How to Remove Snail Eggs From Aquarium?

Did you know that some types of snail species are known to be pest snails in the aquarium?

They are called such because they reproduce in large numbers and populate the aquarium quickly.

Such types of snail species include Malaysian trumpet and bladder snail.

If any snails latch onto a fish or a plant introduced into your aquarium, be prepared to see clumped-up tiny beads. The clumps of beads that you will notice are snail eggs.

Today, we will discuss in detail how to remove snail eggs from your aquarium.

However, before we jump straight into it, let’s figure out how snail eggs can be identified correctly.

How To Identify Snail Eggs?

Snails are usually found in freshwater aquariums. All freshwater snails lay eggs that look pretty similar.

Hence, it does not matter which snail species was introduced into your aquarium.

All you need to do is pay attention to the identification pointers we will discuss ahead.

Your job will be easier if you know what the eggs of other inmates in the aquarium look like. You can rule out all other possibilities.

Snails lay their eggs in a clutch. The clutch will look like tiny balls that look like jellies. The eggs will appear transparent to translucent.

They would clump together. You will also notice a thin transparent membrane surrounding the clumped-up eggs.

The colors of the eggs will vary depending on the species of snail.

Not all clutches of snail eggs successfully hatch. This depends on whether all the eggs in a clutch are fertilized or not.

It is essential to understand this because unfertilized eggs would rot in the aquarium if not removed immediately.

Now that we know what snail eggs look like, let’s see why removing them from the aquarium is vital.

Why Do You Need To Remove Snail Eggs From Your Aquarium?

Keeping snails in an aquarium can have many advantages. Snails can help eat unwanted algae and excess food in the aquarium that will rot otherwise.

Snails are also responsible for breaking down the fecal matter or decaying substances in the tank.

They are present in almost all natural habitats in the aquatic world. Hence, having snails in your aquarium would benefit your fish.

Now one may wonder why are they still not wanted in the aquarium by any aquarists?

Well, as mentioned earlier, snails reproduce in large quantities. Hence, they take up all the free spaces in the aquarium, leaving little room for other fish.

The eggs can also partially block the natural light from entering the aquarium, which significantly disturbs the tank’s internal environment.

One of the significant reasons snail eggs are removed from the aquarium is that they sometimes appear entirely unexpected.

This happens when new plants or fish are introduced into the tank with snails hitchhiking on them.

These snails are called pest snails. In addition to this, they steal the fair share of nutrients of other aquatic species in the aquarium.

Now that we understand why removing snail eggs from the aquarium is crucial, let us learn how to get rid of many snail eggs from the aquarium.

Also read: How to Get Rid Of Snails in an Aquarium?

How Do You Remove Snail Eggs From Your Aquarium?

There are many different methods that you can opt for to remove snail eggs from your aquarium.

We have ensured that all the methods mentioned ahead are humane ways of removing snail eggs from an aquarium.

Method #1 – Manually Remove the Eggs

A very quick and effective method of removing snail eggs from an aquarium is to pick them out of the aquarium using your hand.

You can gently dip your hands in the aquarium and scoop out the clutches of snail eggs.

Make sure to be very gentle while cupping the snail eggs in your hand. Snail eggs can be a little slippery if their membrane is intact.

If the thin membrane containing the clutch breaks accidentally, you can end up releasing some free eggs inside the aquarium.

Free eggs can get attached to the aquarium walls sometimes.

In this case, you may need to use a card to scrape them off the walls and catch them in your hand. The card can work as a shovel as well.

You can also use a siphon hose to suck the snail eggs from the aquarium. This method is usually used while changing the water in the aquarium.

However, it does not mean you have to wait for the water to be changed to remove the eggs.

Method #2 – Change Your Fish Food

Every Aquarium hobbyist knows that excess food in the aquarium will encourage snails to reproduce.

Less food in the tank would also mean less sustenance being available for snails to meet their reproductive demands.

Hence, putting less food in the aquarium would automatically make snails stop reproducing as they need extra nutrients to sustain their eggs.

However, rather than decreasing the food quantity, you can change the type of food.

Frozen and dried foods are less likely to be consumed by snails but are suitable for other fish in the aquarium. This way, no other fish in the tank would be affected.

One must also remember that snails do not only feed on fish food. Snails can also get nutrients from dead and decaying matter in the tank.

So, make sure to clean up your aquarium regularly.

In addition to this, it discourages algae growth in the aquarium as they can also become a source of nutrients for snails to reproduce.

Method #3 – Quarantining the New Plants

It is advisable to quarantine a new plant in a small tank with the same water as the aquarium.

Wait for a week and observe if any snail eggs appear or not.

It does not matter if the plant was already washed before putting it in the tank. You must still quarantine it the way we have described.

As it’s said, prevention is better than cure.

It is better not to take the risk of introducing a plant with hidden snails in your main aquarium.

Another good thing about quarantining a new plant is that you will know if it had a snail latched onto it.

It will be like the enemy will expose itself, and you can get rid of it easily.

After eggs appear in the quarantine tank, scoop them out like described in other methods and clean up the plant by scrubbing it nicely.

Finally, your plant will be ready to make its way home to your main aquarium.

Method #4 – Rinse the Plants with Bleach Water

If you do not wish to wait for a few weeks before your newly bought plant is introduced into your aquarium, bleach water can come to your rescue.

Instead of placing your plant in a quarantine tank, you can wash it with bleach water.

You can prepare the bleach water by simply mixing one part of chlorine bleach with 20 parts of water.

It is important to dilute the chlorine bleach with no less than 20 parts of water. You must also ensure that the plants are dipped in bleach water for no longer than two minutes.

Please do not touch the plants directly or take them out from the bleach water with your bare hands. Use gloves to take out the plants and thoroughly wash them with normal water.

Bleach water is an effective way of getting rid of any snails or eggs latched onto plants or decorations.

Some people also use a brine solution or saltwater similar to bleach water to remove snail eggs.

Although they can be used as alternate solutions, bleach water yields the best results.

Method #5 – Introduce Snail–Eating Fish in the Aquarium

The most natural method of getting rid of snails and snail eggs from your aquarium is stolen from nature itself.

Introducing a new predator into a habitat will finish the prey’s population. Similarly, introducing a snail-eating fish in the aquarium will help get rid of snails naturally.

Snail-eating fish will consume snails and their eggs faster than they can reproduce.

However, this method will require you to look after another fish in the aquarium, so be prepared. Such fish includes catfish, loaches, and pufferfish.

Just make sure that whichever fish you introduce in your aquarium will not compete against the old fish in the aquarium.

Method #6 – Install Snail Trappers

It is always best to get rid of the problem at the core. Remove the snail, and there won’t be any snails left to reproduce.

Snail trappers are a safe method to remove snails from the aquarium.

The Bottom Line

We hope that now you will have no trouble getting rid of the undesired snail eggs from your aquarium.

Follow the tips mentioned in this guide the next time you have to remove snail eggs from the aquarium.

Moreover, try to choose a method that is less harmful to the fish in your aquarium.

Keep checking this space for more interesting fish guides, blogs, and stories.

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