# Will a CO2 bomb kill all my bugs?



## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

I have a tank with some small snails in it and today I saw a small 1/4 inch slug. I don't have any frogs at the moment but they are coming soon. I have already seeded the tank with temperate and pink springs and some isos and I want them to stay alive in there. I am wondering if doing a CO2 bomb could be effective against the slugs and snails but leave my beneficial bugs alone? Is there anything else I can do other than just remove them when I see them? I have tried the beer method and they don't seem to care for it. Thanks for any help.


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## parkanz2 (Sep 25, 2008)

Yep, you'll kill off most bugs in there including the springs and isos.

I think one of the easiest ways to manage is to bait your tank periodically with a piece of lettuce at night. In the morning, pull it out and throw it away. The slugs love it (not sure about the snails though) and it seems to be an effective way to control slug population.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

Thanks for your advice. I have tried the lettuce for the snails and they didn't seem to care about it at all, but that was far before I saw any slugs. I will give the lettuce a shot in the tank with the slugs and will let you know how it goes. What could I do to bait the snails?


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

Chief Herb said:


> I have a tank with some small snails in it and today I saw a small 1/4 inch slug. I don't have any frogs at the moment but they are coming soon. I have already seeded the tank with temperate and pink springs and some isos and I want them to stay alive in there. I am wondering if doing a CO2 bomb could be effective against the slugs and snails but leave my beneficial bugs alone? Is there anything else I can do other than just remove them when I see them? I have tried the beer method and they don't seem to care for it. Thanks for any help.


CO2 will definitely help you out.

Here is a thread about a CO2 Generator  that describes the process.


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## sjaakdaak (Mar 19, 2012)

Try beer. A small bottle will suffice. It's an old method of catching slugs and snails and it seems to work fine. All beer bottles I leave outside at night are pretty much filled with molluscs who had a fine last hour in the morning.
It's alcohol abuse in its purest form, I know, but leaving a small sip to the snails is not much of a sacrifice I guess


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

He has already tried beer.
I love Dave's incredibly in depth thread on CO2 bombing and have stated before that it is the most complete, best info on CO2 bombing that I've ever seen, but it WILL kill off you microfauna, too. 
I like lettuce baiting. When you tried lettuce, did you leave it in for a couple/few days, checking it each morning?


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## sjaakdaak (Mar 19, 2012)

Sorry, I missed that. Perhaps working and thinking about pests at that same time isn't such a good idea as it seemed.


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## Chief Herb (Dec 6, 2011)

When I tried the lettuce method I did leave the pieces in there for multiple days checking them right when the lights come on and sometimes when they were off and rarely found more than one snail on or near the lettuce and usually found none. They just didn't seem to be attracted to the lettuce. I haven't had any lettuce here for a few days but am going to the store today and will get some more to see if it has any effect on the slugs. I am very confused why the beer method didn't work, I have tried it for weeks and have only found one or two dead slugs in the beer. I was just using an approximately 3 inch diameter water bottle cap filled with beer and am wondering if there would be a difference if the container was glass. I have seen slugs climb up the side and stick their face in the beer for a second and then turn around and go away. The type of beer shouldn't matter right (I have tried a pale ale and a lager with the same effectiveness)? Could the spiral on the inside of the cap that allows it to screw onto the water bottle possibly given them an easy way to crawl out after they get drunk? Thanks for all your responses and that super in depth post about CO2 bombing. I am going to stick away from the CO2 as I have a bunch of springtails and isopods (purchased from pumilo and very happy with what I got if you are looking for some) in there I want to keep alive. I will let you know if I find a good bait for these snails.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Try some other baits. Someone posted that Repashy Gecko Diet seems to attract snails. Repashy Superfoods :: RETAIL :: Crested Gecko MRP (diet) BAG - Repashy Ventures - Distributor Center You could try a bit of fish flake food, or fresh spinach.


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