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Well I looking into a plant selection and hopefully some Koi soon. What's everyones opinion on adding snails???
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#2
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Posted 16 April 2009 - 07:25 AM
i have ramshorn and they do a great job wiht algae...i see egg clusters all the time
#3
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koiboy
- Location:Alabama
Posted 19 April 2009 - 01:52 AM
Haven't done alot of reading about snails, but from what ive heard, they're not always a good option, as for algae, I'm getting some plecostomus. I've seen those things get so big in medium sized aquariums, imagine how big they could get in a pond.
#4
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Innovator
- Location:Escondido, Ca USA
Posted 19 April 2009 - 04:44 AM
Research the snails first. High fin sharks are better than the plekos in the cold.
DrDave
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“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it”. Albert Einstein
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#5
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Posted 21 April 2009 - 05:16 PM
I've had Japanese live bearing, trap door snails for over fifteen years in my indoor aquariums, and for several years in my outdoor ponds. They do a great job on the algee and they don't mess with the plants. My snails do even better in a outdoor pond.
I orginally found the Japanese snails in Wapato Lake here in Tacoma. I have to assume that someone must have dumped them there a while back. There where no snails like these in Wapato Lake when I was a kid.
These snails are a little bit bigger than a wallnut when full grown. When they have offspring, they dump twenty to forty baby snails usually only once a year.
Last year the city of Tacoma hired a contractor to come in and kill the algee bloom in the lake, and whatever they used killed everything that lived in the lake. Not sure how they got away with it, but it's done.
I recently purchased some more trapdoor snails from Tricker (online), and they are the same snails that I used to collect from our lake here.
I orginally found the Japanese snails in Wapato Lake here in Tacoma. I have to assume that someone must have dumped them there a while back. There where no snails like these in Wapato Lake when I was a kid.
These snails are a little bit bigger than a wallnut when full grown. When they have offspring, they dump twenty to forty baby snails usually only once a year.
Last year the city of Tacoma hired a contractor to come in and kill the algee bloom in the lake, and whatever they used killed everything that lived in the lake. Not sure how they got away with it, but it's done.
I recently purchased some more trapdoor snails from Tricker (online), and they are the same snails that I used to collect from our lake here.
OldMarine
SSgt. Rich Kruger Zone 7 to 8 <><
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#6
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Posted 21 April 2009 - 05:31 PM
DrDave said:
Research the snails first. High fin sharks are better than the plekos in the cold.
thats true...i have 2 small ones taking care of my pond and snails taking care of my tank...the hi fin sharks are doing a much better job
#7
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Posted 29 April 2009 - 12:24 AM
My experience with snails has been mixed. I have had the trapdoor variety, ramshorn and common pond snails.
The trapdoor are fine, they are live breeders (that means they will not overrun your pond) and too large for most fish to harm. Their ability to control algae is minimal in my experience (unless you have an incredible amount of them).
Ramshorn are attractive, but prolific breeders, and mine had one annoying habit. They would often float to the surface and end up in my skimmer. Every time I cleaned the skimmer there would be dozens of them in the basket, none the worse for ware.
The common pond snails are also prolific breeders, worse than the ramshorn. They were all over the pond and I was beginning to wonder if I had a real problem on my hands. My neighbor gave me a 12” koi; problem solved. However, now I have no pond snails or ramshorns in the pond at all. They still control the waterfall weir and the filter, but that does not bother me.
The trapdoor are fine, they are live breeders (that means they will not overrun your pond) and too large for most fish to harm. Their ability to control algae is minimal in my experience (unless you have an incredible amount of them).
Ramshorn are attractive, but prolific breeders, and mine had one annoying habit. They would often float to the surface and end up in my skimmer. Every time I cleaned the skimmer there would be dozens of them in the basket, none the worse for ware.
The common pond snails are also prolific breeders, worse than the ramshorn. They were all over the pond and I was beginning to wonder if I had a real problem on my hands. My neighbor gave me a 12” koi; problem solved. However, now I have no pond snails or ramshorns in the pond at all. They still control the waterfall weir and the filter, but that does not bother me.
#8
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Posted 29 April 2009 - 05:30 PM
Actually your right, the trap door / living bearing snails don't lay eggs. They give birth to already hatched snails. I've never had any trouble with them over running my pond. The food source will control their population. It seems no matter how many there are in a pond or aquarium, they do a good job. Only two problems with these large snails in an aquarium. If they are under fed, (not enough algee, or algee waffers as a suppliment), they will die. When they die in an aquarium they will foul the water real fast. If they die in a pond, things seems to ballance out well, and narure takes it's course.
The lake here in Tacoma that I originally collected the trap door snails from seemed to have quite a large population, because the lake is always stagnent and heavy with green algee. The snails were always close the waters edge. After last years chemically controlled algee kill, all of the wild life is gone. No sign of life at all this spring.
I would stay away from the smaller egg laying snails, because they are too hard to control, and I think they eat to many of the aquadic plants.
The lake here in Tacoma that I originally collected the trap door snails from seemed to have quite a large population, because the lake is always stagnent and heavy with green algee. The snails were always close the waters edge. After last years chemically controlled algee kill, all of the wild life is gone. No sign of life at all this spring.
I would stay away from the smaller egg laying snails, because they are too hard to control, and I think they eat to many of the aquadic plants.
OldMarine
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#9
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Posted 30 April 2009 - 01:29 AM
Thanks for the tips...Haven't decided yet. I do have a pretty large common pleco in my Aquarium that I was thinking about adding. I was only worried about the cold...It doesn't get that cold here in Vegas though...I've had him quite a while and my wife would be pist if i put him and he floated to the top...
