# Freaking snails



## porkchop48 (May 16, 2006)

So my imis have given me 3 clutches so far. being that they are new parents I had plans on leaving the eggs to let them do the work of tadpole rasing/ Well none have them have made it past 2 days after me finding them. The snails keep eating them. I have been picking them out as I find them and doing the lettuce thing but I feel like I am making no progress. Should I start pulling them when I find them or just keep picking out snails and hope to make a dent in the population


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

i woudl pull the tads and or eggs out and just raise them yourself, snalis are really hard to get rid off, in a case like that if you really wanted to get rid fo the snails you woudl hav eto take down the whole setup and start over and even then there is no guaranteed that you will have no snails as eggs my stick to the roots of plants and so on.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

There have been some methods posted on using CO2 to kill off pests, but the more common way is to brake the tank down and start over. With that said I did have a snail issue in one of imitators tanks, but never had a issue with them eating the eggs.


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## frogman824 (Aug 10, 2005)

I have the same problem with my Lamasi tank. Snails have devastated at least 15 clutches that I'm aware of. The snails don't give the frogs enough time to fertilize the eggs. I've had enough of it though, so I'm moving them to a new viv with all new plants in hopes of them picking up breeding again.


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## rusticitas (Mar 25, 2007)

In the planted aquarium world, we sometimes give plants a bath in a weak (1:20) sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution to kill off algae and snails and rinse well before putting them into an aquarium, or when transferring. This may not work well for all plants, but perhaps some of the submersed or emergent could be pulled, washed, rinsed well and replanted? Just a thought...

Just know that I have *ONLY* done this with some of my aquarium plants where needed, not in a viv.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

stick some cucumber peels in the viv and at night/first am you can 'harvest' the little buggers a few at a time....slowly you can reduce their numbers significantly without chemical warfare or taking a tank down.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

put a small shallow dish of beer in there.. refill every few days or week and you will significantl reduce the snail population. Might use several small one is a larger tank. i a 10 gal pumilio vert i use something about as deep and twice the diameter of a 2 liter bottle cap. Under 21 years of age ask your parents permission!


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

Dave

While that is a well know garden snail trick, I wouldn't personally have thought to stick a dish of beer in with my exotic (read = expensive) frog collection...

Had any intoxicated frogs? , AA classes next to the slop sink? Out of control parties?

S


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Eh i only use that trick in the darklands tank  Seriously. its the only tank i've really had a snail problem in and also wanted the frogs to breed.

i've had no problems, the alcohol evaporates out pretty quick i think, and it is a very small dish. It also tends to collect fruit flies and i have seen them eating ff from the edge. its also in the front of the tank and obscured from view by the hinge on the acrylic insert...the frogs tend to stay away from the very front of the tank during the day or when there is activity so if you put the beer in around that time it will give it awhile for the alcohol to evaporate out before the frogs are likely to get near it.

But thats what it took to finally get some eggs past the snails...they were wiping them out so dang efficently. Eventually they will be getting a new tank, and im going to try extra hard to make sure it doesnt start with snails, But for now this is working, and has been for nearly a year atleast. i've got 4 froglets out of the water for a few months in their own tanks and probably some eggs or tads goin right now.


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## rompida (Mar 15, 2004)

I've done some experimenting with fruits and I've found that apple cores work great for catching snails - better than banana or lettuce. I have a long term tank that I don't want to break down - tons of leaf litter and lots of microfauna. Also has a lot of snails. 

This weekend I put an apple core in there and the next morning there was a pile (~30) snails under and on the apple core.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

just make sure you remove it regularly with the snails still on it, or you're just feeding them  Thats why i like the beer...kills em, but i know im forgetful and less diciplined so if you're good about keeping up with things then apple core is way to go probably.


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## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

Anyone ever try this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=6649

I know its safe on fish...could you mist the tank with it?


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## rbrightstone (Apr 14, 2004)

Copper is very toxic to broms. Even in trace amounts.


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## gm_kevin (Apr 17, 2007)

to back that up, if you click on 'more information', it specifically states:

Product may be harmful to grass shrimp, crayfish, freshwater lobsters and other invertebrates. Not recommended for use with amphibians. 

it'd be a nice solution otherwise.


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## AQUAMAC (Jul 27, 2004)

guess i should have read that first..  Well good call on that not working..thought it may be worth a try.

-Mike


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## TDK (Oct 6, 2007)

*The "beer thing"*

I've thought about this myself and felt you could use a soda bottle or deli cup with a small hole in it large enough for the snail to enter but not the frog. Allow enough beer for the snail to drown--that's the idea with slug traps.


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## crb_22601 (Jan 12, 2006)

Just thougth I would add my 2 cents. I have had a planted tank with leaflitter for the bottom. And I have noticed when I use dendrocare and dump excess of it in the bottome the snails will eat it or attack it or whatever but I am able to pick them out when they go for the dendrocare.


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