by Melanie Marten

Created on: November 13, 2009

Whether your existing snails lay many eggs unexpectedly, or are these pesky fish tank animals hitchhike in on new plants or ornaments, aquarium keepers are often kept with the task of getting rid of unwanted snails. Many types of snails sold for fish tank use multiply rapidly in almost any water condition. In a short period of time they can easily overrun your tank and cause problems with fish, plants and even the filtration system. It is vital to get rid of unwanted snails in a fish tank before they take over.

The best way to avoid unwanted snails in your fish tank is to prevent them coming in in the first place. Only purchased snails, such as the Japanese trapdoor snail, that do not breed readily in a home aquarium. Also wash any plants or ornaments very well before putting them in your tank.

If preventative measures do not work and you find new baby snails clinging to your glass every morning, you must take immediate action. Physical removal of the unwanted snails is a popular way to do it. Hand pick them off glass and ornaments or use a scraper on the flat surfaces.

Since snails can hide in many places in an aquarium, used bait to draw them into an easily removable cup. Think a small cup or bowl into the bottom of the fish tank and put a slice of cucumber at the bottom. The snails will calm from all corners of your tank to feast on the cucumber. As soon as you see many snails in the cup hoisted out of the water and get rid of them. This method can be repeated multiple times until the snail problem is gone.

Introducing predators to your fish tank is another good way to prevent unwanted snails now and for the future. Some fish, such as loaches, love to eat snails. They will hunt down and munch the baby snails before they get a chance to breed.

If worst comes to worst and you cannot get rid of your unwanted snails in the fish tank, pets and aquaria stores do sell chemical preparations to kill the snails. These should be a last resort as the chemicals can affect some fish and she will still have many dead snails befouling your tank water.

Preventing problems in your fish tank is the first line of defense. However, even the most dedicated aquarium owner can still have problems with unwanted snails. Manual removal, bait and trapping, introduction of predators and chemical preparations are all possible solutions.

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