# Snails in Aquarium - Wandering?



## pied pythons (Jan 18, 2008)

Hi all, 

I've recently set up a 2 foot aquarium added gravel, filter, heater and 2 plants.

A couple of days ago I noticed a small baby snail in the tank; and have now seen at least two.

I have identified some eggs on one of the plants but I can't seem to work out what species these snails are, for certain.

They're not Apple or Ramshorn snails as the shells spiral into a point. However, from what I have seen on the internet, they're not Trumpet Snail either.

I have a bad feeling that from all the pictures I have viewed online, they are Wandering Snails. Obviously this isn't good due to their toxicity.

Can anyone post me some decent pictures of baby Wandering Snails to help me identify them. I've found it to be fairly slim pickings on the internet after doing searches so I want to be sure.

I will get some pictures up myself as soon as I locate one again and manage to get a good picture.

The shell is mottled brown, the body appears to be pale grey with white 'antenna' if this helps.

Many thanks for any help in advance : victory:


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

is this them?

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.


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## pied pythons (Jan 18, 2008)

Yup that's them!

Actually just managed to get a few good pics so just waiting for them to upload. 

So these are the toxic snails that can or will cause convulsions and death in fish? Does anyone know whether they will affect fish if they're eaten - i.e I wanted some clown loaches as I'm in the process of setting up a 4foot tank...I know loaches eat snails - but would it harm them feeding on this type of snail?

Thanks for the reply & the link Haunted-havoc - much appreciated


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## pied pythons (Jan 18, 2008)

*Photos*














































Okay, so they're not the most brilliant of photos - but give a good clear idea of identifying this species.

From the YouTube clip it confirms for me that these are infact Wandering Snails...hopefully this thread will help anyone else trying to identify snails they may have which came in on plants etc.

Any further comments would be much appreciated : victory:


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

thats not a problem. i dont know about the toxicity of the snail, so i would advise a way of removing the snails without anything eating them, or leaving corpses that could be eaten, too much of a risk the way i see it

try a "lettuce trap"

get a big bit of clean lettuce and one of them bag clips, that you put on an open pack of peas to stop em rolling all over the freezer

attach it to the side of the tank after lights out and every 20 min or so remove the lettuce and get rid of the snails that get drawn to them. might take abit longer but it does work

maybe someone else can advise a different way


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## pied pythons (Jan 18, 2008)

Thanks again for the reply - will get my partner to bring some lettuce home when he leaves work.

Just counted 4 in there, so looks like there's probably more. Unfortunately I went for black Roman Gravel, so it's near on impossible to spot any of the snails unless they're on the sides of the tank...otherwise they camouflage extremely well!

Thanks for the help


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## benjo (Oct 31, 2007)

iv had loads of these, didnt know they were toxic? we cleaned the tank out completly but the snails ended up coming back some how. so there mass breeding again. might have to try the lettuce trick


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## Geckogirl_88 (Apr 24, 2009)

We have loads of lil snails in our tank tho Iv no idea what kind they are.
My dad just squishes them but I used to keep a giant land snail so I hate doing that.
Is there any other way to get rid of them?
x


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## pied pythons (Jan 18, 2008)

Geckogirl_88 said:


> We have loads of lil snails in our tank tho Iv no idea what kind they are.
> My dad just squishes them but I used to keep a giant land snail so I hate doing that.
> Is there any other way to get rid of them?
> x


Haha this is my issue...believe it or not I was quite excited when I first saw a baby snail in my tank. I don't have the heart to squish them now, or chuck them in the bin etc...The only consolable way I could 'get rid' of them is a fish feeding on them. I could cope with that, lol.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

lol all my tanks have these guys in there, never done any of my fish any harm. just make sure you research the loaches adult size and aquarium needs before buying. clown loaches are very large fish that grow to a foot long and need to be kept in groups. 6ft tank is about smallest i would have them in. maybe look into assassin snails before trying more fish.


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## pied pythons (Jan 18, 2008)

goldie1212 said:


> lol all my tanks have these guys in there, never done any of my fish any harm. just make sure you research the loaches adult size and aquarium needs before buying. clown loaches are very large fish that grow to a foot long and need to be kept in groups. 6ft tank is about smallest i would have them in. maybe look into assassin snails before trying more fish.


Lol yeah no worries, I did a proper search on them just after typing that and realised they grew far to big for any tank I'll be having anytime soon. Was waiting for someone to jump on me for that : victory:

I think Zebra Loaches seem to fit the bill pretty well instead - any thoughts on this? I don't think I've seen any the last couple of trips to the LFS, mind you I've probably overlooked them previously!

Thanks for the info. I wonder just how many people buy Clowns without properly researcing them beforehand? They're rather abundant in stores aren't they.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

Loaches Online - Community Edition — Loaches Online this seems a good site. my dad has yoyo loaches and they have devoured nearly all of the snails he had.

i think way too many people buy clown loaches without realising their true size, or ignoring the fact they will grow so large. i think the largest ive seen was just over 11" and was very chunky too. i think they take a long time to grow large but it still doesnt seem a good idea to buy a fish that will definately outgrow your tank.


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