If you notice snail eggs in your aquarium, then it’s most often the case that you’re going to want to get rid of them as soon as possible! Not only can snail eggs make the aquarium look untidy, but too many snails can also end up affecting your plant life and overbreeding like crazy!
In this article, not only will you find out how to remove snail eggs from your aquarium, but you’ll also learn how to remove them from your plants, driftwood, and aquarium glass. In addition to all of these, we’ll know which fish are best for eating snail eggs, what to look for, and how to prevent more snail eggs from being laid in the future!
So keep reading to find out everything there is to know!
Key Takeaways:
- Snail eggs in an aquarium can be problematic, as they can make the tank look untidy and lead to overbreeding of snails.
- Snail eggs are easy to identify, as they look like clear jelly bubbles clumped together in a transparent sac, and they may darken as they develop.
- Various methods can be used to remove snail eggs from an aquarium, including scraping them off the glass, soaking decorations in saltwater, removing them by hand from plants, using a bleach dip, or employing aquarium salt.
- Certain fish species like bettas, guppies, loaches, corydoras, and tetras may eat snail eggs in the tank, helping control the snail population.
- To prevent further snail egg laying, you can select only male snails, keep only one snail of each species, or opt for nerite snails that require brackish water for their eggs to hatch.
What Do Snail Eggs Look Like In An Aquarium?
Before you begin, it’s important to make sure you’re dealing with snail eggs and not something else. Fortunately, they’re easy to identify. If you’re dealing with snail eggs, you’ll notice that they look like clear jelly bubbles clumped together in a transparent sac.
While they range in color depending on the snail that has laid them, they’ll all begin to darken slightly as they develop.
How To Remove Snail Eggs From An Aquarium
If you have snail eggs in your aquarium, there are a couple of different ways you can remove them. And fortunately, the method for removal is incredibly easy. So if you want to remove them from your aquarium, try the following:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Scrape Them off | Gently scrape snail eggs from the glass or top of the tank. Ideal for eggs not attached to plants or decor. |
| Place Items In Salt | Remove decor with eggs and soak them in saltwater for 10 minutes to kill the eggs. Scrub thoroughly afterward. |
| Remove Them By Hand | Pluck snail eggs off plants by hand. |
| Bleach Dip | Mix 1 part bleach with 19 parts water. Soak plants for 2-3 minutes, then rinse in treated water before returning to the tank. |
| Aquarium Salt | Add 1 cup of aquarium salt for every gallon of water. Swish plants in water, avoiding roots. Rinse thoroughly with dechlorinated water before returning to the tank. |
| Boil Driftwood | Boil driftwood for 2-3 minutes to kill snail eggs. Also removes tannins from the driftwood. |
| Aquarium Glass | Scrape snail eggs off the glass using an algae scraper or sponge. Use a gravel vacuum to remove the scraped-off eggs. |
Scrape Them off
The easiest way to get rid of snail eggs is to just scape them off and scoop them out. This is easiest to do on snail eggs that are attached to aquarium glass or near the top of your tank, away from your plants and decorations.
Place Items In Salt
If you notice your decorations have snail eggs on them, then you can remove them from the tank and then soak them in salt water for 10 minutes. Doing this will kill all the eggs. Just make sure you’re scrubbing the decorations thoroughly afterward to make sure no salt will enter your tank.
How To Remove Snail Eggs From Aquarium Plants
More often than not, if you notice snail eggs in your aquarium, then they’re going to be on your plants. Fortunately, there are a few different ways you can remove them!
Remove Them By Hand
One of the easiest ways to remove snail eggs from aquarium plants is to remove them by hand. Whenever you see the eggs or the snails, just pluck them off and get rid of them.
Bleach Dip
You may not think so, but dipping your plants in bleach can be a great way to kill any snail eggs. When you’re using bleach, make sure you’re mixing 1 part bleach with 19 part water so that you don’t harm the plant.
Once you’ve mixed it thoroughly, soak the plants for 2 to 3 minutes. Once they’ve been soaked, take them out and wash them thoroughly with water. Finally, place them in a container of treated water for 5 minutes before adding them back to your tank.
Aquarium Salt
As well as a bleach dip, you can also use aquarium salt to remove snail eggs too! To do this, add 1 cup of aquarium salt for every gallon of water. Once you’ve done this, swish your plants around in the water, making sure that you’re not letting the roots go into the water.
Then finally, rinse the plants thoroughly with dechlorinated water to make sure that no salt is left, and then return them to your tank.
Also, it’s important to note that you should only use aquarium salt when doing this. Oftentimes a lot of other salts will contain chemicals and preservatives that can be harmful to your tank.
Reduce Food In The Tank
While this won’t remove snail eggs from your plant, it will help reduce the snail population, therefore reducing the number of eggs that will be laid. So from now on, feed your fish without giving them any leftovers, and if you do notice leftovers in the tank, you should remove them as soon as possible to stop snails from feeding on them!
On top of this, you should also remove algae whenever you can, as well as vacuuming the gravel regularly to make sure you’re removing any build-up of debris in there as well!
Quarantine Your Plants Beforehand
You should also make sure you’re quarantining any new plants before adding them to your tank as well. Run them under cold water to remove any snail eggs, and pick the ones you see off by hand. Then keep them quarantined for four weeks, making sure to remove any snails you see in the plants or in the tank.
Add An Assassin Snail
Lastly, you can also add an assassin snail to your tank to reduce the overall snail population in your tank, therefore reducing the number of eggs that are being laid on the plants as well!
If that’s too much reading, just watch this video by Aquarium Plant Lab on how to get rid of snails in your fish tank forever!
How To Remove Snail Eggs From Driftwood?
As well as quarantine, adding assassin snails, reducing the food in the tank, and various baths and dips, you can also boil driftwood to get rid of any snail eggs and snails. It only takes about 2 to 3 boiling to kill all of the snail eggs, and then you can add the driftwood back to the tank. As well as this, you’ll also remove some of the tannins from the driftwood, so you don’t have to worry about the aquarium water going brown.
How To Remove Snail Eggs From Aquarium Glass
The easiest way to get rid of snail eggs from aquarium glass is to simply scrape them off. You can use an algae scraper to do this or a sponge. And once you’ve scraped them off, you can either scoop them up by hand or use a gravel vacuum to siphon them out.
What Fish Eat Snail Eggs In Your Aquarium?
Unfortunately, it’s quite uncommon for fish to eat snail eggs in an aquarium. However, there are times when they will eat them. So if you want to increase the chances of fish-eating snail eggs in your tank, then try adding the following fish.
Bettas
While bettas may not deliberately seek out snail eggs, they will consume them if they are present in the tank.
Bettas are known to be voracious eaters, and they will often consume anything that fits into their mouths. In the wild, bettas typically feed on small insects and crustaceans. As a result, snail eggs are a natural source of protein for them. In addition, bettas find snail eggs to be a tasty treat, and they will often go out of their way to seek them out.
Guppies
While guppies are primarily herbivores, they will occasionally eat snail eggs. In fact, this is one of the primary ways that guppies help to control the snail population in the wild. By eating snail eggs, guppies prevent them from hatching and starting the cycle all over again. As a result, if you have a problem with snails in your aquarium, consider adding a few guppies to help keep the population under control.
Loaches
While loaches aren’t known for hunting out other fish, they will scavenge for food when possible. And when scavenging, it’s entirely possible they’ll come across snail eggs to eat. And fortunately, they’re not the fussiest fish, so if they do happen upon them, they’ll eat them gladly.
Corydoras
Corydoras are also known to eat snail eggs, and they’re also perfect as they can be kept in smaller tanks as well! As well as eating snail eggs, cory’s will also eat young snails as well because their shells are softer and easier to eat!
Tetras
Tetras are another omnivorous fish that are opportunistic in their eating habits. While there’s no guarantee that tetras will end up eating snail eggs in your tank, they have a much better chance of doing so than other fish.
How Can You Stop Snails Laying Eggs In Your Tank In The Future?
Aside from removing snail eggs from your tank, it’s also important to make sure you’re doing what you can to prevent more eggs from being laid. So to reduce the number of eggs in your tank, you should try the following:
Only Pick Males
One thing you can do is only pick male snails. You can tell if they’re male or not by lifting them up and looking for a penis sheath, which is located by the gills. If you notice this, then you know you’re dealing with males.
Only Keep One Snail Of Each Species
Next, if you want more than one snail, it can also be a good idea to only keep one snail from each species. This way, you drastically reduce the chance of reproduction occurring.
Only Keep Nerite Snails
If you’re only worried about more snails in your aquarium, then nerite snails are a great choice. While nerite snails are able to lay eggs in an aquarium, they need brackish water to hatch. So you have a 0% chance of snails reproducing in your tank if you’re only keeping nerite snails.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions that people have about removing snail eggs from their tank!
Are Aquarium Snails On Glass Bad?
Aquarium snails on glass are neither bad nor good. While they may make your tank a little bit more unsightly, they’re definitely not going to cause any harm.
How Often Do Aquarium Snails Lay Eggs?
Aquarium snails typically lay eggs about once a month; however, in optimal conditions, it’s entirely possible for them to lay eggs up to two times a month! However, of course, this also depends on the type of snail in your tank.
Where Do Snails Lay Eggs In Your Aquarium?
Snails can lay eggs anywhere in your aquarium; however, the most typical places for them to lay eggs include under plant leaves, on driftwood, on top of rocks, and on your decorations.
How Long Do These Snail Eggs Take to Hatch?
Snail eggs take 1-5 weeks to hatch, influenced by factors like pH and temperature. Ramshorn snail eggs hatch in a week, while Mystery snail eggs take 2-4 weeks. Assassin snail eggs take up to 2 months. They only hatch if fertilized, which can be detected by a change in color of the cluster.
Recap
As you can see, there are plenty of things you can do if you notice too many snail eggs in your fish tank, and there are also a few things you can do to prevent more snails from laying eggs in your aquarium in the future.
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!
