MICHAEL PERRY,Fidonet writes:
 >    Does anyone know of a way to get rid of snails? I don't want to 
 >tear
 >  down the tank, and I can't add any other fish.
I don't like adding chemicals to the tank but there are some out there as a 
last resort.  Might I suggest you try a couple of things first.  If you have 
hard shell snails taking over the tank then I would recommend you boil a 
piece of lettuce for about a minute and then put it in you tank.  You may 
need to hold it underwater with a food clip or weight.  Soon the lettuce will 
be covered with snails, remove and repeat as necessary.  Some snails in your 
tank are generally a good thing and can be an indicator of general tank 
health.  Watch for them moving and eating algae, if they stop or suddenly die 
get out the test kit and start checking the water - fast.  In my case once I 
got the tank settled down and the snail population under control they have 
been self limiting.
The small soft shell snails were very hard for me to get under control.  The 
only way I found effective was to put a Clown Loach in the tank.  This guy 
made quick work of the problem and added nice color to the Discus tank.  I 
did not have any success with other methods to control.
BTW, I seem to always get more snails after I put in new plants.  Perhaps I 
need to wash them better. :-)
--- Aeolus v1.2.2b3 (#96101098)
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