Malaysian Trumpet Snail Time Lapse Video

This video is a little bit creepy but fascinating to watch as it shows a swarm of Malaysian Trumpet Snails consuming a patch of algae on the aquarium glass. It also demonstrates just how useful snails can be!

Maracyn Can Kill Malaysian Trumpet Snails

It seems to be confirmed: dosing Maracyn (not Maracyn 2), an antibiotic, to combat Blue-Green Algae in my aquarium has killed off all of my Malaysian Trumpet Snails. I dosed exactly according to the package. I don't know how or why it killed them all, but there are empty shells everywhere and I haven't seen one live snail in weeks. Others I've talked to have said that they've used Maracyn to treat their aquariums and their MTS have been fine, however there was no other change in the aquarium that could have done it. The shrimp were fine so it wasn't nitrites or ammonia and they started acting sick almost immediately after the first dose. Other snails in the aquarium including pond snails and mini-ramshorn snails were unaffected.

I'm curious to see if anyone else has treated their aquarium with Maracyn and what effect if any it has had on their MTS. Leave a comment and let me know!

Maracyn May Be Making Snails Unhappy

When it comes to snails in the aquarium, there's just no easy way to get rid of them. You either have to tear down your tank and wash everything, get a fish that eats snails but potentially harasses your other fish (like a dwarf puffer), or manually try to remove them all (yeah right!). Chemical treatments are bad because they can kill other things in your tank like plants, other invertebrates, and even fish.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed that all of my Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) were either simply not happy or dying after beginning a treatment to kill a Blue-Green Algae outbreak. I'm still investigating, but soon after I began adding Maracyn (a simple antibiotic) to the tank, all the snails came out of the substrate and closed themselves up in their shells. I saw one or two just laying on the substrate upside down, motionless. Now I'm not 100% sure they're dead, and nor am I sure it was the Maracyn treatment that caused it, but there must be a link between the two. Invertebrates are usually more sensitive to nitrites than fish (killing the algae could cause a nitrite spike). The shrimp in the tank are doing fine though, so it's not something that particularly affects invertebrates, just these snails. There are a few smaller rams horn snails as well that seem to be doing fine.

I'll ask around and see if anyone has any more information on this. If Maracyn does kill MTS, I'm sure it would make a lot of people happy. They are notorious for being one of the hardest types of snails to get rid of, although they are highly beneficial for the substrate of a tank.

Good Snail, Bad Snail

After algae, nothing brings an aquarium enthusiast to his or her knees like snails. They multiply like rabbits, only worse. Many are hemaphroditic, meaning they don't need to find a mate, they just replicate themselves. They are nearly impossible to irradicate unless you totally strip down your tank and start over. They can even mow through our precious plants.

But are snails pure pest? After all, they do tend to have a voracious appetite for the number one enemy, algae. They also eat unmentionables that fish and shrimp leave behind, helping to break down waste. Some, like Malaysian Trumpet Snails, even aerate the substrate by digging into it, making it more hospitable for beneficial bacteria. However, if their population gets out of control, it doesn't make for an attractive tank. After all, sails aren't the prettiest things to look at.

Obviously, some are better than others and many people have different opinions about which ones are good and which ones are bad for a planted tank. Most say Malaysian Trumpet Snails are harmless and the most beneficial for a tank. Pond snails are some of the worst: if you get even one in your tank, there will be 40 by the end of the week. Then 1600. Then 64,000. Well not exactly, but you get the point. My advice: stay away from all of them if you can. This is, however, nearly impossible. Eventually some eggs (they just have to be transparent) will make their way into your tank with a new plant. To control snail numbers, reduce feeding, eliminate algae, or manually remove them. It's not the most pleasant thing to do, but crushing them also gives your fish a tasty snack once they are broken open. Do not use snail killing chemicals because these will kill all sorts of other things, possibly other fish and plants. Or, you can get a snail eating fish, like a loach.