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Thread: Pesky ramshorns

  1. #1
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    Pesky ramshorns

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    Hi,

    Ramshorns are in my tank..
    Think its numbers are still under "manual" control.. average catch is 1~4 snails per day.
    Dont want to keep assassins (they burrow) nor dwarf puffer (too aggressive)

    I have read that ramshorns lay eggs sacs on tank glass and leaves..
    The strange thing is..
    I have never seen any egg sacs so far and wondered how they multiply without egg sacs?
    They wont lay eggs in the substrate right ?


    The war with ramshorn continues..

  2. #2
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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Possibly the eggs are among the plants? Did you add any new plants recently?

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    no new plants additions.. I guess they are the very first inhabitants when i start my fishless cycle with plants.
    Should have read up about hydrogen peroxide before i do anything foolish.. guess its too late for that now..

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    For pond/bladder snails they can self reproduction. Not sure about ramshorn, maybe they can too? XD Can help us do experiment?

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Ramshorn snails are hermaphrodites, so you just need any 2 of them to start breeding... there are some anecdotal accounts of these snails reproducing on their own, though i guess its most likely those snails already mated before introduction into the tank.

    Anyways, they can lay their egg clusters anywhere, even in the substrate, so its almost impossible find all of them. The egg clusters are almost transparent and require a sharp eye to spot, it usually easier to see them against a white background.

    Once they establish and start multiplying in your tank, the only way to control them is to constantly remove excess snails manually and reduce feeding to slow down their reproduction rate. Otherwise have to use snail eating fishes/snails to do the control work... or last resort use anti-snail treatment (not recommended to be done in a main tank though, as it also affects shrimps and some sensitive fishes too).
    Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 17th Jun 2015 at 15:19.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Btw, H202 isn't a guaranteed way to kill all the snails, i've tried that method before and some snails still somehow survive along with the eggs. I guess at super high concentrations it might have even more effect, but at those levels plants and everything else also die off too, so its like a total restart.

    Best preventive method is still soaking new plants beforehand in strong anti-snail treatment until all the snails and eggs die (you can see them literally litter the base of the treatment tank), then rinse throughly and quarantine for a while longer to clear off the residual chemicals, before adding the plants into the main tank.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    Anyways, they can lay their egg clusters anywhere, even in the substrate, so its almost impossible find all of them. The egg clusters are almost transparent and require a sharp eye to spot, it usually easier to see them against a white background.

    Been staring at the tank glass, lifting up java fern leaves.. just couldnt find any egg sacs.
    Brother UA just confirmed my suspects..

    Guess its impossible to hunt for their eggs in the substrate!

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    Ramshorn snails are hermaphrodites, so you just need any 2 of them to start breeding... there are some anecdotal accounts of these snails reproducing on their own, though i guess its most likely those snails already mated before introduction into the tank.
    ^_^ Thanks for the information. So they are unlike pond/bladder snails.

    Btw do you add any snails into your Moina culture? I'm thinking of adding some snails to eat those wall algae and detritus. I think it will also help to generate bacteria by pooping. XD Trying to make it a self-sustain or eco culture. Any idea where can I get blue ramshorn? Thanks

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Giving away any? I won't mind some.

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by Bern C View Post
    Btw do you add any snails into your Moina culture? I'm thinking of adding some snails to eat those wall algae and detritus. I think it will also help to generate bacteria by pooping. XD Trying to make it a self-sustain or eco culture. Any idea where can I get blue ramshorn? Thanks
    I have tried adding ramshorn snails into my moina cultures (based on the online daphnia guides)... they did help to eat the algae and detritus, though i've stopped doing that nowadays after i accidentally transferred a few tiny ramshorn snails along with the moina across to my main tanks when feeding my fishes (must always check the catch net very carefully), it took me quite a while to deal with the snail infestations that occurred thereafter.

    Blue ramshorns are nice, you could post a want-to-buy on it and some people who still have them might respond back to you on it. The ones i had kept somehow gradually multiplied into brown ones over the generations, so i guess they weren't true blue ones.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    it took me quite a while to deal with the snail infestations that occurred thereafter.
    UA, i think u can make a guide for "dealing with snail infestations".. something like your " Hemianthus Callitrichoides (HC) - Dry Start Method " guide. That will be terrific!

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    I saw someone selling
    "20 ramshorn snails red @ $10"

    Are those common ramshorns?
    Maybe i should start selling ramshorns.. didnt know that they are at 50cents/pcs.

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    I have tried adding ramshorn snails into my moina cultures (based on the online daphnia guides)... they did help to eat the algae and detritus, though i've stopped doing that nowadays after i accidentally transferred a few tiny ramshorn snails along with the moina across to my main tanks when feeding my fishes (must always check the catch net very carefully), it took me quite a while to deal with the snail infestations that occurred thereafter.

    Blue ramshorns are nice, you could post a want-to-buy on it and some people who still have them might respond back to you on it. The ones i had kept somehow gradually multiplied into brown ones over the generations, so i guess they weren't true blue ones.
    @_@ That is really a bad thing if accidental moved some snails with Moina. I am thinking of nerite snail but they don't reproduce in freshwater. I think maybe ramshorn a better choice as their population depends on the available food so I don't need to worry how many snails I need. Hope it's reproduction is not as crazy as bladder snails.
    ^_^ Thanks for your advices.. I will be extra careful. =S But still kinda afraid I might accidental add them to my tank.



    Quote Originally Posted by clsh View Post
    I saw someone selling
    "20 ramshorn snails red @ $10"

    Are those common ramshorns?
    Maybe i should start selling ramshorns.. didnt know that they are at 50cents/pcs.
    Those with colors one cost more than the brownie one. XD I rmb seeing the red one in LFS @ $1 before.
    =D Maybe you can sell yours to puffer keepers. XD Put in a container and breed more.

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by clsh View Post
    UA, i think u can make a guide for "dealing with snail infestations".. something like your " Hemianthus Callitrichoides (HC) - Dry Start Method " guide. That will be terrific!
    Yeah, i have gone though all the common methods to get rid of pest snails... manual removal, feeding less, using snails eaters like dwarf puffers, loaches, assasin snails etc, all of those methods can only reduce the snail population but can never totally eradicate them.

    The only surefire way i've used is anti-snail chemical treatment (i got many different brands of them, had enough to wage massive chemical warfare on snails)... its the last resort but can achieve 100% kill rate.

    l basically had to transfer out all the fishes, shrimps and nerite snails (which i want to keep) to a temporary tank, then repeatedly dose the anti-snail treatment in the main tank over the span of 2 weeks (have to ensure all the eggs and newborn snails are killed too). After that i had to do a series of 100% water changes and use active carbon to remove the chemicals for another week, before adding back the livestock. Only problem is that nerite snails may still be affected by residual traces of the treatment, so they can only be added back much later.

    I have noticed that certain snail species require much higher dosages of anti-snail treatment to get rid of... like malayan trumpet snails and the super annoying freshwater limpets, i had to use up to 5x of the recommended dosage to ensure that all of them are killed. I guess thats why some people struggle with recurring pest snail issues even when using anti-snail chemicals, their treatments are only done at normal dosage so it only kills a percentage of the snail, but not all, so the surviving ones keep restarting the population again.

    Honestly, the best is still to treat and quarantine plants properly before introducing them to the main tanks... much easier to get rid of pest snails in a small treatment container, rather than have to disrupt the entire main tank to do such treatments.
    Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 19th Jun 2015 at 14:40.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    Quote Originally Posted by clsh View Post
    I saw someone selling
    "20 ramshorn snails red @ $10"

    Are those common ramshorns?
    Maybe i should start selling ramshorns.. didnt know that they are at 50cents/pcs.
    The ramshorn snails that can fetch a good price are the bright red ones, or the bright blue ones.

    The common brownish don't have much value (most people consider them pests), occasionally you can find those types packed in bulk packets (50-100pcs) on sale for just $1-$2 a pack at some LFS. They are mainly bought for feeding snail eaters like puffers or loaches.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
    www.urbanaquaria.com

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    Re: Pesky ramshorns

    I have won the war against those pesky snails by introducing YOYO loach. I bought 4 to quicken the eradication and end up all snails gobble up within 1-2 weeks. The idea is to feed your current fishes with floating pellets first before getting the loaches. And feed your fishes sparingly until the snails reduce to minimum so that the loaches have to hunt for food.

    NOT Recommended if your have any CRS or RCS. That's what they go for after no more snails. PS: Not easy to remove after job is done if your tank is heavily planted as they are as fast and nimble as SAE. I mananged to remove only 3 out 4 and gave them away.

    yoyo_P8108939.jpg

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