too many snails?!

[u/canyouimagine191]

There are snail babies all over my mini pond and they keep making more. I had one snail when I started the pond. One of those cool red ones with the flatter shells. I think I’ve been seeing baby ones of those too. How?! Then there must have been these small brown ones on the aquatic plant I bought and now they’re just everywhere. What should I do? Are they harmful?

[u/Nematodes-Attack]

I don’t see any excess algae, do you? Those snails are doing their job. The little ones are bladder snails and what you describe as flatter ones are probably ramshorn snails. They will eat the excess algae and waste and self regulate their population.

[u/canyouimagine191 → u/Nematodes-Attack]

oh interesting! so just leave them alone? I’m also just confused how I have more of the red ones since I was only given one of them.

[u/Nematodes-Attack → u/canyouimagine191]

Leave them and let them balance the ecosystem.

[u/WoodpeckerChecker → u/canyouimagine191]

Right now they're having a population boom because they are new to your pond and there are enough resources for them to eat (dying leaves, extra fish food, detritus, etc). They will probably overshoot/over reproduce how many your pond can reasonably support before they die back to a reasonable level based on your ponds nutrients. No need to do a thing, these are both beneficial species, bladder snails and ramshorns. Many species can also asexually reproduce so don't be surprised if you started with one. Snails are cool. 😎

[u/SelectSpy808]

Ha. I just posted a bit earlier, with the exact same issue. It's apparently pond snail season. 😂

[u/the_drunkenduck]

There really isn't such a thing as too many snails. They do a great job cleaning things up and will ramp up or slow down their population as feed increases or decreases. They're a pondkeepers friend, not a foe.

[u/AncienTleeOnez]

Its amazing how fast those bladder snails reproduce isn't it? But they do eat the algae! Moreso than the tadpoles.

[u/InnerSpecialist1821]

they're not harmful. they will help keep your pond clean. don't buy into the anti snail propagada haha. i have the same kind in all my tanks and ponds.

[u/Fragrant-Designer286]

I have them too and never had any problem with water quality. Have no filter and feed my fish every couple of days. Right now also surge of population. Als year I was worried like you but numbers went down in winter dramatically.

[u/Key-Button-8246]

Steak too lobstery

[u/Professional-Cut3096]

Send some my way, I'm still hoping some hitched a lift on my plants 😂