Instructions
Purchase some snails at your local pet or fish store. They are extremely inexpensive, and you only need a few, due to their remarkable reproducing skills. Get salt or fresh water snails, depending on which type of tank you have.
Place the container of snails into your tank for about 30 minutes. As with any fish you introduce to your tank, placing the container in the water for a half-hour acclimates them to the temperature of your tank. After they acclimate, dump them along with the water into your tank.
Wait patiently for them to do their job. You will not notice a difference for quite some time. After a couple of weeks, you should notice results of their cleaning process, depending on the amount of snails and the size of your tank. After a month, there should be a dramatic difference.
Choose whether or not you want to keep the snails in your tank. Snails may feed off plant life, if you have any, and some people do not prefer to have snails in their tanks. If you wish to remove them, you can attempt to remove them manually, or introduce a fish that feeds off them. Many varieties of loach feed off of snails, including the clown, skunk and yoyo loaches.
How Do I Clean a Tank With Baby Snails?
Snails are a hands-free method of keeping your salt or fresh water fish tank clean. They feed off of algae, leftover food and other corrosive elements that muck up the glass and décor. Most varietals are smaller than the traditional garden variety of snail, giving them the appearance of being baby snails. They are quick to reproduce, providing you with an entire fleet of tank cleaning helpers.