the tank with 5% Bleach Solution.

Chemical Snail Removers. This should be your last resort. Use of chemicals in an aquarium may alter the pH of water, which will stress up the fishes therein. Stress weakens fish immunity and they will be more susceptible to diseases.