Re: Malaysian live bearing snails!

[dominic <apisto@planeteer.com>]

Everything I have ever read makes this assertion also. My desire to get rid of
them is not due to my dislike - I added them for their specific habit of
aerating substrate. I prefer sand in certain species tanks, and these little
diggers enable me to keep the sand clean and free of anaerobic bacteria.

My concern with this infection is due to its pernicious nature and sudden
affliction. I am fairly sure it has developed a resistance to antibacterial
treatments that are commonly available, and I have had months go by with no
occurance only to suddenly lose a number of fish. It seems to be fairly specific
to fish that have a primarily vegetative matter-based diet. I have treated and
treated but lost fish - and when it occurs, the animals usually die within 48
hours.

So you see, there is no way to find out if the disease is present until you lose
the fish. And not all fish will be susceptible to it. As it is an internal
bacterial problem (I've had it analysed by a reasonably local university that
looked at both live and dead fish from the group) diagnosis and treatment are
difficult. I do not know specifically how it spreads, but I have seen it reoccur
time and time again. I don't know that these snails are part of the problem, but
I don't want to take the chance.

So thanks to all. I have decided to remove all of the sand and bake it, remove
the filter and thoroughly clean it and then run another course of bleach.

Fingers crossed.

Dominic Stones
Richmond Hill, Ontario

Sylvia Kohler wrote:

> I think snails are the intermediary host for parasites, but not bacteria. If
> they have nothing to eat, they'll eventually die, I'd guess. They populate
> as needed to take care of the garbage in the tank. To me, this is what makes
> them desirable, as well as aerating the substrate.
>
> If your main concern is the bacterial infection, why not put a fish in or
> two, and see what happens? (Of course, lower your copper levels and get the
> bleach out first!) Given an appropriate amount of time, you can establish
> whether or not they are a problem based on fish health. If not, why worry
> about it?



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