snail suicides

[ebosshard]

Got a cleaner crew shipment last week and have lost 4 big snails so far (don't ask me what type).

In cleaning the powerheads they have been stuck on the intake, effectively having the mojo sucked right out of them.

I have the "cover" on the intake (the 2 inch plastic cone) but they are getting stuck on that.

Any solutions to this (before I run out of snails)?

Thanks

Eric

 

[hdtran]

Put a sponge over the intake cover, be sure to remove & rinse the sponge out once a week?

Wrap some (fiberglass) window screen around your cone thing, so the snails don't get their innards sucked through the larger cone holes?

Find some cones with more, but smaller holes?

Best of luck!

 

[cdeakle]

I have 4 or 5 different types of snails (approximately 50 total snails) of variuose sizes and they have never got stuck on the powerhead. They just crawl right over the intake.

Are these snailes extremly small in size?

 

[ebosshard]

actually it is the big guys who have gotten stuck (big guys as in their "feet" would cover a quarter

 

[ChrisRD]

I have the "cover" on the intake (the 2 inch plastic cone) but they are getting stuck on that.

Sounds like you're describing the cone attachments that are designed to be used with the uplift tubes on an undergravel filter. In a reef, where we use the powerheads for circulation you should use a screen/grate type of guard (like the one that comes included with Maxijets), not the cones.

If your powerheads didn't come with these, or you can't find ones that fit, you could DIY some out of PVC (just drill a bunch of holes or cut slots).

HTH

 

[ebosshard]

now I know!

At least I have only lost three snails so far.

thanks (as always) for the help