[JonandJo]

Just noticed a snail in my tank, where did it come from? Ok I know off a plant but it wasn't there when I got the plants.

Is it good or bad for my tank. As shakespear once penned for the darleks "to exterminate or not to exterminate that is the question? Whether it is nobler to crush his concise shell?"
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[willow]

hey :-D
there could have been an egg sack attached to a stem,in which case there
will be more…they only can become a problem if they breed.don't over feed
and they'll not have reason to breed in the good conditions.you can take them
out and squish them if you want.

 

[jentralala]

I personally adore snails, and the work they do in keeping an aquarium clean. It's also easy to overlook a baby snail, as when they are first hatched (unless it's a snail that is a livebearer) they are quite small and translucent.

It's up to you, but I think snails are very beneficial in cleaning algae and fish detritus, making for a complete eco-system. (The Amazon Pantanal's ecosystem relies entirely on the Apple Snail! Without it the whole thing would fall apart, it wouldn't be habitable to anything else. No plants, no otters, no caimans.)

As long as you don't over feed (ie, have a lot of food falling to the bottom/remaining uneaten by fish within a few moments (unless it's a bottom feeder, but sinking pellets/other foods should be consumed within a reasonable amount of time, less than a day or so), the snail population will stay small and monitor itself. They're actually a pretty decent way to gauge how clean the tank is, and if you are over-feeding.

Hope that was helpful!

 

[henningc]

I agree with the above, snails help keep the tank clean and add to the ecosystem. I have them in almost every tank and a huge population in my water change buckets. I also use them as a food source for crayfish, shrimp, livebearer adults and small cichlids. Just crush and drop into the tank. The crays and shrimp benefit from the decaying shells of snails that have done to snail heaven.