[lemo1524]

Snail like things just appeared in our freshwater tank with chiclids have no idea where they came from, does anyone know what these are?

[LadySam]

Have you purchased any live plants and put them in the tank recently?
Many times there are small snails with them.

[odinn7]

LadySam is right as usual...

Snails come in on plants. Usually they are clear egg sacks that can't be seen. Snails are useful to a point. They are great at cleaning algae and don't make much of a mess while doing it. The problem with them is that they multiply very quickly and soon can take over a tank to where you see snails everywhere you look.

If they become a problem for you, you can try plucking them out when you see them. This method takes forever to work though and it seems like a losing battle if they get far enough ahead. There may be a solution to add to the water; there wasn't such a thing when I had this problem. I solved my problem by accident. I added 2 goldfish to the tank and they seemed to be crazy for the snails. I never heard of such a thing but they cleaned the snails out in less than 2 weeks. You face a problem though because you have Cichlids and they usually enjoy the taste of goldfish.

What it comes down to is this... if the snails bother you, better get them out now as you see them before they have a chance to spread. If not, let them be and see how it all goes. It may not be too bad for you.