5

I have a small 4x6 feet lotus pond, where i planted lotus plant which i had in a fresh water pond near my Town. Lotus plant is growing nice but my pond became a place for Snails too. i think the plant had some of it's eggs. Now to remove those snails. as i remove water every week.

Is there any pesticides for removing those snails without harming lotus plants and fishes.

Rugmangathan
  • 213
  • 3
  • 6

2 Answers2

6

Any molluscide you use is likely to kill fish as well, but even if you found one that killed the snails and the fish didn't die, the water will become toxic because of the presence of so many dead bodies.

The usual means of preventing such an infestation is to quarantine plants before placing in your pond, to check for any kind of pest such as this, or 'sterilising' the plant first with a solution of permanganate. Either that or buying it from a reputable supplier. However, now that you've got a problem, it might be that the only answer is to contain the fish and plants in something else, empty and thoroughly clean the pond out, refill and replace the fish - but don't replace the lotus plant without using permanganate solution first. Even this might not be successful, but is probably worth a try.

Some caution is necessary when handling the snails and water - water snails may carry parasites which affect humans (bilharzia is the most well known, but not sure about your area). Snails do serve a useful purpose if you can keep the numbers down - they eat algae which builds up in ponds.

Bamboo
  • 131,823
  • 3
  • 72
  • 162
  • 3
    The first thing that comes to my mind is to put in some fish that will eat the snails. Of course if the snails are large you might have trouble finding fish that could eat them. But a number of tropical fish (puffers, some loaches) will eagerly eat all of your snails for you - if their environmental conditions are met. – That Idiot Feb 19 '15 at 16:56
  • @ThatIdiot - good point, forgot to mention that! – Bamboo Feb 19 '15 at 17:03
  • 1
    Yeah, I'd hate to use a molluscicide. If I had to, I'd apply to the plants, not the water. – J. Musser Feb 19 '15 at 21:19
  • 1
    @ThatIdiot ... also, smaller fish which would eat the smaller snails would keep the numbers down ... almost a win-win ... **IF** (a big if) you can find a fish which will feed on them and survive in the lotus pond :D – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Feb 19 '15 at 23:55
1

A saucer of beer will attract the snails if they are the type to come out on land at night, and they'll drown in the beer.

Snail eating fish is a good way to keep them in check, goldfish eat just about anything.

Escoce
  • 6,356
  • 12
  • 20