# plant dip for snails? What do folks do?



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

I'm about to tear down and re-scape my tank. New substrate. New wood. I will be recycling a lot of my plants and I'd like to get rid of the snails. I hope. I understand there are some dips that work. I am wondering: what to use, how long a dip session should be, how to clean the plants of the dip, and how many dip sessions and at what interval frequency in order to get the eggs. I have two kinds of snails. One kind are fairly benign and I don't mind them. Their numbers are easy to keep under control. The other kind are MTS and they drive me crazy. I must have thousands of them burrowing in the substrate. What time frame is their life cycle? Example, eggs laid today hatch in how many days? Thanks so much for any advice.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

If anyone is looking for a dip chemical called potassium permanganate, it isn't available in Canada, nor are you allowed to ship it to Canada. For now I'm just eye-balling the snail removal but I have learned to identify a clutch of eggs. These are invisible under water and very hard to see on a wet plant. If the plant is out of the water for a few minutes and dries somewhat, you can spot the clutch as a large, clear, gel-like drop of water stuck to the underside of a leaf, on a stem, etc. Use a bright light and a contrasting background to help you spot them. On one bunch of bacopa I spotted 14 clutches! Here is a photo...







[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I thought potassium permanganate was available at pool\spa\hot-tub related stores?

The only other treatment besides copper poisoning, is a bleach dip, which didn't work for me (likely because I didn't leave it in the solution for long enough).


----------



## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

you can get potassium permanganate from any pharmacy .I have gotten it from Safeway a few times


----------



## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

I believe people do a 5% bleach/water mix and dip them to kill algae so i'm sure it would kill pests too. just be sure to rinse in fresh water after.


----------



## fishface (Apr 29, 2012)

bonsai dave said:


> you can get potassium permanganate from any pharmacy .I have gotten it from Safeway a few times


Same here, had to have it ordered in but it was not an issue at all.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

Oh! Thanks everyone! 

Pool hot-tub places say they don't carry it. Hardware stores definately don't carry it. I hadn't thought of pharmacies. I'm a little leery of using bleach so the potassium perm. sounded more appealing because it's supposed to be kinder on the plants. I have a bottle of Prime ready for rinsing it off. Obviously I have to search a little harder for it. Thanks again!


----------



## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidant - stronger than bleach. We used to use it to "bleach" tissue samples in biology all the time in University. The concentration of PP or bleach determines how hard it is on the plants. I've used spray bottle with 10% bleach solution with water for 1 minute to kill all algae and snails/eggs without serious problems. No matter what oxidant you use, there will be some minor damage to the plants. Just don't leave it on the plants too long.


----------



## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

How about H2O2?


----------



## cadillac_jack (Jul 12, 2013)

I thought hydrogen peroxide was used, i was in honeymoon bay taking plants out of the lake Lake cowichan, for my tank back in the day and i used a mix of that to kill cooties

how to use hydrogen peroxide to eradicate snails?

Hydrogen Peroxide as snail egg killer? - El Natural - Aquatic Plant Central

Hydrogen Peroxide Vs. Snails??? - Piranha-Fury Forums

Using Hydrogen Peroxide to disinfect plants outside the aquarium


----------



## cadillac_jack (Jul 12, 2013)

hopefully sifting through that maze will lead you to the answer lol


----------



## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

H2O2 will also work too. Again, another strong oxidant. Same as Glute. Any of those will work, but destroys tissue so should all be handled with precaution.


----------



## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Have you considered getting some assassin snails for the new set up? They will take care of the over population.


----------



## cadillac_jack (Jul 12, 2013)

or a puffer or if brackish is out , what about one of those botia, or small sa/ca cichlids I cant keep snails alive period my fish just destroy them so maybe a few of those small guys claudia used to have <name escapes me>


TomC said:


> Have you considered getting some assassin snails for the new set up? They will take care of the over population.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

cadillac_jack said:


> hopefully sifting through that maze will lead you to the answer lol


whewf, a lot of links. Read them all. Will try a dip of some kind. Some people claimed the H2O2 didn't work. Or, if the concentration was high enough to kill snails, the plants got fried. Most people suggesting putting bits of vegetables in the tank. I've tried that. The snails ate like piggies and I didn't catch a fraction of their population. In fact, it exploded. Some people like the snails in their tanks. Mine devoured my plants. Healthy growth, not just old stuff. I think the population was so high they were getting hungry. Anyhow, my tank is tore down now and I'm using all new substrate. It's the incoming plants I want to treat. One person speculated a high CO2 will do them in. I will have high CO2 for a while. Last tank build I also had high CO2 and the snails sailed through that. I'm not sure what dip to use but I'm leaning towards Pot.Perm. I saw a ratio in a post of 10mg/L. It will be in a bucket, not the tank. I will have several buckets of rinse water lined up. I don't have chlorinated water but won't rinse under the tap because we have a water treatment plant for our household waste-water and that would nuke all the good bacteria in there. I suppose our plumbing has a kind of canister filter!

Thank you to everyone for this discussion. I'll keep posting on my success/failure to come.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

TomC said:


> Have you considered getting some assassin snails for the new set up? They will take care of the over population.


I'm hoping to prevent snails from getting in the new set-up in the first place! If I can't manage that (freak out) then I'll go the predator route. It's the MTS snails I'm really after. I have two other kinds and they're pretty benign creatures.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

An update on the anti-snail attempt...
I did the PP dip. Inspected all the plants before planting...and....I've got snails! What a surprise!

Perhaps the dip wasn't concentrated enough. Maybe the dip time wasn't long enough. Maybe some snails eggs got in some other way. I'm sure the snails I see were hatched in the tank becuase I saw no snails whatsoever until a few days ago. Who knows. I'm plucking them out if I can reach them but I know it's a losing battle! Maybe some assassin snails will call my tank home.


----------



## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

Not surprised at all. Sorry to hear that.

Once you got snails it is hard to eradicate them, this is the number pest back home in asia for rice farmers. I had tried different solutions on my planted tank that once got infested with snails but no luck. I have torn down my display tank, nuked them using bleach, PPed them, i thought no creatures on earth will survived that massive toxic chemicals that i dropped in there.... got some fresh plants which are certified snail-free/pest-free, after a couple of months... voila... they are back 

My solution is not a 100% fool proof but should I say 99% will work. I had setup several staging/quarantine tanks where I place all the plants that are newly acquired, grow them for several months before transferring them to my display tank. Yes it is a very expensive solution, once you got a snail you need to rip the tank and replace the substrate, filter media etc to the point that I have replaced almost all my equipments in there 

sounds crazy but that is the only way that i know/tried that will give you a 100% snail free display tank. good luck.


----------



## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I had a snail problem in a 60 gallon tank.

I heard copper was toxic to snails/crustacians 

I put a 6 inch piece of 3/8 diameter copper tubing piece I had laying around on the top of the foam filter in the AC70 HOB

the outfall water from the filter rean over the copper befre falling into the tank.

My snail problem went away and my guppies plecos and tetras did not seem affected.

I was warned not to put or use copper fitting in my tanks due to it's possible toxit effects.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

crimper said:


> Not surprised at all. Sorry to hear that.
> 
> Once you got snails it is hard to eradicate them, this is the number pest back home in asia for rice farmers. I had tried different solutions on my planted tank that once got infested with snails but no luck. I have torn down my display tank, nuked them using bleach, PPed them, i thought no creatures on earth will survived that massive toxic chemicals that i dropped in there.... got some fresh plants which are certified snail-free/pest-free, after a couple of months... voila... they are back
> 
> ...


Haha, So I'm not the only one! At least I haven't spotted the MTS yet. Just these little pond snails. I've been plucking them out for a couple of days and either I'm getting them or they are hiding better!

I have a quarantine tank set up (with plants in it) The snails in that are crazy in number. I have an assassin snail in there and I'm sure he's constantly full. I hand pluck out of there too There isn't much for them to eat so they are eating my plants. Completely devoured my limnophilia sessilflora (spelling?) in three days. Jerks!


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

mikebike said:


> I had a snail problem in a 60 gallon tank.
> 
> I heard copper was toxic to snails/crustacians
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip. Sounds tempting but my shrimp might not care for that!


----------



## jimmyjam (Jan 11, 2011)

Hand pick them out
dip with h2o2
and toss a hand full of assassin snails in there. I have 15 in my 49 gallon, I had over 1000 ramshorn in that planted, and now I cant see one. its crazy


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

Been hand-picking then was away for a week. Gotta be several hundred in there. Got me a pea puffer (in quarantine) to help out. Can add an assassin snail. So that might take care of, what, two snails a day? 

I think the plant dip worked but I think some eggs got in there. I had no snails for 2 weeks then POOF.


----------



## Debra52 (Apr 23, 2012)

I use Alum. Can get it at the grocery store in the spice section. I use 3 TBSP in one gallon of water and soak plants 2 to 3 hours.


----------



## GlitterGourami (Oct 22, 2013)

It doesn't sound like this method is in favour, but I've done the bleach dip with plants successfully, and I've got two things to add for anyone who goes that route:


Only use *pure bleach *(no "concentrated" formulas, fragrances, or other additives - these may be the end of your plants or your tank if you can't rinse them off)

After the bleach dip,* rinse in dechlorinated water* - add a mega does of Prime or your favourite water conditioner to deactivate the bleach

Very interested in the other methods you guys use and might have to try them on my latest hitchhikers.


----------



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

Pea Puffers! My new aquarium friends! 

I put one in my 90 gallon and continued to pluck out snails. A couple weeks ago I stopped picking them out because I noticed far less snails and many empty shells. The snails are still around but their population is well under control. I never see "Pedro" attack a snail, maybe he's a night-time ninja but he's looking plump and somebody's eating the snails. This fish has done me a great service so far. And yes, he chases the other fish (occasionally) but so far everyone can get away from him. 

I have a smaller tank set up with no snail control system at all and there are hundreds of them in there so a source of food is guaranteed for "Pedro".


----------



## Cookiemonstar (May 30, 2014)

What I did that worked for me is 19 part water to 1 part bleach.
I took a bucket, filled it with 19 cups of lukewarm water, and added 1 cup of pure bleach.
Dip your plants in there one by one while gently running your fingers through the leaves. For weaker and thinner plants, I suggest dipping them in for 30 seconds, and for hardier plants you can even leave it in for up to 1-2 minutes.
Then, put them in a clean bucket of water and add dechlorinator. Make sure you add more than what you would usually add in your tank to make sure it gets rid of all your bleach.
You can let the plants sit in the bucket under the sun for a bit before adding it back to your tank.
You should find a bunch of snails at the bottom of your bleach solution bucket. They come off very easily.
I believe you can do the same thing for gravel, decos, etc. Just let those sit in the bleach solution for longer and rinse it real well.
I do not suggest putting the plants in the bleach solution for more than 3 minutes. This is a great way to disinfect old plants as well as new plants from the store.
Hope this helps!


----------



## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I have never tried a bleach dip before, thanks for the suggestion.
I think I had dipped some plants in malachite green, some H2O2 and sometimes some excel when I was doing planted tanks and honestly never noticed any snail explosion. 
Most of the plants I got back in the days were from PJ Pets from Howard, and Aqua Flora. I also got some from Bien Lim. May be I was just lucky, not really sure. 
I had two apple snails a long time ago when they made millions of babies. I got a skunk botia and in a very short time all the snails died. Yoyo loach was also merciless in killing snails. Problem for me was trying to catch these guys when I did not want them in my tank anymore. It was a nightmare. LOL


----------



## Cookiemonstar (May 30, 2014)

Oh I forgot to add that you should always wear gloves when doing this, I learned the hard way


----------

