How to stop snails escaping a goldfish tank? How do I quarantine them?

You likely wouldn't have been able to see the eggs. It looks like it could be a trumpet snail given the shape. This species grows to be about an inch. Clip a piece of lettuce to the side of the tank overnight. In the morning, the snails should be all over it feasting. Remove your Nerite and dispose of the rest in the trash. You may need to do this several times.

Prevention is absolutely necessary. Water quality should constantly checked to make is sure high standard is maintain and all new fish should be placed in a quarantine tank for at least 2-3 weeks to make sure they are eating, free of disease, and are able to recuperate in a stress-free environment. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

The cone-shaped snails you are referring to are most likely Malaysian Trumpet Snails. A sustained population of Malaysian Trumpet Snails is supported by an abundant food source usually in the form of organic debris or sludge in the substrate. The green water algae can also be attributed to excess nutrients in your aquarium. If you haven't done so already, be in the practice of siphoning your substrate during every water change to remove trapped organic debris and prevent build up. While it maybe tempting to siphon your entire substrate bed, be sure to clean no more than 1/3 at a time to maintain a healthy population of beneficial bacteria that live in the substrate and make up a significant portion of your biological filter. Be sure to use a dechlorinator and a bacterial additive with each water change to ensure a healthy environment for your fish and biological filter. The population of Malaysian Trumpet Snails will diminish naturally over time as you reduce their food source. In addition to enhancing your maintenance regimen, consider the introduction of Assassin Snails for additional natural control. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+3106&pcatid=3106

Ideally you would quarantine any new Fish in a separate aquarium for a few weeks to make sure they do not show any signs of diseases or infection. Once 2-3 weeks have passed without any signs of a problem then it is usually pretty safe to introduce to the common aquarium. Good luck and I hope they do well!

The majority of the acclimation guide is intended for introducing animals recently purchased online into a quarantine environment that have been inside a dark box for 24+ hours and the water quality is most likely degraded from waste. Hopefully you followed these steps before introducing your pond animals into their quarantine environment. After the quarantine period the acclimation from this environment should be relatively easy and quick – given the water parameters in the quarantine environment are ideal and similar to your pond. The best way to move the fish would be to put them in a 5 gal. bucket and float the bucket in the pond for at least 30 minutes so the temperature in the bucket can gradually reach the same temperature as the pond. Make sure you do this in a shady spot of the pond or during a time period when the bucket will not be in the sun. In order to keep the bucket from tipping it may take some creativity but it may be as simple as using a wooden pole laid across the pond centered through the bucket handle to achieve this. Make sure to add a small air-stone to the bucket to agitate the surface so the oxygen and pH levels don’t change. From there you can gradually introduce pond water to the bucket and remove the mixed water until you are confident that the majority of the water left in the bucket is water from your pond (should take no more than 20-30 minutes). From there, gently scoop the fish out and place them in the pond and discard the water from the bucket.

Consider placing him in a hospital tank. Maintain pristine water quality. That's the foundation for healing. Perform partial water changes every few days if necessary. Use only aged or conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. Add StressCoat or similar product to promote a slime coat. Plain aquarium salt (NOT table or Epsom salt) can be used to reduce stress, improve gill function, treat minor infection and aid in recovery. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water in a cup or two of tank water and gently pour it into the tank. Treat for 10-14 days then reassess his condition. It will take time for him to heal. He may not fully heal, but it he can eat and swim, he should be fine.

Ich can only be killed in its free swimming stage. After it feeds off the fish, it drops into the substrate where it forms cysts and multiplies. Then the new ich parasites swim out of the gravel and find new fish hosts and start the cycle all over again. That is why it is important after all white spots have disappeared to continue treatment, you should continue treating for an additional 2 weeks after all symptoms are gone. After the spots disappear off the fish, I would vacuum the gravel to suck up any cysts. If you increase the temperature the life cycle of the ich becomes faster. Snails will be likely killed by the salt so it is best to remove them before treating. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.