I am new to having a planted tank. I tried to be sure I washed the plants thoroughly before planting them in my tank, but I found this very tiny snail this morning. I’ve never had any snails in my tanks before. Is this a snail recommended to keep in the tank? It’s so tiny, it’s almost impossible to get a good picture. I took it out the tank for now and put it in the ziplock bag with tank water.
https://i.redd.it/vogi8fwtgvyf1.jpeg
Posted by shelB64
4 Comments
Snails are a great clean up crew
Personal choice really. I like snails and consider them part of a good tank ecosystem. They help with algae and clean-up. They can get out of control if you overfeed your fish though, so some people consider them pests.
You may not have much of a choice anyway. Decent chance there were more snails/eggs on the plants than just that one
I’d consult with r/AquaticSnails
But I am of the personal opinion (as you’ll see is quite popular) that snails are a benefit to the tank. Judging from what little I have to go on here, I’m going to say it’s likely a ramshorn snail or bladder snail but that’s mostly just running stats. The people who are generally “anti-snail” are usually the ones who have an overfeeding problem and end up with snail armies they do not want. Many snails, not all, are generally able to regulate their numbers.
I would suggest taking the snail out of the bag for a moment or two to get good pictures (the snail will be fine as long as you return it promptly).
As long as you don’t have a New Zealand Mud Snail, you’re fine. If it’s a New Zealand Mud Snail, you’ve got issues. But first, get an ID.
My daughters betta hated my snail. He now shares a 10g with plants. My sweet betta is totally fine with snail though.