Dennerle Snail Catcher – for Aquariums, with Telescopic Handle

$ 8.36

So bear with me for story time, if you will.Somehow a single snail (one) got into one of my aquariums, I assume by hitching a ride via a snail free plant. Despite the fact I’ve been around aquariums my entire life, having three aquariums set up currently (35g, 75g,and 90g), ignoring that I know it only takes ONE snail to ruin everything so I Should Not Do This, I very foolishly plopped it in my 35g aquarium. Human hubris, I’ll admit that. Now, depending on fish stock and tank size a very simple solution is to get a minimum of five Corydoras (they shoal my friends, happy cory are helpful cory) and kiss your snail problems goodbye. Seriously, the ground zero tank had that single snail for several months (I couldn’t move fast enough to catch it) and thanks to the diligence of thirteen corydoras there are zero snails in that tank. No snail sightings, no sign of eggs, no moments of did the gravel move or am I losing it, nothing.Now moving on to the 35g. In a single month I that lone snail has created a massive infestation. There are eggs everywhere, snails of various sizes on absolutely everything, and A Very Upset About The Driftwood Eggs Bristlenose, it’s awful. There are very few solutions to this contamination: copper (I don’t feel inclined to medicate a tank of small fish in a feeble hope it kills the snails), remove the fish and boil everything (I’ll never be able to catch them again in my larger tanks), snail traps (nothing suggests they actually work), or…Enter this purchase, which I like to call The Snail Squeegee.I have never bought something that is so deeply satisfying to use, to the point where I actually get a little excited when I see snails pop up on the glass. This product is very easy to use, doesn’t seem to concern the fish whatsoever (my Dwarf Gourami likes to assist me by following my hand, he’s offering me moral support), and seeing the snails pop off is delightful.I’m giving this five stars because I’m at a breaking point and this product very effectively makes Snails Go Away Right Now, but my only complaint is I have no idea how I’m supposed to properly get the snails out of the clear bit? Waving it around in the middle of the yard works, or a steady stream of water, so this isn’t a deal breaker for me but maybe something should pop off for easy dumping? Unclear.I would also like it if the clear chamber part was a bit longer to hold more snails. After a certain point if I tilt to get one at an odd angle I have had an escapee a couple of times, but ultimately it’s not a deal breaker for me.Now, that said, as therapeutic as this product is, it won’t solve a longterm snail problem unless there’s something to stop it at the source. Thankfully I have a team of pygmy corydoras who’ve been working overtime on egg consumption and I just might hire on some new recruits.Words of advice: If anyone has a snail infestation in a community tank, get yourself a very handy snail squeegee and five corydoras and you’ll be golden. Or depending on your fish stock (ex: larger and/or aggressive cichlids who will just eat corys) just skip meals for a couple of days and they’ll turn on the snails. A good gravel cleaner should also help with cleaning out eggs.TL;DR this is a fabulously satisfying product that solves part of a problem and the only thing that’d make it better is a bigger chamber for scooping up snails.