Pond Boss
Posted By: Bennie Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/23/12 02:10 PM
A lot of people have suggested to me if I have a lot of snails (ours are Japanese trapdoor snails), to stock Red Ear Sunfish or Pumpkinseed to eat them since snails spread disease.

What disease?

That just doesn't make any sense to me--if we are afraid of snails spreading disease, isn't it better to leave them alone than to get fish to eat them?

Regardless of that answer, we use them as bait instead of worms and their meat is more robust on the hook--takes a lot more effort to get the meat off the hook than a worm or minnow.

So can they really be a problem? I'm tending to think they aren't since they've been there for decades and the fish I've caught seem clean and healthy. What am I to be afraid of?
Posted By: Bluegillerkiller Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/23/12 02:25 PM
I think they spread parasites more than desease.. I could be wrong.. If you was infested with black and yellow grubs in your fish you might want to stock RES to limit snails which spread them parasites..
Posted By: Shorty Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/23/12 02:27 PM
Snails can serve as intermediate hosts to parasites that infect fish. The parasites life cycle involves snails, fish, and fish eating birds. Take snails out of the equation and your fish have fewer parasites to deal with.

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/fish_parasites.html

Quote:
The "black spot" parasite has the same general life cycle, using snails and fish as intermediate hosts, but after leaving a snail it penetrates the skin and scales of fish and encysts itself in the skin of the fish, appearing as black specks or spots on the fish's skin. When the fish is eaten by a fish-eating bird, such as a kingfisher, the life cycle starts anew.


Quote:
Here's the bottom line. Parasites come, they go. Pond managers observe parasites from time to time, but rarely need to take action. When parasites make their way into sportfish, it's not necessarily a problem. But, to lower the incidence of parasites, one (or more) hosts need to be managed or eliminated. The most common practice is to manage excessive aquatic plants, which house snails, or to use red ear sunfish to eat snails. Or, both. Remember, balancing a pond and its life is key to success. Dealing with parasites is also a balancing act.


Posted By: Cecil Baird1 Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/23/12 03:53 PM
It could be dependent on the species of snails though. Are the trapdoor ones the larger ones people use in their aquariums?
Posted By: CJBS2003 Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/23/12 11:52 PM
Yes, trapdoor snails may not carry the same parasites as the more common pond snail would. Common pond snails remain small and have thin shells. Trapdoor snails get very large compared to native snails and have much harder shells making them undesirable as a forage to RES except when they are very small.
Posted By: Bennie Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/25/12 04:18 PM
My snails can get as big as a golf ball. Those are JTS right?
Posted By: CJBS2003 Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 12:56 AM
Yes, they are. They died en mass in the summer in the Potomac River and thousands of dead snails will float in the river plinking off my aluminum boat as I cruise through them.
Posted By: Cecil Baird1 Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 03:00 AM
What's JTS?
Posted By: John Wann Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 03:08 AM
Japanese trapdoor snails.
Posted By: Cecil Baird1 Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 03:48 AM
Thanks!
Posted By: Frozengator Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 04:57 AM
When I bought my place I used to have thousands of tiny snails on the shore line they weren't round shape like the trap door snail they kind of conical shape. I have stocked RES and I haven't seen as many the last couple of years. I have caught fish that have the black specks in the meat and also the white little grubs. I haven't seen as much in the fish meat lately. My cousin in Florida has a KOi pond with these trap door snails as big as my fist. His wife got them from some Asian restaurant. I would like to have a few of them but I don't know if they would make it here in Indiana
Posted By: esshup Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 05:15 AM
Escargot??
Posted By: John Wann Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/26/12 05:28 AM
Had it in France. Not bad. Needs hot sauce though.
Posted By: CJBS2003 Re: Snails--what's the big deal? - 07/27/12 01:30 AM
They would do fine in IN.
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