Tower snails are often brought into the aquarium with new plants. But that’s no reason to be alarmed. These snails are by no means harmful as long as there are not too many of them. In fact, they are very useful for the soil, because they dig through it and so there are no rot spots. They also eat food leftovers, so that these leftovers do not pollute the water so much (that’s why some call the tower snails the earthworms in the aquarium…).
If you have far too many tower snails, it is usually because you have fed too much. Because they only have a lot of babies when there’s a lot to munch on. Having too many snails can cause problems because if something suddenly happens that triggers a mass die-off of snails, the water will become very polluted by the decomposing bodies (NO2 levels will go up sharply).
If there are too many snails in the tank, simply feed less in the future. And maybe collect some snails. You can do this by putting cucumber in water. The snails then all crawl there and you can take them out. But don’t throw them away, there are many puffer fish owners who would like to have them as food.
There are also fish (e.g. puffer fish) that eat snails. But you should never buy such an animal to get rid of unwanted snails. That’s not fair to the fish! And later, when all the snails are eaten, they would starve too.
Tower snail Photo: Tanja Pirenz
If you consciously want to buy tower snails (they are often abbreviated to “TDS” by the way), you will surely find nice people in forums who will send you some. Pay a little attention to the water values from which they come. If you have soft water, use TDS that were born in such, otherwise their houses may turn white because of a lack of lime. Should this happen anyway, you can feed them cuttlefish or egg shells so that they have building material for their houses again.
Tower snails don’t always stay in the ground. They also climb up panes, plants and objects up to the water surface. Some species are more common, others less common on migration in the aquarium. Apparently some species prefer gravel. In any case, they are more likely to be found in the ground with gravel soil, while they are more likely to be found on the ground with sand.
If fed with tablet food, sometimes dozens of tower snails collect on the tablet over time. They also seem to register when flake food is given. After feeding, an unusually large number of tower snails often crawl up the panes.
After eating, the snails disappear back into the ground.
Tower snail Photo: Viola (Forum)
If suddenly an unusually large number of tower snails are outside the soil without being fed, it should be checked whether there is too little oxygen in the soil and possibly even putrefaction processes should be used. Excessively high nitrite levels, for example from 0.5 mg per liter, seem to also drive TDS out of the ground.
In very warm weather and correspondingly high water temperatures, the use of an oxygen stone may be enough to make the snails disappear back into the ground.
Small tower snails of about the same size often gather on the water surface. On the surface, they find numerous microorganisms, tiny plant remains, etc., which they eat. Due to the water current, the young snails gather in small groups.
TDS can also be placed in fish hatcheries. There they consume excess food and normally do not go to fish spawn or young.
But there is always something to do with the spawn. Very small, delicate eggs can be eaten. There is no danger with harder eggs such as armored catfish, loricariids or rainbow fish.
On the contrary: the snails clean the eggs, ie they scrape growth from them. Even the relatively soft eggs of pastel gobies are usually not touched.
Approximately 1 to 3 adolescent TDS can therefore usually be placed in a rearing tank without any problems. However, there can be danger in a hungry mass invasion of TDS.
You can leave a small night light on so that the parent fish can drive away snails that are too curious.
In at least one instance, frying pan catfish were suspected to have been eaten by TDS. However, pan catfish are very laid back and stoic, so they may have been considered regular food by the snails.
Predatory rook snails
Anentome helena, robbery snail Photo: Frank Mersch
Robber tower snail Photo: Stefanie Prinz
Raptor snails, Anentome helena, eat other snails. Bladder snails, small ramshorn snails and tower snails are eaten, for example. Conspecifics are not eaten.
Tower snail, Melanoides tuberculata:
tower snail: