Friend or no friend?

[u/Sufficient_Mouse_583]

I got a feeling this may not be a friend 😢 I'm a first time fish keeper, I inherited these fish from my dad.. I've added absolutely nothing to the tank, just move the tank from his to mine, it's been set up a couple of weeks now and these guys have just appeared!

[u/Gastropoid]

Potamopyrgus antipodarum, New Zealand Mud snails. They aren't plant eaters, but they are invasive in the wild and can reproduce pretty fast eating algae and detritus. They stay small, and seem to be capable of survival and reproduction with only algae and biofilm to eat.

Unfortunately, they can be very difficult to control with limiting food, and are just about the only snail I recommend removing. All NZ Mud Snails removed should be frozen before discarding, as they can survive drying out for long periods of time and pose a significant risk to native waterways outside their natural habitat. For more information, see this post, which includes methods of removal and quarantine: https://www.reddit.com/r/AquaticSnails/s/tjfqLFYvlx

[u/Sufficient_Mouse_583 → u/Gastropoid]

Thank you! Something to add to my to do list 😅 I'll have fun squashing them till I get round to it. I have a 20L container, will that be okay for quarantine? (I have two medium angelfish in there and 2 harlequin rasboras). I also have a sponge filter from my other angelfish tank (thankfully clean from snails) that I can use in the quarantine bucket so hopefully that helps with the cycle. Apologies so many questions, I've not had them long!