On 04/02/09, Jeff Snyder quoted Carol Shenkenberger: Re: Anyone Reading
This Echo?.

CS> Oh we are here and there.  Right now, trying to figure out how I have a
CS> snail explosion.  I mean, I got maybe a hundred of them little things over
CS> night.
CS>
CS> Humm.  No new plants, and no snals in the tank for over a month.

Hello again Carol. The fact that you discovered them over night suggests one
thing: you had a snail egg pouch stuck somewhere and didn't even realize it.
Depending on the type of snail, it was either a small, clear, gelatinous blob,
which could very easily have been overlooked, or it could have been a more
foamy-looking thing, kind of like a sac of praying mantis eggs. And the thing
is, not all snails lay their eggs in the water. I remember many years ago,
like around four decades ago, when I discovered that a large snail -- I can't
remember the variety now -- laid such a foamy egg pouch on the inside of the
light fixture where it was nice and warm. I honestly don't know what the
incubation period is for snail eggs, but if the parent was one of those tiny
snails, you could very easily have missed it, as depending on the size and
color of your gravel, it could very easily have blended in. Also, some will
borrow just below the surface of the gravel, near the glass sides of your
tank. One could have also been hiding within the fronds of one of your plants,
assuming that you have any.

The cure: I really don't recommend any chemical solutions. Even if used
properly, they could still mess up the chemical balance of your water, and
possibly kill plants or livestock, or both. The best solution is to either
take the time to closely inspect your tank and manually remove them before
they reach maturity, or to purchase a fish which eats them. Right off hand, I
don't recall which fish those might be. The manual approach can be tedious,
but it won't cost you any money.

I hope this helps.

Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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