Leave the plants in there a few weeks and pick off any snails you find. Dip all aquarium additions in a snail killing solution before adding them to the tank. Dipping plants in a bleach solution can kill snails and eggs.
When you receive new plants for your tank, you should sterilize them in some sort of dip (e.g. bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alum). This dip will kill off any snails as well as their eggs.
Bleach – Yes, a bleach bath will kill snails and their eggs. Soak new plants in a 5% solution (about ¾ cup of bleach in a gallon of water) for no more than 2 minutes for sensitive plants and 3 minutes for hardier plants.
Crushing them under foot is definitely quick and probably the most humane method, in that there isn't a lingering death. Most people don't care about whether a snail suffers or not, but others want to be kind to all living creatures.
Even just a teaspoon of salt can kill all the snails in your aquarium! Their bodies can only handle so much when massive changes are being made to the aquarium.
Regularly turn over objects such as wood, and (once removed from the aquarium) use boiling water to kill attached eggs. Make a snail trap to collect and remove snails.
Vinegar does kill snails. It kills snails by combining with their mucus-covered bodies, dehydrating them and then dissolving them. It is the same reason that both salt and baking soda can kill snails.
Crush the snails and eggs or place them in a covered container to drown. Returning at night with a flashlight will help you find the adult snails and slugs. The eggs will be easier to locate during the day. Check daily at first, then weekly after the snail population has noticeably diminished.
A vinegar water mix or just straight vinegar will kill snails and slugs but must be sprayed directly on them. It works in the same way as salt does.
Baking soda works like salt; it will dry out and kill the snail, according to the North Coast Journal.
Strong garlic sprays will act as a deterrant and will kill soft bodied snails and insects. Diatomaceous earth is the sharp, jagged, skeletal remains of microscopic creatures. It lacerates soft-bodied pests, causing them to dehydrate. Sprinkle the powder around garden beds or individual plants.
Fish keeping veterans know that the easiest way to lessen the number of snails is to feed less fish food. Despite their rapid reproduction cycle, snails can only create new babies if they have enough sustenance. Therefore, only feed enough food that can be completely consumed by your fish within a few minutes.
Snail eggs should be kept in an aquarium or in small container full of aquarium water for no longer than two days. Be sure to loosen the cap of the container for gas exchange. plastic well slide and cover with water and then the slide cover.
If you want to kill snails, you can do so with salt. Salt, for example, absorbs water from mollusks, which dehydrates and kills them. Sprinkle the salt directly onto the snails or use a thick layer of it to create a barrier.
Snail egg fact #4: Some snail eggs are dangerous to touch
Snails can be hosts to really harmful parasites and bacteria. The apple snail, for example, is a known carrier of the Rat Lungworm.
Some gardeners swear by homemade snail and slug repellents. This are made by mixing garlic or coffee grounds into water in a spray bottle. Spray down your plants with this mixture, as well as the ground around the plants to deter slugs and snails.
Lavender. Slugs and snails are also known to have a dislike for plants with a strong fragrance, and lavender definitely gets up their collective nose. Whilst many humans adore the rich smell of lavender in their garden and around their home, garden-dwelling molluscs will be turned off.
Dry Epsom Salt– Sprinkling Epsom salt in a narrow band around plants may be an effective means of slug control, as the scratchy substance abrades the “skin” of the slimy pests. Once the skin is effectively roughed up, the slug dries up and dies.
Rather than by a complex chemical reaction, salt acts as a snail and slug's kryptonite by dehydrating its slimy exterior. “Salt essentially draws the water out of their skin – an osmosis effect – and they die within minutes of dehydration,” says Dr Gordon Port, senior lecturer at Newcastle University.
Let them hatch
Snails are a healthy part of any aquarium system as long as their populations are kept in check. If you're struggling with algae or other detritus, allowing snail eggs to hatch can be a free method of obtaining the cleanup crew that your tank needs.