snails and clam

[jeffgp]

ok so i have a ton of these little snails in the tank and its just getting worse .. i have now lost both my clams .. i have heard from some where ( i cant mention ) that these little things will eat the foot and kill it ... what is the best way to get rid of these

 

[quicksilverq]

common snails wont pyramid snail will. Post a picture please I have no idea what kind your talking about.

 

[a4twenty]

yes post a pic please.

if you did see them on your clams, then they are probably feeding on it. and if they are indeed pyramid snails then the only way to rid your tank of them is manual removal.

do you have any other clams in the tank??

 

[jeffgp]

nope both clams are gone .. i wont get another one till all these are gone ... .. but there has to be a better way them manual removal

 

[a4twenty]

they may starve to death without a host to munch on but they may also turn to eating your snails or something else. still a pic would be best to try and determine if indeed they are the predator.

 

[jeffgp]

ill try to see if i can get a pic they come out n masses at night and i see them all over my glass

 

[clamdigs]

They can feed on other snails as well. Basically anything with a shell and inner "flesh".

One way to get rid of them is peppermint shrimp (some other shrimp work rather well too). Peppermint shrimp will eat aiptasia, which has nothing to do with this post, but are only known to eat the smaller ones because it's what they can fit in their mouth. If the problem is indeed an infestation of pyramid snails, which will never get past a couple of MMs, the peppermint shrimp will grab them, crush them and then eat them.

I have asked a LOT of people with clams and shrimp in the same tank if they have problems with pyramid snails and 95% of them say no. Do you have pepp. shrimp in your tank? I would be kind of surprised if the answer was yes. Unless the time frame was pretty far off from adding the shrimp and the snail problem.

Also, if you keep an eye on the side of a clams shell you might notice a "jelly" like sac that forms every now and then. The sacs are usually grayish in color. Pyramid snails breed at EXTREMELY fast paces. If you notice that sac, scrub it off before they have a chance to hatch.