[Speedy]

Hey All,
Perhaps a silly question but are snails benificial in anyway other then just eating the algea in my tank?
Do they help clean up dead stuff in the gravel and possible filter water like freshwater clams are supposed to do?... Or are they simply just an eye sore.

If so, I've got to get rid of them somehow!

 

[Pterogho]

Snails do happen to be beneficial, -to some degree.
They do eat left-over foods and plant-detritus, they also add to the water-flow in the substrat, keeping it from going stagnant.
But their sensibillity to loss of oxygen, and highly protein-rich flesh may convert them to a polutionary disaster.
So the trick is to keep their number at a state of balance between benefits vs. damage control.