cdlourie

I didn't know whether to put this in the inverts or the substrate forum, so I just decided to put it here.

My questions are:

Is it alright to put Malaysian trumpet snails in with dirt capped with sand? Will the MTS stir up the substrate too much and cause dirt to go back up into the water column? Are MTS compatible with HC?

Michael

Here is a pretty good thread on MTS: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...et-snails.html

At least one poster had no trouble with them disturbing the soil layer in the substrate.

I have questions about this myself, and would like to hear more opinions.

Jon_TX

I've kept MTS in a dirt/sand tank for 3 months - so far NO issues with them causing dirt to muddy the water.

Having said that, I did not rinse my MGOCPM very well, so some chips and floating pieces occasionally make their way to the top of the sand, primarily near the area of the tank where the MTS seem to concentrate. I just leave them there - the shrimp like to pick through the debris, and the pieces are not causing any other problems.

So, MTS do seem to help floaters emerge in my tanks, but cause no problems.

eklikewhoa

I find this a bit amusing...

All over the planted forums I read about members wanting MTS or even paying for it but everyone down in my parts are shoveling it out the door by the truck load! Some even resorted to nuking their tanks in hopes of never having another infestation.

Took

I have MTS with dirt and a sand cap =)

Mine don't mix the sand with the dirt at all, as far as I can tell. They don't burrow all that deep and they move so slowly that they really don't disturb the substrate much.

Not sure about the HC.

asukawashere

IME they don't tend to make messes, but they are good for keeping things from getting anaerobic. They call them snails for a reason - their rate of movement isn't terribly disruptive.

I do agree that they multiply like whoa, though. I don't mind it so much since they make good food for my loaches, but they are rather pesky if you have nothing to control the population.

ZeeZ

Some people think they're the scourge of the hobby, others adore them. Personally, I find them very useful, since they stay in the substrate mostly at night and don't present themselves as an eyesore during the day. Still, it is cool to watch them come out of the substrate when the light goes off and go crawling all over the tank and help keep it clean.

I would get them for your tank if I were you. They do more good than harm, IMO.

corsair75

The MTS snails are great, and they won't mess up your substrate. As has been stated, they don't move fast enough to pull dirt up to the surface. I've used them in most of my tanks over the past five years and have nothing bad to say about them at all. I find it amazing such a useful creature is sometimes considered a pest.