New Plant, Pesky Snails

[rich_one]

I recently scored an anubias already attached to some driftwood. just got in the mail today. the seller informed me she has snails (AFTER I paid for it, and the day it was scheduled to arrive... but I digress). what bleach to water solution should I use, and how long should I dip it, to ensure any unwanted snails are dead.

I like my ornamental snails... I do not like pesky ones.

oh... and once I dip it, do I soak it in regular water for a while before adding it to the tank? please advise. Thanks!

[krisw]

In truth, I think you may find that most of the plants you'll get from people have the potential for snail eggs. I believe the correct bleach ratio is 20:1 for 1-2 minutes, and then rinse until you can no longer smell bleach. I've never done this however, as I don't mind a few snails here/there, so someone else should chime in to confirm.

A non-chemical alternative is to add loaches, but there is the downside that loaches (I prefer sidthimunki) will preclude you from keeping any shrimp in your tank.

[Ltrepeter2000]

Get loaches, once the snails are gone, put the loaches up in the Market and I am sure that you wont have any issue finding them a home.

[rich_one]

actually, I already have striata loaches... and I did buy them to help control an MTS bloom I once had. I was wondering if they would do in the pond snails though, because I bought some purple apple snails a couple months back that were awful tiny... you could probaby put two or three on a dime... and they have not eaten these snails. the leave the nerites alone, and every now and then, they sniff around my much larger gold apple snails, but do not seem to bother them otherwise either.

I don't mind snails so much... just don't want a huge number of them.

are you saying the striata loaches will eat the amanos I plan to get? bummer! I LIKE the striatas... lol.

[Ltrepeter2000]

Yeah Loaches will tear through a shrimp population like cutting grass

[Ltrepeter2000]

Unless you are Ghazanfar....then there is no hope.....I think they have a separate breeding chamber in his tank that even he doesnt know about

[rich_one]

then the loaches may have to go... I have been dying to add some shrimp, but could not do cherries do to my rainbows (boesemanis, turquoise, irian red and yellow). then, I find out I can do amanos, because they get a bit larger the cherries. now I am all excited to do amanos... so maybe I'll just drop the anubias on wood I just bought in there, and let a month or so pass to allow the loaches to make short work of the (hopefully) tiny snails, and then once it seems they are gone, I put them up here for trade or whatever, so I can get some amanos.

I think.

LOL...

[John G]

I've had two clown loaches in my 75 and the shrimp population hasn't seemed to suffer at all.

[Aaron]

Potassium permangenate is another chemical solution. Jungle makes a product called clear water that you can use for dipping newly aquired plants in.

As Kris mentioned, most all of us have pesky snails. I wouldn't fault the seller too much for sending plants with snails. It's sort of an expected risk when buying and trading amongst each other.

[DelawareJim]

I've had two clown loaches in my 75 and the shrimp population hasn't seemed to suffer at all.

Ditto with my skunk loaches (Yasuhikotakia morleti). They'll chase them occasionally, but I've never seen them eat a shrimp. Between snails I smash and sinking tabs I don't think they'd waste the time.

Cheers.
Jim