Why are SNAILS GOOD For Your AQUARIUM?

Having snails in your aquarium can be a helpful and important part of keeping a balanced ecosystem. Snails are detritivores, meaning that eat and help break down organic matter that is found in our aquariums. They are an extremely valuable part of a balanced aquarium.
Snail Catcher: www.aquariumco...
Learn from experts like Oliver Knott by joining the Aquarium Co-Op Club: www.youtube.co...
Link to fish foods, plants, and aquarium supplies www.aquariumcoo...
Follow me on Instagram: / tazawa_tanks
Tazawa Tanks Merchandise: shop.spreadshi...
Editor: Matt Gray at www.grayfamilyf...
Mail To:
Tazawa Tanks
58 West Portal Ave 235
San Francisco, CA 94127
Email (for business and sponsorship inquiries ONLY - NO FISH QUESTIONS or asking about buying fish): [e-mail]
Disclaimer: This video and description may contain affiliate links. I am also employed by Aquarium Co-Op, LLC. Some video content may be sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.

[@TazawaTanks]

Snail Catcher shown in the video: www.aquariumcoop.com/products/dennerle-snail-catcher Learn from experts like Oliver Knott by joining the Aquarium Co-Op Club: kzbin.infof7ePYAbDke4?feature=share

[@watersrising8044]

Please remind your viewers to NEVER release snails into the wild (or just dump them outside after you clean your aquarium). In many places, aquarium snails like apple snails have become invasive pests threatening native species and ecosystems. If you don’t want them anymore, trade them with other hobbyists or dispose of them properly. Please remind your viewers to be responsible hobbyists.

[@vanillagorrilla]

I release mine onto my neighbours vegetable plot ……he’s a dirty old man

[@mrs.spicer]

What’s the proper way to dispose of them?

[@mattbash5372]

💀

[@sarahwoodring5587]

I'm 100% pro-snail, but I also keep assassins to keep the population down. Just want to say that the editing in this video is STELLAR! Well done!

[@mattgray9297]

🥹☺️

[@b1oh1]

So many people complain about snails. Especially bladder and trumpet snails. Yes they will have surges in population. However, it's usually in direct correlation to how much you feed/the condition of the tank. I stopped worrying about them for several reasons. 1. They're a natural part of your enclosed ecosystem. 2. They break down dead and dying matter. If a fish kicks the bucket, I usually miss it because the snails eat it within an hour. 3. They're an excellent indicator of overall tank health.

[@DeepOnes420]

For some reason it's really hard to stay depressed watching your videos. I don't know if it's the "Hello fish friends" or just your overall enthusiasim but your videos always brighten my day. Thank you.

[@TazawaTanks]

That’s very kind of you to say. Thank you for sharing, and I hope you have a great day!

[@jaminhughes7507]

I've gotten to the point where I feel a tank is incomplete without snails. Got a combination of ramshorns, Malaysians, and pond snails in all my tanks. Great help with maintenance! I will likely keep pea puffers as often as I have tanks. Snails make the most sense for their food source. My corys and angels enjoy snacking on snails, too!

[@adrianrainbow4106]

I love my Golden mystery snails. I just bought them to speed up cycling, but they are the most relaxing enchanting creatures to watch. So now I'm doing a Cherry shrimp/Golden Mystery tank. Swper chilled!

[@leftocastpunx83]

I have a cherry shrimp/blue mystery paludarium ❤

[@mikerosenzweig]

My Otocinclus eat snail eggs. This helps keep my snail population in balance.

[@kencox9956]

I used to not like snails, but now as long as there are not an over abundance of them I love them.

[@mariahpierson9573]

I really like snails! I have mystery, Nerite, rams horn, and rabbit snails in my tank. They all do well together. Also shrimp too. I think they all play a role in the tank

[@SifiFan]

I'm new and purposely overfeeding my new shrimp colonies. To keep the snails under control, I remove snails that are in the food bowl only. If they are lazy and go sit in the food bowl, then they are outa hear.... lol

[@jacobsteele2929]

Ive never had snails... But now I want them! Very informative, and I love the zucchini trick to catch them if you need to.

[@tinadoyle3803]

I would love them.but my tanks are breeding tanks so 🤷‍♀️

[@assiahinarkansas]

All my tanks and tubs have snails. I love them. Pond snails, ramshorn, and mystery snails currently. Not keeping nerites these days because of the eggs.

[@naegwut]

I love snails Especially ramshorn s

[@cohlinn]

I love snails! Love watching their antics and acrobatics. Their curiosity every time something new was added to the tank. I hate cleaning glass and hardscape. I used to dread weekend cleaning because of it and let my tanks turn into pea-soup with walls of algae. So I was happy to have hitchhiker snails and limpets. Now, I only top up water, clean filters, and gravel vac once a while. I don't worry about population explosions. My tactics are 1) only feed the fish in the fish tank. 2) have a separate tank for snails that I can't bear to kill. The snails in my fish tank remain low in population.

[@ronswalk]

Any bio smells on your hands... try hydrogen peroxide, or baking soda, maple extract

[@legionaquatics]

I love snails! I just went to pick up a bunch for free from a guy today

[@evafrank84]

Thanks for the tip! I put a bunch i pluck from my tank into a water bowl with plants. I should reach out and see if anyone wants any.

[@guyandadrone3051]

I love having snails in my planted tanks. They are a big help, just gotta have something to keep them under control.

[@JosephStealin]

My room mate is French, will my snails be ok?

[@lefish5277]

No, I am so sorry

[@tianahoovik2931]

I'd only heard fear & hatred of snails until Cory advocated for them. Now I have multiple kinds of snails in every tank on purpose. Now I'm an advocate for snails.

[@livdriscoll3981]

I do love my ramshorns and trumpets but they dooo murder my corydora eggs which is a pain when i like to put eggs in a mulmy tank to hatch 🐣

[@aquariumhacksbymarcus5653]

I love snails! Intentionally put them in all my tanks I used them as scavengers rather than catfish or loaches because honestly those are a whole another fish that you have to actually feed. although I feed my snail once a week at night. Compared to when I had catfish I had to feed every other day and they still did not eat rotten plant matter!

[@woolywooly8690]

I miss my apple snail that thing was the size of my fist was very sociable almost reminds me of my Oscar. When I come up to the tank it makes its way to the top of the tank and I hand feed it was too cool. But unfortunately I believe they are illegal to have now.

[@audrameyer9558]

I loved this one, thank you, Zenzo. Snails for the win! I like the positive things they contribute to my tanks. They are also fun to watch. Who knew snails would glide so beautifully thru water the way they do? Or just "parachute" down to the bottom of the tank when wanted? 😍 I also choose to "thank them for their service" as I chuck them into tanks. I breed them and feed all but the Mystery and Spixi snails to my many puffers! 😳😁🐌🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐌

[@foxecarpentress4964]

I put a few Big snails in a tank, without a Lid, cuz I’m growing plants off the top of the water and one morning, I came in and found it missing!!! It had crawled out of the tank and fell to the floor below, cracking its shell around the edge. I put it back in the water and thought, that was a rough ride, surely it wouldn’t do it again! Couple days, it did it again, so we had to modify the Lid to still grow the plants from the top, with the roots in the water and keep the snail in the tank! 🐚 It broke its shell worse the second time. I took some straight edged toenail clippers to it, to smooth the edge. Thank God, it didn’t break back so far that it could not survive! Peace, watching God’s Snails!!! 🙌 🥰🤴🥰 🙌

[@CricketsMa]

I love my 6 snails! They each have their special quirks and habits. One of my Nerite snails lays eggs on the Rabbit snail. Needless to say, his attractive appearance is interrupted by all the eggs. I love how the Mystery snail races up to the waterline, then let’s go and falls to the substrate. Rinse, spin, repeat!! HaHa! They’re just fun to watch. Thanks, Zenzo, for the positive press about these fascinating aquatic inhabitants.

[@flightofapaullo72]

I've always liked snails (non aquarium) . I didn't do my research when getting back into fish and man o man. Lol! Didn't know they populate like they do. But I dig them.

[@NatashaReeder]

I have a mix of snails. I got some mystery snails, nerite snails, assassin snails, and my favorite the Malaysian trumpet snail.

[@62873milehi420]

I could hear my frontosa eating their resident snail population every night .

[@OliverKnott_aquascaper]

Great explanation 💪🏽

[@TazawaTanks]

Thanks for watching Oliver! You were in the video too!

[@CloudyFlyerRowdyNiemira]

The best tanks always have snails. I find them to be a good indicator of tank quality. Its funny to me when I see people freak out. You think your fish wouldn't be swimming around snails and algae in the wild!?

[@feliciaheater5548]

I like snails. I keep mystery snails because they’re fun, bladder snails for algae control, and Malaysian trumpets for substrate help.

[@SchusterFishes]

Good timing because my rams horns have exploded in my guppy/swordtail 55gallon planted tank 😅 luckily I have some Amazon puffers and clown loaches in other tanks so free food for them

[@kasperaquatics]

I enjoy the Mystery snails, all others can stay away.

[@Kaitlin.D]

Until recently I didn’t want them interrupting the view in most of my tanks. I recently got a bag of 50+ ramshorn snails at my local fish club for my puffer however and decided to throw them all in the new bigger tank I’m setting up for him to work on wood biofilm instead of a breeding bucket. With so many in there I actually noticed their behavior. They are surprisingly fascinating to watch so I may have changed my mind.

[@DashDrones]

2:18 aquariums are natural/nature. If they weren't, they wouldn't survive..

[@pannobhasa]

What kind of freshwater aquarium fish eats snails, or worse, simply bites off the protruding eye stalks?

[@candiwine]

I like snails. I have bladder snails, my green cory and betta eat them. Plus I now have a male nerite. I had a fema6doe 6 years. Still have remnants of old eggs on rocks and wood ;)

[@alexiswilson4186]

I love snails, I went out of my way to get several different types of pest snails. I let them live but sometimes feed them to the cichlids in my turtle tank. The only tank that is snail free other than one assassin snail is the tank that I breed plecos in. Now that I think of it I think I have another tank that has no snails because it also has cichlids

[@rockyandmiles9889]

I like mystery snails! They’re adorable and quirky 😅 I dislike MTS as they reproduce fast and furious! I only have a betta in that tank and spot feed it so I know I’m not over feeding and yet there’s a trillion of them! 😳

[@LordChumbley]

Snails are cool. They show up for free and help clean up after themselves and others.

[@booshveg]

seeing how they multiply even in places they're not wanted , i just wonder how snails haven't taken over the whole world yet

[@sasfishadventures9729]

I like micro curly snails. Ramshorns in my experience always get out of control. Mystery snails are very fun if they don't breed lol🎉

[@lloydstevens8924]

I dont mind them as long as not too many

[@JTCT371]

Snails are nothing but a positive for any ecosystem....Their supported numbers also provide evidence if the tank is well balanced or not....too many tends to mean overfeeding.....you want their population in balance with whats going on with your aquarium. When algae is trying to establish itself, numbers should rise. ..when the food source begins to deplete, you should see a drop in population. And this cycle should continue over and over again.

[@MIKoenig44]

I never enjoyed snails until Cory explained them better. Now, I enjoy them. They're part of the ecosystem; and something else to watch in my tank.

[@rowdyyeets4532]

Very interesting and informative video. Thanks for making it. Personally, I think snails are fascinating and I like having them in an aquarium. However, they can cause a lot of problems with filters. I have endured an explosive population of ramshorn snails. What a mess.

[@littlewigglemonster7691]

Do you have to clean the poop in an heavily planted tank? I have a betta and shrimp in a 10 gallon i bought 3 mystery snails, i didnt realize they poop so much but needed really bad for algae.. anyways in a tank thats mostly plant ( pretty much every square inch is filled ) and i have dirt - thick sand and gravel / grit. I find it impossible to vaccume up either get a rock or shrimp and non the poop. Its been about 45 days now and all the test cotinue come back good, if the parameters are ok can i just leave it

[@robertwilliams3530]

Do snails eat baby fish

[@mattgray9297]

No

[@FishRfun]

I love nerite snails, but i think something has been killing them. The only suspects are angelfish or a powder blue dwarf guarami, but i do still see some of my nerites. Which one do you think is the snail killer?

[@ranjanty]

I have a 10 gallon guppy tank with cherry shrimp and several dozen snails. It must be a healthy tank because the fish shrimp and snails breed like crazy. With the snails there's so many different colors. From pink, white, blue and a combination of colors. Why did this happen? 90% are ramshorn. Another tank has brown ramshorn.

[@Eye-1-70]

Normally around here everyone puts their unwanted snails in the lake

[@Greenbug-chough147]

Hey, just wana ask here. Do u need snail for a sea monkey aquarium? Because algae is pretty good for sea monkey aquarium, they generate oxygen for the tank and food for sea monkeys and they are pretty small i'm scared the snails will eat them

[@andrewgoldfish]

After ten years worth of nerite egg debris on my glass I had to switch from using an ice scraper for the monthly scraping to a razor one.

[@emilijus319]

was walking past my tank rn at 2 am When I noticed a small snail walking on the glass I was kinda worried because for sure ik i didnt buy that thing, but after reading online I found out it couldve came with the plants I bought a month ago😭

[@visionaryprem]

Even your hairstyle reflects 🐌 snails😅

[@bloomboy1991]

I just bought a couple of apple snails, onion snails and bumblebee snails

[@tomcahill6981]

I keep the population down by simply hand picking them, then tossing them into the yard. Somehow they keep coming back but I just try to keep the number controlable.

[@ebowman1]

I'd like snails, but I have clown loaches in my tank, and they like eating snails.

[@RyanRoux]

I love them except for in my shrimp tank. They out compete the shrimp for food sometimes. I have MTS in my shrimp tank and try to get rid of them as much as I can.

[@richardvillafana8111]

About the only snails I don't like are bladder snails. They reproduce incredibly fast, and they aren't as attractive as the beautiful mysteries or nerites.

[@sile8389]

I like my 3 🐌 but not reproduction so I was recommended a type of fish 🐠 that will eat the eggs. We’ll see what happens moving forward.

[@FollicallyChallengedFishkeeper]

Snails are part of the ecosystem and I have no objection to having them in my tanks. Just control how much you feed and they are generally not a problem.

[@alcid2466]

I love snails 🐌 except for bladder snails, but unfortunately, I have bladder snails because of plant's I got a while ago. And they get out of control sometimes. I have nerite snails those are my favorite snail I don't mind the tiny eggs. they arein good for my tanks. Thank you for sharing.

[@jerryghirardo6111]

I love snails. Planning to setup a tank geared toward them. I have about 3 in each of my tanks (mystery, nerite and Rabbit). 😢

[@charlesroll8502]

Ramshorn snails are pretty cool and good at cleaning the tank but they breed way to fast and the shells plug up the water change syphon

[@karinwanders5864]

I have Malaysian Trumpet snails in all my tanks. If they get out of hand I just scoop and dump.

[@TheFantasyBookWriter]

I dont like them. I had bladder snails in one they bred like crazy despite feeding my fish once a day and skipping every friday as well. So i got assasin snails and crushed the bladder snails and put lettuce on a clip to get rid of them. I got them again in another tank which was lightly fed (it only had ten rasbora espeii) and was a 40 gallon tank. It's planted and Those and other snails will eat plants if they don't have food to eat. My plants started to have small holes in them and i fertilize, co2 etc and i feel for sure it was the snails. I got rid of them as far as I know after i got loaches and assasin snail and used the lettuce (I gave the loaches to my neighbor to handle their snail problem) but after they were gone the holes stopped happening. So i do not believe they will not eat plants because ove experienced it. I think snails are very beautiful and unique, but i wouldn't want them in my planted tank ever again. Great video though.

[@gracedawnknight3527]

So… um.. I have horse face loaches with snails that I got today. Did I just send them to their death?

[@brianholdridge1860]

I like mystery and nerite snails. The rest of them I murder if I find them. I got bladder snails with plants that are impossible to get rid of. I only by tissue culture plants now.

[@Cellgm2000]

what best snail do you reckon for hair algae ? ( dark )

[@Personvids]

My question is do you need a lid? I know some snails lay eggs above water but do I need to worry about escape artists.

[@jeromehorn7333]

I like snails - I have nerites as algae eaters and malayasian trumpet snails to aerate the substrate for planted tanks. I thinks spixi snails look cool and are easy to breed, but eats plants so don't keep them any more. Also, never had good luck with mystery snails.

[@danielklages4607]

I enjoy there just cool to watch

[@nunya___]

Dead snail smell. Wash your hands in vinegar.

[@Ripsaw17]

Just put a pea puffer in there they'll be gone in a couple days

[@WhatHowWhenforWhomWhatpurpose]

I like them. Thank you for the great video including the photo. I learned something new!

[@XIxCaptainKRulLT]

I still have snails, but I would recommend some larger "pest" snails for goldfish tanks. Had 'em in there about four years ago when I still had that tank sat up. The goldfish would leave the older ones alone, but would eat some of the younger ones. Anything that wasn't eaten up by the golfdish would end up in the filter and grow from there.

[@Amandarobertson-d7o]

I have some snails what do they eat as I don’t have algae I’m trying to make some algae by leaving the light on a bit

[@devoncollins5403]

I love them but damn they breed quick

[@jack27nikk38]

I got only only Assassin snail they dont breed that fast

[@Random.Adventures.]

what about the snails crawing out is that common?

[@livencali1]

Love my ramshorn snails 🐌 ❤️

[@wadeb.5509]

Thanks! You answered one of my long standing questions. I started out just a year ago and within no time I had a boatload of snails. Now I have very few...I learned to feed less and or the tank got established. So as I added fish my food waste went down. Voila, fewer snails.

[@XDproductionsXD]

Kind of on the natural environment side.

[@RolandoAltoIVvlogs]

Great video content. We appreciate these info.

[@markfranklin8831]

I love snails but they do eat my fish eggs

[@billcody26]

Is there such a thing as too much snail tho?

[@nabokovfan87]

TeamAmanoShrimp

[@SamuelDelBuono-fr3oy]

I am all about the snails!

[@heatherjoy479]

Snails useful eat elgie

[@lefish5277]

The iSnail sent me😂

[@jaysiservices6799]

crush them for photo?

[@beyondfubar]

Bought live bunch plants until I got "pest" snails. Couldn't bring myself to buy them, but needed the snails! MTS snails, bladder snails, nerite snails, mystery snails, they're all fantastic.

[@alch3myau]

wash em in olive oil?

[@dustinmatlock]

What’s the best snails for an African cichlid or Mbuna tank?

[@TazawaTanks]

I’ve had success with nerite snails in my AC tanks. Trumpet snails are pretty bulletproof, and I also have rams horns in my mbuna tank.

[@ragingcalmness7815]

Great video although I really dont like when people say "it's natural" about something in an aquarium, as total oblitarion of an ecosystem is also natural, and when a "natural" proclaimer takes it down a notch they can maybe see that fact. Anyone that builds an aquarium has a desired image(desired outcome) they wish to achieve with it, and claiming otherwise is hypocritical I would say to them lol. Getting back on the topic of snails however I have integrated ramshorn in a few containers to grow plants faster since they are truly incredible gardeners, they outright reprocess unwanted algae into available nutrients for the plants and the algae just can't keep up. I am also in the process of trying to use MTS since they bear their own young, with supposedly much higher survival rate for my purpose, in order to allow dwarf rasboras to feed on those fresh and juicy MTS babies once born. That is still on going until I witness it myself. I did attempt buying some rabbit snails which are the only snail I would ever deem worthy in a main aquarium due to their slow reproduction and I couldn't care less about them munching a bit on some plants, but I have had no success with them and I feel like I was either misguided on parameters for them or they were already pretty unhealthy when I got them as their shells have very visible pitting trails. It is sad that where I live they are not so readily available and at 20$ a pop they are quite the mighty expense for a snail, moreso a possibly ill/damaged snail. They are not dead according to your video as I don't smell anything noticeable yet, but I took them out of an 86f tank with PH of 8 and next to no flow.......to a PH of 7.2 and 74-78f environment and I noticed they finally started moving after like 2 weeks of barely any movement. They had access to a half submerged platform as well which allowed them to easily remain submerged or breathe air in case the environment required adaptation new water parameters without forcing it too rapidly, something for which most people don't even go that far as I have seen on youtube and forums. I am still unsure this is even good for them as I would love to see them thrive in my higher temps and higher PH tank because I was slowly raising the PH in it over weeks. Also, having seen kuhli loaches devour smaller variety snails or adult shrimp if hungry enough, I am unsure if they remain in my main tank, if their babies would ever survive. Either way I do agree with you that snails bring up benefits to tanks, given there is something to control them or they are used for a very specific purpose. But in most cases they will be pests for a lot of people cuz it s way too easy to overfeed 😅

[@stellapye]

I love snails!

[@jenxu2]

It's a love / hate relationship... LOL...I have mystery snails and ramshorn snails. I really love the mystery snails! Ramshorn...love them until they go crazy because I overfeed the tank. I think I need some pea puffers.... LOL