# Snails in a paludarium



## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

I have a paludarium recently set up that has had an explosion of land snails. There is nothing besides plants living on the land (except the snails) but there are fish and aquatic snails in the water that I would like to keep alive. My question is would sealing the tank and doing a dry ice bomb kill the land snails while keeping the aquatic life alive or will it kill them to? I think if I do it in the day the aquatic plants could help oxygenate the water enough but I'm not sure. How long does the tank need to be sealed with the CO2 inside? I don't know if it will help but I will try to take a picture of the snails and post it here.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

Well this is the best picture I could get. Sorry for the low quality it was taken with my iphone.


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## AlexD (Sep 19, 2007)

I don't know for a fact, but I think it quite likely that you'd kill everything. Carbon dioxide is extremely soluble in water(~50 times more than oxygen) and levels would build up quickly.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

See quote.



Pumilo said:


> You can do a lot to control your snails by putting a piece of iceberg lettuce in the viv. It's like candy to them! Toss it in at night and pull it first thing in the morning. Doing this several nights in a row can be very helpful in controlling them. It probably won't eliminate them completely but if you keep on top of doing it now and then, you should be able to control the problem.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

If I have no other choice I will do the lettuce method but I am wanting to eliminate the entire snail population before introducing land life. Is there any other way besides the CO2 method that could completely eradicate the snails while keeping the aquatic life alive? Thanks for all your responses.


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## carbonetc (Oct 13, 2008)

Planted aquariums are routinely injected with CO2. I wonder if the CO2 absorbed in a dry ice bomb would be comparable?

Actually, if you were to significantly increase the CO2 in your water with a dry ice bomb (moreso than injection) then the planted tank community would be very eager to hear about it. I'm sure they would have discovered it already if it actually worked.

Either way, if you have any fish with labyrinth organs that gulp air from the surface, they would very likely be in danger.


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

One thing that worked for me was using Repashy CGD as a long-lasting bait. It took a few weeks, but I was able to completely eliminate the slug population in my 75. Every morning they would be crawling all over the GCD, I would just pull them off and put them outside (I have an irrational aversion to killing them, even if they are pests). So not as fast as a CO2 bomb...but possibly a safer alternative. If you have any it may be worth a shot. Or just put a Dracaena guianesis in there...should knock out the snails in no time


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## HaltIAmReptar (Sep 30, 2011)

Pumilo said:


> See quote.


I actually tried this and made sure to be up when the lights popped on so the snails don't run off and when they came on I found no snails on the lettuce, what gives?


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## AlexD (Sep 19, 2007)

carbonetc said:


> Planted aquariums are routinely injected with CO2. I wonder if the CO2 absorbed in a dry ice bomb would be comparable?
> 
> Actually, if you were to significantly increase the CO2 in your water with a dry ice bomb (moreso than injection) then the planted tank community would be very eager to hear about it. I'm sure they would have discovered it already if it actually worked.



That's true, I hadn't thought of that. Although I am of the understanding that one has to be careful when using CO2 in a planted tank, because if you accidentally add too much then you encounter the problems we are talking about how to avoid. Still, something to think about, good call


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

HaltIAmReptar said:


> I actually tried this and made sure to be up when the lights popped on so the snails don't run off and when they came on I found no snails on the lettuce, what gives?


I would imagine different types of snails are attracted to different foods. Try Field's Repashy Crested Gecko Diet. Try flake fish food set out on a deli cup lid and moistened. The method is a good control, you just have to find the proper bait for your particular snails.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

I have asked a friend who works at an exotic fish store and he said he had spoke with people that had used dry ice to add CO2 but it can be dangerous if you add too much or if the tank is sealed for too long. How long would the tank need to be sealed up with the CO2 in it to kill the snails? If I try this method I would move both the aquatic snails to a separate tank, as they have lungs and often breathe at the surface (despite having gills as well), but I wouldn't be able to remove all the fish. My friend who works at the fish store seems to think I could bomb the tank for a couple of hours at most (I would probable just do one hour), would that be enough?


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## HaltIAmReptar (Sep 30, 2011)

Pumilo said:


> See quote.





Pumilo said:


> I would imagine different types of snails are attracted to different foods. Try Field's Repashy Crested Gecko Diet. Try flake fish food set out on a deli cup lid and moistened. The method is a good control, you just have to find the proper bait for your particular snails.


Gotcha thanks Pumilo. I'll give the CGD a try and see how that works out.


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

For the aquatic snails you could introduce "assasin snails" they will kill the pond snails that reproduce frequently. I believe the assasins live in the substrate so they would also be out of sight.


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## fishman9809 (Dec 8, 2008)

Dizzle21 said:


> I believe the assasins live in the substrate so they would also be out of sight.


Nope. I have three and the only place that they don't go is under the substrate. They have eradicated all my Malaysian Trumpet Snails though (those live under the substrate).


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

Hmm your prolly right. Its been awhile since i had freshwater planted tanks. Never had the assasins but herd they were pretty effictive.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

I heard about sluggo being good.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

I do not want to kill my aquatic snails, there are only two and they do not breed but they help keep the algae in check. I think I might try a product like sluggo since there is nothing living on the land besides the terrestrial snails I want to get rid of. How long would it take to get rid of the snails using a product like sluggo? More than a week or so? Also these products wouldn't leave any toxins in the terrarium after it has been removed right? Thanks for the help


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/54030-sluggo-safe.html
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/ge...-diary-snail-hater-venturing-into-sluggo.html


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## ruthieb (Oct 18, 2010)

Two of the best organic snail and slug bait products on the market are Sluggo and Escar-Go which contain iron phosphate. They are safe to use around pets, humans, fish, birds, beneficial insects, and mammals. 
I've used these in my vegetable garden for years but I don't know how they would do in a viv...though I would think they would be safe. Just put a flat piece of wood in there for them to crawl under. They like to hide underneath it and will go there to die. Then you can just pick it up and get rid of them.


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## ckays (Jul 26, 2011)

> They are safe to use around pets, humans, fish, birds, beneficial insects, and mammals.


Highly debatable if you ask me. . .
After reasearching this stuff for all of 20 minutes, I know I'll never us it in a viv.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I would not recommend sluggo or any other pesticide, organic or otherwise. Additionally, I wouldn't recommend the CO2 bomb. I would have recommended the assassin snails, but they would probably get your aquatics. My suggestion would be to attempt several of the baits mentioned, as well as try other items. Snails aren't easy to eradicate, and most likely this will be a long-term program to remove them. Physical removal and/or mechanical control are going to be your best bet. Slow, but effective and least harmful to your viv.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Sluggo is approved for organic gardening as a pest control method. I've used it in the tanks with the frogs with no issue. People should keep in mind that iron is a common element in the regions where terrestrial anurans are found (for example any red clay regions), and phosphate is an integral part of cellullar function. 

CO2 gassing of the tank is only effective if you can do it long enough and repeat it since you have to exceed the snail's ability to function with an anaerobic metabolism. 

Neither baiting nor Sluggo is likely to eliminate 100% of the snails in a complex enclosure but a combination of the two can really reduce the numbers to nearly nonexistence.... 

When I've used it with larger isopods (oranges), I've seen them disappear but the smaller temperate dwarfs show no sign of decrease in the population in the tanks nor does the springtail population seem to decrease at all. 

Ed


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

xm41907 said:


> I would not recommend sluggo or any other pesticide, organic or otherwise. Additionally, I wouldn't recommend the CO2 bomb. I would have recommended the assassin snails, but they would probably get your aquatics.


There are problems with getting the assasin snails.. thier interstate trade is controlled by the USDA (as they are also a potential plant pest while alsos being a threat to native snail species under threat)... They are only approved for certain portions of the country where they were already introduced. If you can find them locally you can collect them and try them but some species are also known to feed on plants in the absence of snail prey. 

Ed


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

Chief Herb said:


> Well this is the best picture I could get. Sorry for the low quality it was taken with my iphone.


I've pulled 2 snails that looked exactly like these out of a viv in the past week. I read through this thread (and a few others) but wasn't able to find an ID of these little guys. Are they actually harmful (i.e. plant / egg eaters) to the viv or are they just another random critter I can look at and enjoy? 

If they're a nuisance I'd be happy to try out some assassin snails and let everyone know how they work.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

I do not have any frogs in the tank so I don't know if they will eat eggs but they have taken some holes out of a few plants. Nothing too serious but I'm sure the problem will get worse. I have also been trying to identify what type of snail they are with no luck. Let me know if you try sluggo or CO2 with any success.


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