Topic: Snails

[Gardengirl]

I have noticed that many people introduce pond snails .....especially the ramshorns......and wonder what the benefits are?  Are the snails safe in the pond when there are fish - or will the fish attack them?  I ask this as I had fresh water mussels and they were all eaten (by tadpoles I think) and didn't last long.

[Margaret]

Hello Pat.I only have snails in my nature pond.I do think the tiny ones get eaten if by chance i put a plant or weed from there into the fish pond.Fish will eat most things!! funny you mentioning the swan mussels.Anthony asked me about them and I said most definitely to avoid them.I believe they are only of any real value in huge lakes with mud bottoms,as the mussels bury themselves in the mud and filter their food that way.Sad to see them wither and die in normal garden ponds.

Anyway.........i would not bother with snails,they are of no real benefit unless you have a lot of algae.The waste they produce can be a drawback,and if not enough algae they will only attack your plants.Snails also will eat frogspawn.

[Gardengirl]

Thanks for the reply Margaret.  I will take your advice and not bother with the snails.  I was sorry to see the mussels die - I think I was wrongly advised by the people who sold them to me.  I have a UV filter for my pond, so it keeps fairly clear of blanket weed.  I know it works well as recently when the bulb went, the weed built up at an alarming rate with all this hot weather.

[aquilegia]

I found my first snail in the pond yesterday. It (or an egg) must've been imported on a plant I bought. It's most exciting as I have lots of algae and it's a nature pond!