juanico wrote:setting up a tank is creating an ecological system.
tiny as the tanks are, these artificial ecological systems are not very stable and easily prone to get out of balance.
snails are just a part of it and contribute to the stability of the system.
huge amounts of snails only occur if they have enough food...such as not eaten fish food, dead plants...
now imagine you don't have this cleaning guards...everything decays in the tank and pollutes the water a lot, bacteria find perfect condition for their outbreak.
the result might become a disaster for fish and shrimps.
i do not really understand why people suggest various methods to fight snails.
you just get rid of one symptom, but you do not fight the cause of the problem...which makes it even worse.
same applies to algae, people desperately try getting rid of them overlooking the reasons that actually caused the breakout. As a result the war against algae is unending.
) have more micro-organisms in their intestines then they have cells in their body. This is because we also use them to help us break down the food we eat, and that is why we need an intestine that is several feet long, 20 feet usually. When a snail is added to a tank, these microorganisms benefit the tank. They can help jumpstart the cycling process in a new tank, or even help supply infusoria for fry, just a few among endless such benefits. 
. You feed extra so that the shy fish willl not go hungry, but the snails are faster and more thourough. That is why it is best to keep them with another very interesting and useful snail, Assassin Snails!
