From time to time I have gotten snail issues in a couple of my tanks. I've done the lettuce etc... and knock back the "population" but they eventually bounce back. One thing I've noticed though is that there are certain plants they seem to leave alone. While they love my broms and a couple viney plants I have, they seem to avoid about every type of hoya I have. A begonia I have has also gone untouched by them in a tank where they did some pretty heavy brom damage. I'm just wondering if others have noticed certain plants that they seem to avoid? I'll get around to a CO2 bomb eventually to get rid of them for good, and keep on the lettuce, this is just something I've been noticing and wondered if anyone else has noticed as well.
Derek
That's a tough one Derek. I always hunt the snails, centipedes and slugs at night and with bait (lettuce) and hand pull them. It may seem like it takes a while but I always seem to come out on top and reduce the population greatly.
Do you have a pic of the snails ? Are they the tiny ones, that look a little like rams horn snails ?
Yup. Thats them. I've spotted a few slugs along the way too. 3 of my 12 tanks have what Id call an issue, I periodically get out the lettuce, and the flashlight as well, but they bounce back eventually. Im waiting for a little free time to do a proper cleanup on the tanks (CO2 the heck out of them), but noticed that they havent touched either the hoyas or the begonias in either of those tanks. Over time, they have managed to toast every brom however.
Derek
I know in the insect world there are many predatory caterpillars that eat snails like Hyposmocoma molluscivora.
Wonder if that avenue has ever been investigated? The adult moths would likely be eaten by the Frogs. Seems like a win, but I know some species make small webs which might be unsightly in viv.... Not sure on the details...
Im a Hymenoptera Expert, not a Lepidoptera expert!