Snails

[lugger007]

I haven been reading online lately about snails and how they keep down algae. I have been thinking about ordering 30 or 40 of them and letting them loose.

Has anyone here had positive experience with them?
Also do they eat your plants.

My pond gets 100% sunlight so any help with the algae is always welcomed.

Brian

 

[PS3]

i just got a book book on fish ponds and they say snails are good
iam also thinking of geting a few when i redue my pond
but iam sacred they will take over and they need plenty of plants

 

[retiredusaf]

I have not bought snails because I understand they will eat the plants. They will probably die during winter weather. Water lillies will provide some shade and might provide some help in lowering temperture of water and thus less algae but they will block your view where they are located. I planted a Yaupon Holley to provide some shade and only a very small amount of small leaves get into the pond and they float into the skimmer. Your fish will eat more algae the less you feed them. I don't feed mine and I have not had an algae problem. You can also consider purchase of a few (depending on the size of your pond) small Plecostmus (of the catfish family) that are algae eaters. They will probably die during cold winter months.

 

[koiguy1969]

there is one type of snail for a pond..trapdoor snails ..they will survive winters by closing themselves up in their shell (hence the name) they are live bearers so they wont over come the pond and they arent destructive as the little pond and river snails are.

 

[stroppy]

yes as koiguy says trapdoor snails are good

 

[Olee]

I have about 8 Trapdoor snails for my 2000 gal pond. I need more! They survived our bad winter just fine. As soon as my local dealer gets some in, I will be buying many more.

 

[retiredusaf]

I'll have to check and see if I can find a source for Trapdoor Snails down here in Dallas/Fort Worth Metro area. I had not heard of them. Do they help lower the algae problem a lot? And again, they don't eat the plants, right?

 

[mouseams]

We added trapdoors last year and we had the hardest winter in years and I saw two the other day. My fish eat the plants, have not yet seen a snail eating anything yet.

 

[bmach]

There are places online that you can order them from if you can't find a place locally. Just do a search and you will find a whole bunch.

 

[oldmarine]

Trap door snails will only eat algae, so you don't have to worry about them eating your plants. You can order them online at several different websites. www.tricker.com is one of them,

Happy ponding,

 

[retiredusaf]

Thanks, I enjoyed my 3 years in Tacoma in the early 1960's.

 

[retiredusaf]

How many Trapdoor Snails do you think I need to order for my 1200 gallon pond that has 13 Koi in it that aren't fed often?

 

[Airic]

Are they invasive? Might be something good to add to my mud pond but, I try to be careful on what I add because I don't want it to overtake. Want a good balanced ecosystem and it’s been hard to find and figure out what plants and critters to add. I would like to add mud puppies as well as I used to have them before my major renovation.

 

[koiguy1969]

if you put 100 trapdoor snails in your sized pond Airic.. you'll still be dead and buried before your pond would get over run..trapdoor snails are live bearers...not mass producing egg layers.

 

[stroppy]

Are they invasive? Might be something good to add to my mud pond but, I try to be careful on what I add because I don't want it to overtake. Want a good balanced ecosystem and it’s been hard to find and figure out what plants and critters to add. I would like to add mud puppies as well as I used to have them before my major renovation.

ive just got to ask ...what are mud puppies ??