# A little surprise



## covertune (Aug 10, 2012)

I do believe I have myself a teeny tiny snail. I didn't see anything at the time, but it must have "hitchhiked" in on one of my plants, which I know isn't uncommon.



It's barely bigger than a pencil lead at the moment.. I'll have to wait until it's bigger before I can try to figure out what it is.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

It`s a Physa (tadpole snail with long, slender antennae) or possibly a Radix (small pond snail with triangular antennae). Can`t quite tell for sure from this photo. If you could supply a top-shot of the antennae...

Small pond snails are slightly more prolific and slightly larger than tadpole snails. Either way, *one* is all it takes to get the party started. Unless you don`t mind having snails forever, best remove this one before it starts laying self fertalized eggs everywhere.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

or buy a puffer 

who needs an excuse for that though


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I think is a pond snail (Lymnaeidae)


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## Lamplighter (Aug 3, 2012)

I'm guessing that you'll end up with many more "little surprises." I did!


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Claudia said:


> I think is a pond snail (Lymnaeidae)


 Claudia, Radix is a synonym for Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

definitely looks like a pond snail...if it were me I would get rid of it quick before you end up with a couple hundred . IME chance are if it came on a plant, it might be too late & there will be more to follow in no time. Even with a puffer, I found they are hard to get rid of. They kill any they see moving, but most puffers need brackish conditions eventually & when you get rid of it because you don't want to deal with a brackish tank or cant supply enough snails for the puffers diet, the snails eventually come right back as they seem to like to lay eggs.....everywhere. Just my experience.


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

I'm getting sick of putting cucumber in the tank over night to rid most of my snails once a month. I had been reading up on using Assassin Snails (appears there are multiple species that fall under that name) and they look like they could be a very good temporary or even permanent option to a tank. If you could some how luck out and get all males or all females you'd never have them breeding unlike the pesky snails we all don't like!

Anyone else have any experience with Assassin Snails and anyone seen any at the LFS?


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## covertune (Aug 10, 2012)

Any chance it's not mature enough to have started laying eggs?? Ugh.. I can't find the little buggar anymore, but I'll yank it out as soon as I see it again.


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## Lamplighter (Aug 3, 2012)

The snails seem to spread from tank to tank. It starts with one and it quickly multiplies from there. I don't like to kill the snails and I have hundreds in one tank. The other tanks are not so bad. Linda (Chinese girl) at Petsmart at 2860 Bentall Street in Vancouver (604) 434-1522 told me how to get rid of them but I wasn't paying attention.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

assassin snails are an effective control. Go with four or five per 20 gallons of aquarium. You can always sell or trade them when they`ve done thier work. They are slow breeders and the babies are popular with other aquarists so you won`t be replacing one problem for an other.

Some livebearers (like heterandria and sometimes endlers) eat snail eggs. I`ve found that in my `het`tanks the resident population of physa and radix snails eventualy dies out.


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Algae killer kills snails too


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## covertune (Aug 10, 2012)

Managed to find it on one of my plants this morning and got it out of the tank. Just have to hope it didn't lay a thousand eggs or anything, lol.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

covertune said:


> ... Just have to hope it didn't lay a thousand eggs or anything, lol.


maybe only a few dozen or so...


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## Sidius (Mar 25, 2012)

I found one of those surprises in an old 10g tank, years ago. I tried to keep the numbers in check and then went away for 2 weeks on vacation. I came back to hundreds inside the tank (you can imagine what that looked like in a 10g). I was scooping them out with my fish net there was so many. For your sake, I hope you don't have eggs haha.


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## covertune (Aug 10, 2012)

Well, I've got eggs! I found two more snails on the glass, the size of a pin head. Can't believe they can survive with my water being so terrible! Ugh!!


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