MTS - When is too much?

[Jonathan Kalmes]

MTS in this case is "Malaysian Trumpet Snail", not Multiple Tank Syndrome (we'll save that for another post).

I have MTS's all over the place! They range in size from barely visible to 2 inches in length. When they decide to wake up, my entire gravel bed starts moving. There are times when they cluster in an area and you can't even SEE the gravel under the MTSs. Other than consuming Seachem Alkaline Buffer and Equilibrium like it's going out of style, has anyone ever had a problem with TOO many MTSs? Any risks or issues I should know about?

I do find them to be amazingly efficient grazers, eating EVERYTHING that shouldn't be there over night, whether it's food that one of my plecos managed to pull off and hide under a piece of driftwood or old leaves that have been damaged or that I failed to collect after trimming. I quite like them, but I've never had as many as this tank has managed to get.

Does anyone know of any real good way to catch them, other than just sifting them out of the gravel? I wouldn't mind being able to bag a hundred or so when people are looking to set up a new tank.

[RTRJR]

The test for me on MTS (the other MTS is obvious) is to go into a totally dark room in the wee small hours with a flashlight. If it looks like a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark there are too many snails.

Narrow-neck bottles make dandy snail traps. Drop a pellet of food in bottle, fill with tank water and place with bottle mouth diagonally in corner (to keep most fish out) near or after lights out. Retrieve before lights go on in the AM. Obviously match scale of bottle to tank scale, and bait with quantity which will not pack and suffocate the whole snail population collected. If the bottle is plastic you can drill some small holes for water (oxygen/CO2) exchange.

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

...and after you catch them this way, save them for me.
I need to reintroduce them into my tanks!
2 inches?! That's a big MTS. I've never seen them that big.

[FrannyB]

I would like some, too.

[Marsha Finley]

Me too! (or is that 3...)

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

Looks like we can help Jonathan with his problem

[Jonathan Kalmes]

Passing them around was part of my plan. I can easily catch a handful each for those that want them... I normally have a couple hundred "glass climbers" that I can easily retrieve, was just wondering what to do about the rest. I'l give the bottle trap a shot, but I'm probably going to have to put a screen or something over the top, as I've found that my juvenile cories and my flying foxes can find a way to get into just about anything (I've had to rescue a 5 inch flying fox from my CO2 reactor once, believe it or not).

I don't expect my larger snails to last much longer, as there was a period where I couldn't keep the hardness up and some of the older one's shells are starting to break down, but I've got PLENTY of younger ones to pass around. I'll be taking a fairly long vacation in December, so I'll see if I can get some out to everyone before then.

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

I've heard a good way to collect them off the glass
is to use a 16oz water bottle cutout. Just bump them
with the edge and the drop into the 'cup'. The soft
plastic lets you push up against the glass easily.

[Marsha Finley]

Johnathan:
I had a friend who set up a net breeders trap over the aquarium lip, and loaded it with algae wafers..
The snails invaded every evening, and VOILA!!

[m.milliner]

Put me on that list too...been wondering where to get a batch to put in my tank.

Michael