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Every month I clean out my Rena xP3 filter, but over the past couple now I've noticed something a little unsightly - giant hordes of black snails that range from microscopic to almost the size of an eraser head. I know that they can be a huge risk to the life of the filter - if they grow their hard shells are supposed to be terrible if they get anywhere near the impeller.

I'm 100% certain the snails are coming from the anacharis we feed our turtle. We keep our anacharis in a water pot. After about a week or so we'll notice one or two small black snails of the same kind appear in the pot.

Two questions:

1 - is there a proper way to wash anacharis to keep it relatively free from snails? I've tried rinsing it down with tap water beforehand, but some of these snails are so small I have no idea how to keep them all away.

2 - is there a proper way to clean out the filter to help prevent this from happening again?

Thanks!

These are probably pond/bladder snails. Unfortunately, once they colonize they are extremely hard to get rid of. You will have to eradicate them from the entire tank, replace all filter media and bleach bomb the entire filter and tank. The bright side is that they actually help break down waste in the filter as well as the tank. The chances of them getting caught in the impeller are small. I would just live with them and clean out as many as you can when you clean the filter.

You can reduce the snail population by feeding less, removing any uneaten food, and/or feeding in another container. The less food available to the snails, the less they will breed.

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to use chemicals. It will kill all the snails which will cause a huge toxic ammonia spike.

I have the same snails. I feed them to my turtles and have never tried to get rid of them

To add to the bad news, anacharis is actually a rather sensitive plant. The anacharis leaf is only two cells thick, which is why they are often used in school biology to study plant cells. I've occasionally seen mine melt when it didn't like the water parameters. I doubt it would stand up well to any plant dip.

How about assassin snails?

I have assassins in my refugium. I added a few to control my Malaysian trumpet snails and they wiped them out.

Unfortunately, they will be a danger to your turtle. An adult turtle can crush the shell of a pond snail and eat it safely. Assassin shells are tough. Really tough. Your turtle will not be able to crush them and may eat them whole. You run the risk of an intestinal impaction.

Was going to suggest Asian or assassin snails but depends on your turtles size. There is a fish that will eat your snails big or small. Almost all pet store sell them. Clown loaches are great for riding your tank of snails. They suck the snail out of its shell then your gravel cleaner can suck the shells up.

I have Kansas river or lake snails. Have no clue as to what kind they are but when one shows up in the tank it doesn't last long. They are mostly in my filter.