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Aquatic Pest Snails

Aquatic Pest Snails

Updated on November 03, 2021
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Reviewed by Don Spaeth
Petco’s National Aquatic Care, Education and Programs Manager

Types Of Pest Snails |  How'd They Get There? | How They Multiply? | Aquarium Damage? | Pest Control | Pest Snail Prevention | Worth Getting Rid Of?

close-up pest snail

After lots of hard work, you’ve created a beautiful and vibrant aquarium. Suddenly, you find snails that you didn’t place in your aquatic habitat. From where did these unwanted guests come? Will they hurt your fish or plants? Most important—how do you get rid of your aquarium’s pest snails?

Though typically unwanted, pest snails are actually quite common in aquariums. In fact, they are part of the natural ecosystem of many aquarium plants. Most interestingly, the snails you’re likely to find in your aquascape might not be pests at al

Types of pest snails

When we say “pest snails,” we aren’t referring to a single species. Rather, it’s a term used to encompass various species of snails that are known to show up in aquariums uninvited. Some of the most common types of these aquatic hitchhikers include the following.

Tadpole or pond snails

The most common uninvited snails you’ll see in your aquarium are tadpole or pond snails. Look for pointed, yellow-brown shells. Pond snails lay gelatinous clutches of eggs that can stick to almost any surface of your aquarium, including the glass of your enclosure.

close-up pond snail

Bladder snails

These pest snails live in teardrop-shaped gray shells that sport yellow spots. They typically grow to be about half an inch long and can live up to two years. They are known for reproducing quickly and begin laying clutches at around 40 days old. 

close-up bladder snail

Malaysian trumpet snails

The distinctive cone-shaped shells of Malaysian trumpet snails allow them to dig into substrates to eat tasty algae, decaying plants and leftover fish food that falls to the bottom of the aquarium. These nocturnal snails are very hardy and can live up to three and a half years.  

trumpet-snails

Ramshorn snails

Round, spiraled shells give the ramshorn snail its name. Their shells can come in a range of colors, and they typically live up to a year. They produce clutches of eggs, which allows them to reproduce quickly.

close-up ramshorn snail

How did pest snails get there?

Though it may seem like these pests magically appeared in your aquarium, the reality is that they most likely hitched a ride on something you added. Common culprits can include substrate, filters and aquarium décor—especially if they came from other active enclosures. These could consist of a snail or a clutch of eggs, which can be very difficult to see.

However, the most common way unwanted snails make it into your aquarium is by sneaking a ride on aquarium plants. Many aquatic plants are grown in large ponds or bodies of water that host snails. They and their eggs are hardy, and many can survive without regular water and can endure a variety of temperatures. 

If you purchase an aquatic plant and put it directly in your habitat, you may be introducing snails or eggs into your underwater community without even knowing it. 

How aquarium pest snails multiply?

If aquatic snails are good at anything, it’s multiplying quickly. Many are hermaphrodites—meaning they possess male and female parts and that any two of the same species can mate. Other snails are capable of asexual reproduction, meaning they don’t even need a partner to procreate. Pest snails reach maturity quickly and often produce clutches that include dozens of eggs.

Will they harm my aquarium? 

These snails typically won’t harm your plants, fish or freshwater invertebrates. While some aquarists consider these snails pests, others enjoy maintaining a few in their aquariums. 

Pros

Despite being referred to as pests, they can benefit your aquarium. Most types of pest snails are detritivores, which means they love munching on decaying matter in your habitat. This includes fish waste, uneaten fish food, rotting plants and algae. 

In this way, a manageable population of snails can act as a cleanup crew, promoting a healthy nitrogen cycle in the water and keeping algae at bay. Certain snails are even fond of digging into a substrate or crawling into the nooks and crannies of your aquarium to gobble up waste you can’t reach. 

Cons

If you aren’t careful, pesky snails can multiply rapidly and cause issues. A large and growing population of snails will add more harmful waste to your aquatic ecosystem and could throw your nitrogen cycle out of balance. 

Also, an aquarium crawling with snails isn’t always eye-pleasing. An aquarist who doesn’t want to see snails in their carefully managed enclosure may find the snails to be pests even if they don’t harm fish or plants.

Pest control

Once you have a population of uninvited snails, it can be hard to get rid of them. They’re good at hiding, and there’s a good chance you’ll see pest snail eggs in an aquarium even after the parents are gone.

Here are some of the most popular snail pest control options aquarists use. 

Lower their food source

One of the easiest ways to eliminate or control the snail population is to strictly control their food sources. They won’t procreate if there isn’t an abundance of food in your aquarium.

Do not overfeed your fish. Feed them once or twice a day at most, and remove any food that’s left over after a few minutes of feeding. Less food also means your fish will create less waste for the snails to eat. Be sure to scrape algae off the sides of your aquarium, prune your plants and remove any dying plants, as these can also provide nutrition to pest snails.

Clean your aquarium

Another surefire way to limit snails is to perform regular water changes and vacuum your substrate. These actions can dramatically lower the amount of snail food in your aquarium, which helps control your snail population. You may even be able to vacuum up small snails while cleaning your substrate.

If snails are a big problem, try performing water changes once a week. As a bonus, your aquarium will likely look better, and your fish will be healthier. 

Manually remove snails

If you see unwanted snails in your aquarium, reach in and pluck them out. Many pet stores also sell tools to help you get snails in hard-to-reach places and pry them out.

Use a snail trap

Sometimes, manually removing snails from your aquarium will only help so much. Certain snails—like Malaysian trumpet snails—are nocturnal and enjoy burying themselves in substrates during the day. 

Many pet stores sell special snail traps, but you can also create your own. One simple way to trap a snail is to use lettuce. Place the leaf in your aquarium overnight, and in the morning, the leaf will probably be swarming with snails. Just remove the leaf from the water and remove the snails. 

Add snail eaters to your tank

If you’re okay with increasing your aquarium’s population, you might consider using snail eaters. Pest snails can offer a lot of nutrition to certain fish, and their hard shells can even help some—like pufferfish—sharpen their teeth.

Good snail eaters can include

  • Loaches like clown, sebra, yoyo and dwarf loaches
  • Pufferfish
  • Cories
  • Assassin snails

As always, research any fish or snails you plan to add to your habitat and ensure they will be a good fit for your aquatic community. Take a look at this Petco article on How to Take Care of Freshwater Aquatic Life.

How to prevent pest snails 

Once snails get into your aquarium, they can be difficult and time-consuming to remove. So, if you can, keep them from ever setting up residency inside your aquarium in the first place.

Check décor, substrate and plants

Do you have something you want to add to your aquarium? Review it very carefully and search for signs of snails or eggs. Put the item under running water to try and wash small snails or eggs away.

Quarantine the item

Snail eggs are very small and hard to see. To be extra sure you don’t accidentally invite snails into your aquarium, put any future additions into quarantine. A minimum of two weeks of quarantine is a good idea, but a little extra patience can go a long way. Snail eggs can take as long as four weeks to hatch.

Bleach dip

Bleach can also be an effective way to kill snails and eggs but take care when bleaching live plants—a bleach mixture that is too strong could harm them. Use a ratio of 1 part bleach for 20 parts water. Rinse plants before and after bleaching, and make sure to wear gloves. 

Buy tissue-culture plants

The only way to be certain your new aquarium plants aren’t bringing along unwanted guests is to purchase tissue-culture plants grown in-vitro in a sterile lab. The downsides of this option are that tissue-culture plants are typically more expensive, and they’re sold as plantlets. You’ll need to do the work to develop and grow your plants successfully.

Should you embrace or get rid of pest snails?

One aquarist’s pest is another aquarist’s treasure. Pest snails are a bit of what you make of them. If you take the effort to control their population by limiting their food sources and keeping your aquarium clean, they can be great guests or yummy treats for your snail-eating fish. However, if you allow aquarium pest snails to proliferate for too long, they can certainly live up to their “pest” moniker. It’s all up to you. If you find you do want to cultivate your new aquarium inhabitants, take a look at our Freshwater Snail Care guide to learn how to help your snails thrive.  

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