SNAIL problem!!!! AAARGH!

Question
I have a HUGE problem bugging me!!! My aquarium is an absolute disaster! Well, asthetically. My fish are fine and the water is perfect with no ammonia or nitrite stuff in it. BUT THERE"S SOOO MANY SNAILSSS!!! OMG! When my guests come in for dinner parties, etc. The first thing they notice is my aquarium. And tonight, my friend said, You have too many snails!!! That's gotta be the hundredth time that has happened. My aquarium is not a fish habitat anymore, but a snail habitat. Once, I counted over 50 snails on the front glass alone, and this is in a 10 gallon aquarium!!! HELP!

Answer
Hi Margaret,

An abundance of snails is usually due to overfeeding. Fish should be fed a maximum of twice per day, feeding as much as the fish can consume in two minutes. Any more than this will result in unwanted(wasted) food, which is great nutrition and simply a feast for snails. Once you have one snail, there's guaranteed to be more, as most small pest snails reproduce asexually (only one snail is needed). Here are some easy solutions to control the snail population:

-Temporarily reduce your feedings to once per day. This will effectively 'starve' the snails, and provide them with no food source. You can change back to two feedings per day when you feel that the snails are under control.

-You can place a piece of lettuce in the aquarium, weighed down to the bottom with a rock, etc. Place it in the tank before you go to bed, and by the morning, it should be covered with snails. You can dispose of the lettuce in the morning. For even faster snail elimination, place multiple leaves in various spots around the tank.

-You can manually remove the snails by hand (or by glove!) since there are so many snails. However, it is much easier to use the lettuce method.

-Do not use any chemicals to kill the snails; these often contain copper or some other toxic chemical which can easily kill your fish and the beneficial bacteria inside your filter.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!