Pest Snails: Are They Bad For Your Aquarium??

Pest snails…. Do you love them or do you hate them??? In this video I will breakdown some of the commonly known misconceptions of pest snails and share with you the benefits in my opinion that they have by being in our aquariums.
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#fish #fishaquarium #snails #aquascape

[@TalisaAquarist]

Great video! “Pest” snails are my favorite thing to keep in an aquarium! They’re not as entertaining as fish but they’re pretty cute and so beneficial to the ecosystem of the tank, as you mentioned. I love seeing them in my aquariums! Also, I love seeing your aquariums, they look so natural 😍🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@TalisaAquarist thank you Talisa, I just feel like pest snails het a bad rap, there are so many benefits to them, especially planted aquariums. Thank you for watching 😁👍

[@GrzzlyJon]

Great subject Patty, I love snails and believe they go hand in hand with any natural tank. Thanks for sharing 🤩

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@GrzzlyJon thank you very much! I completely agree my friend 😁 thanks for watching 😁👍

[@TarasTankFriends]

Love the thumbnail 😂! I don't mind them as long as like you said you're trying to breed. I had an albino pond snail once, was really cool looking. Great video, hope you have a nice weekend! 🙂👍

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@TarasTankFriends thanks Tara, I was having fun with the thumbnail 😂 I believe they have a purpose in our aquariums and shouldn’t be hated on but that’s the beauty of this hobby everyone has their own vision of what they like or want to do and that’s how it should be. Thanks for watching and have a great weekend as well😁👍

[@aquariumdelirium]

Great video as always Patty, and I’m looking forward to the shinner project 👍👍

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@aquariumdelirium thanks Mal, yeah I will work on that project in the near future. Working on White clouds right now. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@nareshkharat]

A genuine guy🎉

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@nareshkharat thank you 🙏

[@davidshultz4654]

Great topic once again Patty. Thanks

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@davidshultz4654 thank you very much and thanks for watching 😁👍

[@GCaquatics]

oh wow those red and white shrimp are cool too.

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@GCaquatics 😁👍

[@jasonzelle3571]

Great video bud! I agree 100%! Love the videos, and keep em coming!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@jasonzelle3571 thank you Jay, and thanks for the support my friend it’s greatly appreciated. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@Aquadiction]

Interesting video bud, there are some snails that will take out healthy plants, the "Giant Colombian Ramshorn Snail" (Marisa cornuarietis) will even take down Anubias, believe it or not the stems of Anubias as well, in days! Avoid that one snail at all costs with any plants! What are your thoughts on assassin snails? We have them in all aquariums! They do a good job at clean up job of excess food and have a lot of colour, don't overly breed, they do clear out other snails though! We personally only like assassin and rabbit snails but its just our personal preference! The so called "Pest Snails" ironically don't seem to touch plants just the more ornamental snails mentioned above, rabbit snails will go after plants if there is no food as well but not as much as the Giant rams! video liked!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@Aquadiction thank you, the Giant ramshorn sound scary lol. I have had rabbit snails and as cool as they were just couldn’t do it with plants. I never have kept assassin snails, but from what I heard is yes they will take out the other snails but then could have an issue with them populating but that’s just what I read. I find the pest snails do so much for our ecosystems within our aquariums and just seems some people hate them but don’t really understand why! But that’s what makes this hobby cool, we all don’t have to like or believe the same thing as long we do what we want to do. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@Aquadiction]

@pattys_aquatics, I agree with your points. Assassin snails tend to maintain low populations when there aren't other snails for them to prey on. While it's possible they might turn on each other when other snails are absent, I can't confirm that, but could be the reason their numbers remain low. They also consume sinking food and can clear out dead shrimp or fish before you have a chance to remove them, which is quite interesting. However, they shouldn't be kept with other snails for obvious reasons. Additionally, they often bury themselves in the substrate, which might help keep it aerated, similar to the way earthworms do?I think the biggest drawback with the pond snails and why they are disliked is they just don't look pretty compared to other ornamental snails! keep rocking buddy!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@Aquadiction some great facts there🙏😁 It’s funny because I just had a conversation with someone in my area about assassin snails. They got them to rid the pest snails , which they did but now they are the pests according to them. My reply was at least there is a market for assassin snails to sell them😂😁

[@Aquadiction]

@@pattys_aquatics lol this is what we were hoping for, to sell them on but unless they are all hiding in the substrate there aren’t enough! I suspect because we lightly feed the aquariums there isn’t enough spare food for a population explosion! Shame really as they go for £4 each over here!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@Aquadiction I heard Cory from Aquarium co op say he use to breed and sell them when he first started and would put small pieces of steak in the tanks and they would eat that and breed like crazy. It was an interesting idea

[@stubbsaquatics6080]

Great video as always my friend

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@stubbsaquatics6080 thanks Chris, always appreciated my friend 😁👍

[@TheSalient1]

Agree, I will add to the cons, when they die have ton white shells clogging python, they can take over filters. Thanks for the videos full watch here!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@TheSalient1 that would definitely be cons, the only ones I had in my filters were Malaysian trumpet snails when I used filters . I have a love hate relationship with them😂. Thanks for watching Jesse👍😁

[@chefsteve8381]

Mystery snails are awesome great colours to and when they lay eggs on the top of the tank i think free snails...

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@chefsteve8381 mystery snails are cool, have attempted to breed them in the past. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@janemarriott3389]

I loves me some snails❤

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@janemarriott3389 oh so do I 😁, thanks for watching 😁👍

[@Centraxal]

Firstly "like" then watching video! Love your videos! Do you have green algae on the top of the sand? I have a lot of algae, so should I put more sand and plants to avoid them or to put litter leaves?

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@Centraxal thank you very much I appreciate that. Yes in some tanks I have algae on the surface of the sand. I personally like it , it looks natural and it’s a great place for shrimp and fry to hide. If you have an abundance there is no need to add sand over it just use your hand and scoop some out. More plants will definitely compete with the algae to lessen it but if your tank is dirted sometimes you fight algae for awhile until it balances out. I have had that in a few tanks. Hope that helps and thanks for the support and watching 😁👍

[@Centraxal]

@@pattys_aquatics yes, my tank is dirted. I wonder also, my tank is made by FF method but a lot of "dirts" are on plant leaves and sand. Is that normal? I tried to clean my sand and plants by changing water but this dirt is out there. Should I put litter leaves so bacteria eats it? How to prevent that dirt from becoming in the tank?

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@Centraxal is it actually dirt from your dirt layer or is it mulm? Has it been there since you set it up or just show up? If it’s dirt and from when you just started the tank you can shake it off the plants and if you don’t have a food web started you can syphon it out with the hose just over the sand . Not sure why you would have dirt otherwise. If it’s not much it is nothing to worry about though. Adding leaf litter will cover it.

[@Centraxal]

@@pattys_aquatics it is showed up after some time, as dust on plant leaves and sand. Can you understand me now? It is not dirt that we put under sand. The tank looks more dirty as dirt from fish and plant melting but I could not syphon it, even I did it 3x

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@Centraxal that has me stumped to be honest. It sounds like mulm or detritus but that you should be able to syphon. I will do some research and if I find anything I will get back to you.

[@gbeeshrimp]

I don't mind the ramshorn but not a fan of bladder or mts. But they help with the bioload of my already low bioload in a shrimp only tank

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@gbeeshrimp I hear you, my tanks all get overrun by Malaysian trumpet snails , but I use those to feed my puffer so win win I guess. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@gbeeshrimp]

@@pattys_aquatics 🙏❤️

[@GCaquatics]

ya those are some good looking shrimp.

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@GCaquatics thanks I have a few different types. I love them in all tanks they won’t get eaten in

[@footagemissing]

Agreed, I like them in all tanks, except when I'm trying to breed fish. I even have one tank where I can't keep them alive, and there are no snail eating fish in there... Go figure...

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@footagemissing yeah I have been struggling in my egg scatters tanks so I set up a 10 gallon to breed white clouds in and made sure there were no snails in it. That’s the one and only downfall of them for me. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@garageaquatics2023]

Ya know, I get it. Snails are fantastic detritivores, but I'm still not a fan. Having been a 'gardener' for so many years, I think I just grew to hate snails because of the damage they cause in the landscape. I get it's not the same, but old habits are dying really hard! 🙂 I got over-run with bladder snails, and I try to manualy keep teh population under control. I've got a bunch of 20 gallon tanks side-by-side on a rack and they hop tanks! So I've taken to putting copper tape on the tops of the tanks to keep them from moving into the next tank. I do try not to over-feed - usually every other day, but there's still enough detritus in the tanks for them to thrive. And now ranshorn snails showed up. Oh well. This is one of those times where 'acceptance is the answer.' 🙂 Cheers, Patty! ~Ron

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@garageaquatics2023 I hear you Ron, I know they are not for everyone, in my experiences I have found them nothing but beneficial. Now the Malaysian trumpet snails they can infest an aquarium fast but at least they are in the substrate most of the time. That’s what I love most about this hobby, we all don’t have to do exactly what everyone does and still be happy and successful in what we do. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@PhoenixRising2040]

I have a population of solid red, solid white, and a mixture of ramshorn that has blown out of control😂 started with one and now have hundreds some the size of a quarter

[@PhoenixRising2040]

Great trap is a rinsed out baby food jar with cucumber inside

[@PhoenixRising2040]

Zero algae visible though after the introduction, totally a plus 😊

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@PhoenixRising2040 if they are breeding like that it would mean there is a food source for them. I think snails are just fascinating to watch to be honest. Traps work well, I made one out of a small Tupperware container and drilled holes in it and put cucumbers or algae wafer in. All in all I find them to be extremely beneficial but however each individual hobbyist feels that’s what’s important. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@PhoenixRising2040]

@pattys_aquatics I did an altered version of the FF substrate recipe and didn't have the funds to "follow the rules" and wasn't able to add enough plants in time so when everything was establishing there ended up being a massive fuzz algae bloom covering everything, then the snails started 😅 now I have an abundance of snails and a scrubbed tank 😜 now that the algae is under control I'm going to set afew snail traps in my planted tank to get their population abit more under control and will move them to my future cichlid tank(once I'm done scraping the silicone on the inside and resealing(man that's a chore 😅)

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@PhoenixRising2040 I hear you, I started a few with not enough plants in the beginning and paid with algae. That’s another reason I love my puffer, all the excess snails are free food😁

[@GCaquatics]

good video and good points, i just dont like the look of them.

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@GCaquatics thanks Gabriel, I get it! Not everything is for everyone but whatever we like and works for us is what makes this hobby great . Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@GCaquatics]

Ima hear you out, but i dont think youll change my mind :p

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@GCaquatics it’s ok either way 😁 I just like to get people thinking and create conversation 😁

[@razinfishes1918]

Lol your talking about me! Lol you know I hate snails. The only snail I like is the male nilrite snails that don't lay eggs. All the rest I just don't like. And I'm currently fighting snails in 3 tanks that hitchhiked on plants that I did clean but I guess not good enough

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@razinfishes1918 well not just you Scott, I have seen others tear down their tanks because of snails. To each their own , everyone has their own visions of what they like and don’t and that’s what great about this hobby. Mine is I find them extremely beneficial. I don’t care for them with trying to breed egg scatter fish so I’m on board there😁Thanks for watching Scott 😁👍

[@bigfishlad4847]

I dont mind snails mate

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@bigfishlad4847 I find them to be a very interesting creature and very natural. Every jar I collect from the local waters has snails. Thanks for watching Paul 😁👍

[@jeffkane4391]

In a planted community display tank or a fry tank agreed. In a min max breeder tank.....EVIL!!!!

[@pattys_aquatics]

@@jeffkane4391 I hear you Jeff, they definitely are evil in a breeding tank. Thanks for watching 😁👍