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Thread: Malayan Trumpet Snail as Cleaning Crew

  1. #1
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    Malayan Trumpet Snail as Cleaning Crew

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    I would like to share the benefits of Malayan Trumpet Snails.

    While we deploy many methods to maintain our planted tanks, not a lot is discussed about using the Malayan Trumpet Snails as a cleaning crew. Their usage are usually overlooked.
    While we use otos, common plecos, sae, yamato, black molly, guppies and snails to nip at specific algae types in general their poop will accumulate through time.
    That's why we require to frequently mechanically remove mulm by siphoning out on the soil surface or moss to prevent an outbreak of algae like BGA.
    Nerite snails does help a little but they are the pretty boys and bought as much as for their looks.
    Then there are those pest snails, which just require a single one to explode it's population. They do help remove some detritus but makes the tank look ugly as they are always roaming our tank glass.

    Then there is the Malayan Trumpet Snail or MTS. I happened to introduce them when I started aquascaping more than 15years ago. Happened to introduce them when I bought plants from the defunct Teo Aquatic farm.
    Thought they were pests but since they are nocturnal and live burrowed under the soil I guess to leave them alone. I never had a BGA outbreak from that tank.
    Fast forward, after giving up and restarting the hobby, I had many algae issues, mostly user error but for a while, BGA outbreak was a constant headache.
    After much thought, 1 missing crew I realised was I had no MTS. The benefit of having MTS is other than clearing leftover foods, they help to toil the soil and also their waste are accessible to plant root system. Plus they are nocturnal, so they are unsightly out to feed during lights out. And it just take a couple of them to populate the tank.

    I search high and low for them and managed to find them through carousell (of all places).

    I now only occassionally do detritus removal, more as and after thought now than a maintenance regime.

    My 2cents about MTS.

  2. #2
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    Re: Malayan Trumpet Snail as Cleaning Crew

    Thanks for sharing, greenie
    I am wondering how did you manage it from the outbreak.
    Appreicate your sharing.

  3. #3
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    Re: Malayan Trumpet Snail as Cleaning Crew

    I got a YOYO Loach to keep their population in check as I tend to overfeed my sterbai cories, swordtails and guppies for breeding purposes.

    I cannot see mulm accumulating between my hairgrass lawn and substrate. MTS does a great job with me Not needing to vaccum the substrate anymore. Also helps prevent blue green algae from infesting the substrate.

    Anyway, MTS are nocturnal, but a few sometimes can be seen at daytime. Feed your fish less, and you can also control their population. You can also collect some and pass them to friends who have planted tank too.

    PS: The actual purpose of getting the YOYO loach is to clear those pest snails. After wiping out those snails, the YOYO loach proceed to burrow the substrate surface looking for MTS. Saw a number of adult MTS empty shell on substrate everywhere.
    Last edited by greenie; 30th Jul 2019 at 22:40.

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