snails in fountain

by Mona Hubblee
(Salmon Creek WA)

I have a 16' round fountain in my yard and we have noticed a proliferation of tiny white snails. Good or bad? If bad, please tell us the best green way to eradicate. Thank you.

***

Doug says that snails are a fact of life in water features. Are they good or bad? It depends on your point of view - I love them in ponds because they're scavengers eating all manner of organic matter (and you have to put up with some damage to your water lilies).

In a fountain however, this is an artificial environment and you're not trying to replicate nature so it's a different kind of problem.

Frankly, I'd get rid of them because of the "look" of them in a clear-water fountain. And the simplest way to do that is to add chlorine bleach to the water. It will kill off the snails and evaporate over 24-48 hours. Toss a pool chlorine puck in the water basket and it will do the same thing with a preventative dose on a regular basis.

Comments for
snails in fountain

Click here to add your own comments

plants and pool water
by: Jan Phipps

My sister had a swimming pool with a lot of containers on the decking. She kept a watering can there and always dipped water out of the pool to water her containers all growing season. The plants were fine.

Snails in Fountain
by: Anonymous

Thank you, Doug, for clarifying the use of chlorine in a fountain. It's a relief to know that a small amount gets rid of the snails but doesn't hurt the surrounding plants or animals.

Fountain Issues
by: Doug

Let me add a few comments to clarify my response.

If the fountain is small enough - then draining and cleaning by hand is a viable alternative. This is the kind of thing you do with bird baths but not larger fountains.

Chlorinated spray - "over time" - I guess we have to define both the level of chlorine and the time. At the small amounts necessary to control algae and snails (pool levels) there is no damage to nearby plants. We're not talking mega-doses here, we're talking about a small amount (a "touch" stronger than tap water. You could indeed "almost" use tap water *if* you replaced all the water every day.

Hand picking is one of those small alternatives for smaller bird-bath sized fountains. Nobody is going to hand-pick snails in a larger fountain.

So the real answer is that if the "fountain" is small - regular cleaning is going to work.

If the fountain is larger, then pool-level chlorine is the ticket. And for the record, the birds, kids, whoever used to drink from our pool on a regular basis with no apparent damage or problem. And no amount of splashing ever damaged any nearby plant (contrary to garden myth).

Snails in Fountain
by: Anonymous

I suppose I am fortunate that my bird baths and fountain have removable bases. I empty them and scrub them with a stiff brush and this gets rid of all the unwanted stuff that gets in there, including snails. They eventually come back but then I scrub them out again. It's a small chore, but completely safe for the flora and fauna.

snails
by: Judithanne

I have lots of snails and they love my water feature which is a birdbath. Cannot put chlorine in that. Any mor gentle solutions would be appreciated.

Chlorine has Other Effects
by: Kamia

If you choose to use chlorine in your fountain, you may make it sparkling clean, but the birds will not be able to use it for dips or drinks, if there are any plants nearby, the spray while the water is chlorinated can, over time, affect them as well, and the chlorine is a chemical that contributes to the breakdown of concrete (why pools plaster lining has to be replaced regularly). Why not just pick the snails with your hands?

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Ask a Question

Doug Green