cant get rid of snails

Question
I've got a 30 gal. tank with 7 tetras and 3 bottom feeders. We got overran by snails, so cleaned tank and put new gravel in,but now the snails are starting to appear again. Is there anything I can do to keep the snail population gone?

Answer
Hi Tom;

Snails can be quite a plague, that's for sure. Avoid overfeeding and that will be half the battle. If there is no extra food for them they can't multiply very fast at all. Keep your gravel clean by vacuuming it once a week with your regular 25% weekly water change. Many of the smallest snails will be sucked up that way too.

Cutting back on food also does another helpful thing; the fish will be a little hungry and start to view the snails as food. The baby snails have softer shells so it is better if they can eat them before they get bigger. It's perfectly natural for your fish to forage and seek natural food sources. The snails are very nutritious for them.

There are fish such as bettas, gouramis and loaches that eat snails as a natural part of their diet. You just have to be careful that the ones you choose are compatible with your current fish and don't get too big for your tank. Look at sites such as fishprofiles.com for information on those if you want to look into it.

The snails may never be eliminated completely but controlling food and keeping gravel clean is important anyway, even without a snail infestation.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins