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About 3 or 4 weeks ago I bought 2 moss balls.
And in that time I have fed the tank maybe once or twice (keep in mind no fish) so algea has grown freely.

I was thinking of buys a few algea eaters seeinghow as they are so calm and I want this tank to be a H zebra breeder.

Well today I looked into my tank to see how bad the algea was getting and I notice something very small in my tank. I noticed a baby snail. After 3 weeks it makes me wonder how many more there might be.

At any rate... I wasn't even sure how safe the water was, seeing how as I haven't tested in about 3 weeks, and have just been topping off the water. But I guess the water conditions are ok since there is life in it now

If it was a pond snail (Physa sp.), you shouldn't assume the water to necessarily be safe for habitation by vertebrates (or crustacea, for that matter); the ubiquitous lunged snails are among the more pollution-tolerant macroinvertebrates of freshwater aquaria.

I agree.
I've got MTS in the 6 gallon hex that's a PO tank. it's not recieved water changes in months, is being dosed with nitrAtes and pretty much allowed to run rampent....sort of a mini experiment on my part.
Noticed a pond snail in there the other day....Have no clue how he managed to get there.

^_^


[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

Pull that snail out of the tank!!! I don't know what has happened in my 29, and my new 125...but just one snail has turned into :%)I have pretty much decided that I'm gonna shut down the 29 and start new, and am thinking I might get some clown loaches for the 125 I've got to do something...

So take my word for it, don't think, oh one little baby...mush it or set it free, or feed it to something else, do it now before you regret it]:|]:|]:|

Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Time to bring the snail eater subject to life again.

If you want a loach that's small, doesn't get to be huge like a Clown Loach, but eats snails very efficiently, allow me to recommend Botia sidthimunki. The only minus point is that it's endangered in the wild and consequently hideously expensive. However, I think it's now being captive bred (or at least, allowed to breed in culture ponds in Singapore). Even so, expect to pay premium prices for these little fellows.

Last edited by Calilasseia at 24-Mar-2005 18:41

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

If there's one and nothing has been added in that long it's too late anyway. There are dozens-hundreds hiding by now. If you squish the first snail you see it's not gonna do any good. There's probably at least 5 in hiding already. Once you have 1 pond snail you will have more. Although with applesnails and killing any pond snails I see I don't have hardly any in my 55g. I wouldn't mind more of them to feed to my yoyos in the other tank. I only see 1 or 2 every 3 days.

These are the kind of snails that get real long. I guess you could say it looks as if it has inhabited a unicorns horn.

Oh and I intend to get some clown loaches to clense the tank before it buy any zebra plecos.

I believe the common conception is that right whorl snails are pollution tolerant, while left whorlers are not so much. I may, however, be wrong on this, as I'm not invert specialist.

I don't have personal experience with the efficiency of clown loaches with regard to consumption of Malaysian trumpet snails (which are what you, in all likelihood, have), but I must note that [as I posted on another forum]:

Trumpet snails (Melanoides) are extremely resilient - most non-chemical extermination methods suggested above will prove innefective.

Subclass Prosobranchia

Family Thiaridae

The species Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) and Melanoides granifera (Lamarck, 1822) are the best know species of this family and occur in almost all aquaria around the world.

The Thiaridae are cosmopolitan freshwater snails. Most species of this family crawl through the mud in search for food, a life style that makes them attractive to keep in aquaria as they loosen the soil. It also makes these snails quite conspicuous and the best changes to see them are during the night and when overcrowding has occurred. In the latter case, overfeeding of the fish in the aquarium might have caused an excessive population growth of snails.

Their toughness is probably the principal reason of their success both in the wild as in the aquaria world. The horny operculum of these snails enables them to close their shell to protect them against drought and predators. They can easily survive periods of drought for months, hidden in the bottom.

Another thing that contributes to their ability to survive is the strength and thickness of their shell; most snail eating fish, as well as many other predators are not able to crush their shell. Even predators that swallow them whole won't always benefit from their meal as these snails can sometimes survive a trip through the intestines. This is a great advantage for these snails as they can spread to new areas after being eaten by a bird and expelled with the faeces.

One of the most remarkable features of these snails is their parthogenetic reproduction: unfertilised females are able to reproduce. So only one snail is needed to have more in short time.

[From http://www.applesnail.net/content/snails_various.php#Thiaridae]

In addition, these snails do not externally deposit eggs (essentially precluding aquarist prevention of further population recruitment); rather, they are incubated in an internal brood pouch, rendering Melanoides essentially viviparous.

Trumpet snails begin to succumb from thermal stress at a water temperature of 50° C (~120° F): optimum temperature lies between 18° C and 25° C, though Melanoides can tolerate significantly cooler conditions; trumpet snails thrive across a broad range of salinities (well past 30 ppt).

Last edited by Veneer at 24-Mar-2005 21:13

I believe the common conception is that right whorl snails are pollution tolerant, while left whorlers are not so much. I may, however, be wrong on this, as I'm not invert specialist.

For North American species, that typically holds true; while "right-whorls" generally fall under the heading of "lunged snails", "left-whorls" are, broadly speaking, regarded to be "gilled snails".

how big do trumpet snails get?

and what is the best way to get rid of them?

if you want to get rid of them- send them my way

Yea, if you actually do have MTS (trumpet snails) keep them--they are really cool inverts and people will actually buy them. Especially if you have a sand-bottom tank. They won't harm live plants and often you won't even see them during the day.

just as more evidence to keep the little sweeties, people actually want to buy them!!they are quite useful!

and i thought they just came free with my plants!!!

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E bay makes people crazy!!

GFG

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

Will MTSs eat eggs?

Im wanting to make an attempt at breeding zebra plecos.