snails appearing in my tank.

Question
hiya i hope u can help. i have bought a yank and bought cold water fish. i have two pumps and make it very nice for the fish i have. but i have noticed this morning that the water is very clowdy and i have 48 small snails on the side of my tank. where have they come from. the tank was new and clean. how can they be their. do i take them out? or leave them in? are they safe for my fish.

Answer
Hi Jodie,
Cloudy water often occurs when the tank has not yet had time to establish.

There are special bacteria in all healthy aquariums that take care of the waste produced by the fish. They convert ammonia (highly toxic) produced by the fish into whats called "nitrite" (another chemical thats dangerous to fish) finally, more bacteria develop to convert the nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate is safe unless in extremely high levels. It is kept in check by your regular maintenance water changes. This whole process with the good bacteria is considered your 'biofilter'

*You can easily test for all three levels - ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Or bring a sample to your petstore.

When new aquariums are just setup they lack a biofilter. Without a biofilter the waste levels can build up extremely high because the bacteria have not yet established to keep it under control. Your aquarium can develop an odd smell, sickly fish, and often cloudy water!

The cloudy water is typically due to a very high nutrient level which points to an unbalanced system. A different type of bacteria grows to feed on this and their large numbers make the water cloudy.

Most aquariums take about 4-6 weeks to establish a biofilter. The process should be taken slow. Only adding a few fish every 2 weeks and doing a partial water change at the first sign of trouble.

So what do we do now? The very best thing you can do for your fish and help stabilize your aquarium is start doing daily 30-50% water changes. Make sure all new water is treated with a water conditioner and the temperature is equal to or just a little bit warmer than your tank's temp.

I promise you that your fish will appreciate it. The cloudiness will go away and it will help stablize your aquarium. Your aquarium is still in the cycling phase I bet. The important key is to be patient and persistent. Avoid any chemical treatments that petstores may try to sell you. Those chemicals have never worked for me in the past.

The snails can sneak into your aquarium by hitching a ride in the bag that your fish are transported in. They also frequently arrive on live plants you add into your aquarium. Many snail species breed rapidly! Thankfully they are not harmful and their numbers only get out of control if the aquarium is overfed or not enough water changes are being made. Snails are actually nice to have in the aquarium because they do act as scavengers in the system, helping clean up particles of leftover food and algae.

I hope this helps and best of luck with your aquarium!
Let me know if you have anymore questions,
Susan~