Snails- Pests or good guys?

[:o)rosie:o)]

The new Guppy tank has developed a few snails. IT started out as to but now I can count about 10 (this is in 2 weeks). Are these most likely pests or could they be sold when they grow to a desent size? If they arent pests is there any way to tell what type of snail they are?
Thanx

[M_wm]

Ive never had snails but my friend had HUNDREDS they were pests for sure they were absolutly everywhere. I guess ti depends what kinds you have though.

[daisy0802]

If you have one, they can be a good guy or a pest. snails reproduce asexually (reproduce by themselves) but the mystery snail I've had with my goldfish for about 4 months still didn't have babies. But my sister's with her platy reproduced in about 2 weeks. now, 2 months later, she has about 50-60 snails in her platy's tank (2.5 gal) I guess it depends on the snail. I like them though, as long as they don't reproduce. If it gets out of hand, you could always put them all in a nearby pond.

[t_chelle16]

Common ramshorn and pond snails are pests (they usually come in on live plants). Apple snails (which includes black mystery snails and some ramshorn varieties) are more pet-like because they don't reproduce like crazy. And Malasyian trumpet snails are actually pretty beneficial because they stir up the substrate helping to prevent anaerobic pockets and they eat debris but not live plants.

-Chelle

[halinar]

I got in 5 with a plant a month or so back. I liked them and they were kinda cute. I could take head counts to make sure they were there every day also.... then came in the other batches with the other plants. Now they have hit the point of annoyance. My whisper filter is helping out with being a death trap for the one's who wander down the intake tube and I catch some floating around on the top with water changes every week now also.

[:o)rosie:o)]

Is there anyway that anyone could tell which type of snail I have? I've just looked at one of the biggest & it's shell is a drak brown with a sort of gold colour in between. Any help would be appreciated.

[hooterhead]

most likely they will keep multiplying until they are an annoyance. the best thing to do is start getting rid of them now before they become too much of a problem.

[:o)rosie:o)]

thanx hotterhead