How to Dispose of Aquarium Snails

If you keep a fresh water aquarium, you may have a population of aquarium snails that breed and multiply in the water. If you add live plants to your aquarium, snail eggs often are hidden within the leaves and enter the aquarium when you purchase the plants. As if catching the snails isn̵7;t difficult enough, you also have the challenge of disposing of snails after you remove them from the water. Many local and state municipalities have laws that prohibit the disposal of snails into the environment because they can upset the natural ecosystem balance.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium net
  • Bucket
  • Table salt
  • Plastic bag (with zipper closure)
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Instructions

  1. Salt Water

    • 1

      Scoop snails out of the aquarium using the aquarium net.

    • 2

      Place live snails into the bucket. Add boiling water to cover them completely and sprinkle about 1/2 cup of table salt into the bucket.

    • 3

      Swirl the contents in the bucket around gently to mix and wait for about five minutes for the mixture of boiling water and salt to kill the snails.

    • 4

      Drain the water from the bucket and transfer the snails to a plastic bag. Seal the bag and place it in the trash.

    Freezing

    • 5

      Scoop snails out of the aquarium using the aquarium net.

    • 6

      Place live snails into the plastic bag and close the bag tightly. Place the bag into a freezer and leave them there for at least 24 hours.

    • 7

      Remove the plastic bag containing the snails from the freezer and place it into the trash.