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Snail safety


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#1 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 16 April 2011 - 10:47 AM

If I have a few freshly caught snails in one of those little mesh cages that go on the side of the tank for pregnant livebearers is the rest of the tank still susceptable to parasites and the like?

#2 Guest_jetajockey_*

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Posted 16 April 2011 - 12:27 PM

If I have a few freshly caught snails in one of those little mesh cages that go on the side of the tank for pregnant livebearers is the rest of the tank still susceptable to parasites and the like?

You mean like a breeder box? If so, then yes, parasites are small enough to fit through the mesh. QT'ing really needs a totally separate tank.

#3 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 16 April 2011 - 02:36 PM

You mean like a breeder box? If so, then yes, parasites are small enough to fit through the mesh. QT'ing really needs a totally separate tank.

Okay. The tank is void of life other than the snails, I just wanted to see if I could add anything else.

#4 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 16 April 2011 - 03:07 PM

Are they livebearing or egg laying snails? If they're egg laying, I would think that one way to ensure that you have no parasites is to
1. feed the parents a bunch
2. get them to lay eggs
3. remove the parents from the tank with the eggs
4. do a complete water change with dechlorinated water (so the eggs don't suffer)
5. wait for the eggs to hatch.

I'm not sure what type of parasite you're trying to avoid, though. If they are communicated from hatched snail to hatched snail, then that method would break the cycle of infection and you'd have a parasite free population of snails. If the parasite is communicated from parent to egg, then that method wouldn't work.

#5 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 16 April 2011 - 04:56 PM

Are they livebearing or egg laying snails? If they're egg laying, I would think that one way to ensure that you have no parasites is to
1. feed the parents a bunch
2. get them to lay eggs
3. remove the parents from the tank with the eggs
4. do a complete water change with dechlorinated water (so the eggs don't suffer)
5. wait for the eggs to hatch.

I'm not sure what type of parasite you're trying to avoid, though. If they are communicated from hatched snail to hatched snail, then that method would break the cycle of infection and you'd have a parasite free population of snails. If the parasite is communicated from parent to egg, then that method wouldn't work.

The problem is, I don't know what kind of snails they are.

#6 Guest_James226_*

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Posted 16 April 2011 - 05:51 PM

If you don't know the species, you can get a general idea by the shell shape and the lack or presence of an operculum.
Given this, pics help and are appreciated!

#7 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 18 April 2011 - 05:48 AM

If I have a few freshly caught snails in one of those little mesh cages that go on the side of the tank for pregnant livebearers is the rest of the tank still susceptable to parasites and the like?


I would not be very concerned about snails of any sort causing a problem in a tank of native fish. I have lots of snails in my tanks (well in most of my tanks... in the darter tanks it is harder to keep that kind of 'live food' alive) and they do not cause any problem at all. These have come from purchased plants, collected plants, etc.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#8 Guest_EricaWieser_*

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Posted 18 April 2011 - 09:40 AM

I would not be very concerned about snails of any sort causing a problem in a tank of native fish. I have lots of snails in my tanks (well in most of my tanks... in the darter tanks it is harder to keep that kind of 'live food' alive) and they do not cause any problem at all.

Schistosomiasis. http://en.wikipedia....Schistosomiasis Even something as tiny as a snail can cause big problems. Caution is a good thing, and eliminating any potential parasites is something to be attempted whenever possible.

Yeahson421, can you post a picture of your snail? I can try to identify it for you.

#9 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 18 April 2011 - 01:13 PM

Caution is a good thing, and eliminating any potential parasites is something to be attempted whenever possible.


Respectfully disagree. Sometimes buying more insurance is just wasted money. Trying to eliminate all risk is a losing game. You will learn this when you have kids... you want them to play in the dirt, and fall down... you do not want to eliminate all risk.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#10 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 18 April 2011 - 03:10 PM

Respectfully disagree. Sometimes buying more insurance is just wasted money. Trying to eliminate all risk is a losing game. You will learn this when you have kids... you want them to play in the dirt, and fall down... you do not want to eliminate all risk.


Michael, my son - you have lost touch with the current state of American society, particularly WRT children's safety.

But more to the point, and as I said in another post, at least we don't have to worry about Schistosomes and their ilk! Well, yes, there are other digenetic flukes here that can be dangerous. And then there are various nematodes which are extremely nasty indeed. And you'd be surprised at the damage some cestodes can cause. And if that's not enough...
...
Hell, just stay out of the water. It's not worth the risk.




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