is both Assasin snail and otto fish for shrimps.

Originally Posted by Navanod

Assassin snails have many other uses other than being dropped in to clear pest snails.
They can be used as security guards against future pest snails that may hide in newly bought plants.
They also clean leftover food and dead bodies very effectively without making a mess because unlike other scavengers, they do not tear apart the dead bodies and dirty the water. They just inject digestive fluid into the body and then suck everything out, leaving a clean skeleton/shell.

Haha, ok maybe ur right, but when each of my nerite snails costed me 15 dollars, i think i'll pass. lol! but yeah, i see ur point.

Hey everyone, this is my first post on this forum. Not sure what the rules are, but can anyone tell me where I can find snails for sale? I'm looking for MTS as I have a planted tank, thinking they will be beneficial to the plants and would form a good cleaning crew with my ottos, amanos and RCS.

Also, I am currently having a pond snail explosion, there are literally dozens everywhere I see, they're all less than 1cm, because I have a whole carpet of dwarf hairgrass exclusively I am unable to tell if they're eating the plants, but I'm guessing most probably as I never see them eating the shrimp food or algae wafers and they are multiplying quite substantially. It's a shame as any chemicals or fishes I can get to reduce the snail's population would most likely prey on my shrimps as well. Could I also know where I can purchase assassin snails? I think it would help me keep the population from rising too significantly...

Originally Posted by Kampfy

Hey everyone, this is my first post on this forum. Not sure what the rules are, but can anyone tell me where I can find snails for sale? I'm looking for MTS as I have a planted tank, thinking they will be beneficial to the plants and would form a good cleaning crew with my ottos, amanos and RCS.

Also, I am currently having a pond snail explosion, there are literally dozens everywhere I see, they're all less than 1cm, because I have a whole carpet of dwarf hairgrass exclusively I am unable to tell if they're eating the plants, but I'm guessing most probably as I never see them eating the shrimp food or algae wafers and they are multiplying quite substantially. It's a shame as any chemicals or fishes I can get to reduce the snail's population would most likely prey on my shrimps as well. Could I also know where I can purchase assassin snails? I think it would help me keep the population from rising too significantly...

well, use assassin snails then. they are complete legal.

As for forum rules, please refer to the relevant stickies to make full use of ur forum membership.

MTS can be gotten free from some LFS btw, since they are seen as pests.

Originally Posted by fishshticks

well, use assassin snails then. they are complete legal.

As for forum rules, please refer to the relevant stickies to make full use of ur forum membership.

MTS can be gotten free from some LFS btw, since they are seen as pests.

One issue is that perhaps it may just be the fact that I have been squishing the bigger snails, but evidently I have never see the pond snail in my tank bigger than this letter O right here. That, coupled with the fact that they are definitely reproducing should mean that the snails probably don't grow bigger then that. If so, would getting assassin snails a bit of an overkill? Seeing that the snails are so small.

Either way, thanks alot for your reply. So far I've not encountered LFS that sell snails apart from the bigger ones like apple or mystery snails. Can anyone point out to me where I can get assassin snails or anywhere with MTS even? I haven't encountered any MTS in any of the LFS I've seen so far, so it's difficult to ask them for it..

I m no snail expert but I was at c328 today and saw that they were selling MTS (I believe) in a small bag. Can't remember the price. I also read that they multiply quickly. So beware.

Originally Posted by Kampfy

One issue is that perhaps it may just be the fact that I have been squishing the bigger snails, but evidently I have never see the pond snail in my tank bigger than this letter O right here. That, coupled with the fact that they are definitely reproducing should mean that the snails probably don't grow bigger then that. If so, would getting assassin snails a bit of an overkill? Seeing that the snails are so small.

Either way, thanks alot for your reply. So far I've not encountered LFS that sell snails apart from the bigger ones like apple or mystery snails. Can anyone point out to me where I can get assassin snails or anywhere with MTS even? I haven't encountered any MTS in any of the LFS I've seen so far, so it's difficult to ask them for it..

Wow, "squishing the bigger snails".

Harsh.

Erm, no it's not an overkill in my honest opinion. Sure they may be small, but I do not believe that size is a lone factor. I think it's more the fact that the pond snails can multiply in such sheer quantities. I'd even go so far as to say that the smaller snails are the more annoying ones, because they are the ones that are likely to be more plentiful in number and are harder to remove from the tank.

Oh, and why are you getting both assassin snails and MTS? Assassin snails can rip MTS apart.

[Navanod]

Originally Posted by jowy

Hi Bro,

See the link i given.
Its more like the 1st 3 bugs.. but is in white colour
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...-your-aquarium

Seed shrimps? Fishes love eating them
Catch and feed to fishes

Originally Posted by fishshticks

Haha, ok maybe ur right, but when each of my nerite snails costed me 15 dollars, i think i'll pass. lol! but yeah, i see ur point.

$15?!?!
Some exotic species?

Originally Posted by Kampfy

One issue is that perhaps it may just be the fact that I have been squishing the bigger snails, but evidently I have never see the pond snail in my tank bigger than this letter O right here. That, coupled with the fact that they are definitely reproducing should mean that the snails probably don't grow bigger then that. If so, would getting assassin snails a bit of an overkill? Seeing that the snails are so small.

Either way, thanks alot for your reply. So far I've not encountered LFS that sell snails apart from the bigger ones like apple or mystery snails. Can anyone point out to me where I can get assassin snails or anywhere with MTS even? I haven't encountered any MTS in any of the LFS I've seen so far, so it's difficult to ask them for it..

Pond snails lay eggs in big clusters of more than 30 eggs, in a big ball of jelly. If you can find and remove these eggs, you'll slow them down. They don't grow very big but they do grow very fast.
Assassins will do the job as the ponds snails have no defence at all from the assassin. No trap doors, too slow and cannot burrow.

MTS on the other hand, are a whole new horror story altogether
They reproduce by live young (give birth), so no eggs.
They burrow (which I assume is why you think they'll be good) so assassins and even puffers cannot reach them.
And they reproduce like mad and over run the entire tank unless food is greatly limited.

Once they're in, its a nitemare to remove them. Think twice

Originally Posted by fishshticks

Wow, "squishing the bigger snails".

Harsh.

Erm, no it's not an overkill in my honest opinion. Sure they may be small, but I do not believe that size is a lone factor. I think it's more the fact that the pond snails can multiply in such sheer quantities. I'd even go so far as to say that the smaller snails are the more annoying ones, because they are the ones that are likely to be more plentiful in number and are harder to remove from the tank.

Oh, and why are you getting both assassin snails and MTS? Assassin snails can rip MTS apart.

Originally Posted by Navanod

Pond snails lay eggs in big clusters of more than 30 eggs, in a big ball of jelly. If you can find and remove these eggs, you'll slow them down. They don't grow very big but they do grow very fast.
Assassins will do the job as the ponds snails have no defence at all from the assassin. No trap doors, too slow and cannot burrow.

MTS on the other hand, are a whole new horror story altogether
They reproduce by live young (give birth), so no eggs.
They burrow (which I assume is why you think they'll be good) so assassins and even puffers cannot reach them.
And they reproduce like mad and over run the entire tank unless food is greatly limited.

Once they're in, its a nitemare to remove them. Think twice

I've kind of gotten immune to squishing them with my tweezer, but at least my amanos eat them, so they didn't die for nothing d=...

I'm still considering about the MTS which seems to be beneficial to the aquarium overall but it seems like their only disadvantage would be making the tank look messy, which I may not mind if they stay away from my plants. Also, they burrow so most of the time during the day they would be under the gravel right?

I only have a big carpet of dwarf hairgrass so trying to find jellies of egg from a snail no bigger than an O would be harder than the "where's waldo" series d=.. I get your drift though, but could anyone point me to where I can find assassin snails though? I'll drop by Clementi to see if they carry any on my way home later.

Originally Posted by Kampfy

I've kind of gotten immune to squishing them with my tweezer, but at least my amanos eat them, so they didn't die for nothing d=...

I'm still considering about the MTS which seems to be beneficial to the aquarium overall but it seems like their only disadvantage would be making the tank look messy, which I may not mind if they stay away from my plants. Also, they burrow so most of the time during the day they would be under the gravel right?

I only have a big carpet of dwarf hairgrass so trying to find jellies of egg from a snail no bigger than an O would be harder than the "where's waldo" series d=.. I get your drift though, but could anyone point me to where I can find assassin snails though? I'll drop by Clementi to see if they carry any on my way home later.

you are absolutely right about the burrowing. I bought 20 MTS off ebay when I first started my tank, added them in DURING the cycling. Now, it's about 2-3 months in and they are all always under the gravel. Occasionally, theres 1 or two hanging from the glass, and it may look unpalatable. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so really, it's what you make of it. I can tell you for sure though, that the vast majority are within my gravel... all the time. I know they exist because when I observe my gravel, I can often see it shifting, and the very ends of their long shells protruding out.

They shouldn't touch ur plants, since they only eat dead plant matter and "leftover" food. Their great really. Reminds me of all those bugs in "Starship Troopers" that lurk under the sand and gobble up the troopers. haha. Of course, the MTS are quite peaceful are comparison.

I keep MTS and nerites. Nerites clean the glass alot, and the fixtures (including my mosses), the MTS cleans out the gravel. I do have pest snails. LOADS of pest, pond snails, but I can't "assassin snail" them out, seeing as the assassins would probably eat my MTS and nerites too. I reckon that I'd just pick them off manually when they become bigger

Originally Posted by Navanod

$15?!?!
Some exotic species?

yes :P pm me for more info. lol.