Nerite snails are some of the most common types of aquarium snails today. Many aquarists and fish-keepers love them for their small size and non-invasiveness.
If you have nerite snails, it’s only natural to see snail poop in your aquarium. Just like their other snail relatives, nerite snails also have to excrete waste. To make sure that your tank is clean, you need to know how to manage this waste.
In this article, you’ll learn all about Nerite snails, Nerite snail poop, and what you can do about it.
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Do Nerite snails create a lot of waste?
Nerite snails, like all other snails, can only create waste proportional to what they eat.
Inside an aquarium, the main source of foods that Nerite snails have is algae. They eat these algae, and then after digesting them, they eventually excrete their waste in the form of poop.
In theory, the more algae they eat, the more waste they’ll create. You’ll see this in aquariums that don’t have beneficial bacteria that can break down the waste.
In Nerite snails specifically, you’ll see that they can create a lot of waste. They have a ravenous appetite and will eat everything that they can inside your tank, which translates to more poop.
What does Nerite snail poop look like?
Nerite snail poop looks like any other snail poop. They mostly look like little dark logs or grains on the substrate of your tank, or on the surface. Sometimes, you may also find them on the leaves of plants, if you have a planted tank.
There are times when Nerite snail poop may be colored white. While this isn’t exactly uncommon, this isn’t normal for Nerite snails. White poop means there’s some kind of nutrient deficiency and that they’re not eating enough green food.
Is Nerite snail poop good for plants?
Nerite snail poop can be considered fertilizer for a heavily planted tank. Their poop contains a lot of nitrogen, which can boost your plants’ growth.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should keep snail poop in your tank all the time. They’re still considered waste, so they should be dealt with the same way as you do other types of waste.
Also, if you have a planted tank, you shouldn’t forgo fertilizer just because you have snails. Fertilizing your plants is still important if you want them to grow in the best possible way.
Do you need to clean Nerite snail poop?
If you do regular water changes, you don’t technically have to clean Nerite snail poop. A 25% weekly water change should be enough to keep the tankwater clean and fresh enough, even if you don’t do anything special with the Nerite snail poop.
If you don’t do regular water changes though, the Nerite snail poop, as well as all the other wastes created by the other creatures inside your tank, can cause an ammonia spike. This is very harmful to your fishes so make sure that you do your due diligence in changing your tankwater.
How do you clean Nerite poop?
There are two main ways to clean Nerite poop. The first one is by using a net to scoop them out of your aquarium. The downside is that you may not be able to get everything you need, so there will be a lot left over.
The second method is by using a vacuum or siphon. This is much more thorough and you can also get more snail poop this way. However, you should be careful if you have a planted tank, because this method may disrupt the roots of your plants.
Then again, if you do regular water changes, that should already be enough to keep your tank clean and healthy for all your pets.
Now you know what Nerite snail poop does to your aquarium and how you can clean them. If you want to know more, don’t forget to check out our blog!