FishProfiles.com Message Forums

1- What kind of snails will reproduce without a mate?
2- Any way to tell males from females in the ones that need mates to reproduce?
3- How do you get rid of unwanted baby snails?
4- Do snails destroy plants?
5- Wil snails eat fry?
6- Are there any kind of snails that stay small?

Check out the Profiles section up above under Crustaceans. I think this will probably answer most your questions.

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

sounds like you might want a mystery snail, they stay small, require a male and female to mate and don't eat plants or fry. Check out their profile here: http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/r90023.htm

there's also a lot more info on http://www.applesnail.net/

Apple/mystery snails are the only kinds I know of. I want one of those or something that gets around that size but I also want some that stay small, not so small that you have to search to be able to see them but small enough that the main focus is still on the fish (which are all going to be 2-4inch fish)

you might want to take a look into Malaysian trumpet snails, they don't eat plants or fry. They are hermaphroditic, but if you don't overfeed the tank then you shouldn't have a very big problem. If the snails do start to overpopulate then you could just place a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight and there will be snails all over it by morning. Then just simply remove the lettuce with the snails on it. The profile here says that MTS only get about 1.2".

Nerites might work. They stay smaller, most don't reproduce in freshwater but can survive in it fine, eat algae not plants, and won't bother any type of fry. However they are fairly expensive since they aren't easy to reproduce and they still lay eggs everywhere that you have to scrape off the glass occasionally.

Another option would be fancy ramshorns. They come in blue, red, and the standard brown. Do not eat plants or fry, stay small, eat algae, but they do reproduce quickly. Most of the time though so long as you cull the brown ones(smash them into fish food) you can then sell the red and blues to other people. They are fairly slow to reproduce as far as most snails go. I started with 1 red one and 5months later I only have 10red ones. They'll likely reproduce faster in a tank with nothing to eat the eggs but still slower than trumpets or snails usually labelled as pests.

Ok I'm going with some blue mystery snails and maybe some other color mystery snails. I'm wondering though, will snails eat fish poop? haha, if so man that would sure help things! They definitely will eat any uneaten food at the bottom of the tank though won't they? or am I thinking about corys or plecos?

They may pick at fish poo but they won't ingest enough to have any impact. They will eat leftover food at the bottom of the tank but applesnails don't digest their food well. They put out nearly as much waste as the food they eat so while they can help in certain situations where there is likely to be lots of leftover food(fry tanks) they will not improve water quality as much as feeding less and removing the food yourself. They don't save on maintenance in a normal tank and do add to the bioload about as much as putting in another small fish. You do have to feed applesnails their own meals sometimes so they don't starve to death on just leftovers. Same with plecos. Except they even add more waste and bioload than the amount of cleanup they do. Add such critters because you like them and want to devote some space in your tank to them not because you want them to do the maintenance work for you. You'll still be sucking out just as much junk from the gravel every week if not more.

What then would truly be a "cleanup crew"?

Generally a cleanup crew is most effective when it's made up of small critters that will scavenge without having to be fed and won't add much to the bioload. IE small snails like trumpets and ramshorns. Near impossible to starve them to death and they'll pick at fish poop more than applesnails. These snails do multiply quickly though especially if your overfeeding the tank but they hardly add anything to the bioload and eat most anything they can get. Since most people don't like little snails that multiply alot they tend to add applesnails or bottom feeding fish. While these will help avoid rotting food they will also increase nitrates and waste that ends up on the bottom of the tank leading to more gravel vacs and water changes not less. Applesnails and fish also have to be specifically fed at least once or twice a week unless the tank is getting a large excess of food for one reason or another.

In freshwater the best cleanup crew is yourself. Gravel vacs, water changes, and filter cleanings along with not overfeeding is the best way to keep the tank clean. Applesnails and bottomfeeders just come in handy when you have to overfeed the tank for one reason or another such as a fry tank since they do keep excess food from sitting on the bottom. Waste is still better than rotting food since rotting food can poison the water and any fish that eat it in more ways than digested waste but has to be cleaned out all the same at the end of every week or 2. There isn't much in freshwater that will help you cheat on maintenance. Most anything you add to the tank will increase the amount of waste you have to clean up every water change.

Hmmm this might be a problem.....?? I ordered some blue mystery snails one day and they should be here tomorrow or the next, but after I had ordered them I have had tank problems with Ick and popeye, so I medicated the tanks. It is time for the carbon to be put back into the filter so that it will pick up the rest of the meds. that are in the tank,and I am going to do a water change in a few minutes. So can will it be ok to add the snails when they arrive?

Anyone know? The snails are probably arriving today so I need to know an answer fast!