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i have a GSP and have been recommended to feed him snails. now i know that a lot of people have trouble getting rid of snails, but how can i encourage them to multiply?

buy 2, and they will reproduce

(well, you need to buy them untill u get male and female

i think most snails are hermaphrodidic.... so you only need 2 and they'll fertilize each other and both lay eggs

start off with a million of them and then the fish eating them wont be able to keep up with them multiplying

I would get yourself some pond snails, they are the easiest to breed, keep them warm 75-80F or so, and feed them an algae wafer once a week or so and throw in some cheap plants, you won't ever run out. Make sure the water is warm and you will have feedable babies 14-20 days after they hatch.

Overfeed, that always ups the numbers considerably. And keep a small, separate snail tank if you start to run low, so the puffs can't decimate the population.

-Molly
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snails are usually classified as asexual.. just snag a few off a plant and you're golden.

Many species are also able to fertilize themselves, too.

In my 10 gallon like three years ago, I got one snail for it and then a few months later I had over a hundred.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I never did figure out the whole snail reproduction thing. Could someone please explain it? I remember they were homaphrodite, but they needed partners for some species?

How cant you grow snails?

I'd start out putting them in a small containment or tank, just so you can get them started off faster. After you've got the giant swarm you want (which wouldnt take long), put them in the main tank.

Snail Reproduction:[font color="#BF791F"] Some Species of Snails are Hermaphroditic, meaning they can literally reproduce by themselves, however, some hermaphroditic snails like Ramshorns sometimes (not always) adopt a "base" gender, and it sometimes takes extra snails around to stimulate reproduction.Some of these snails are Ramshorns, Malaysian Trumpets and Pond Snails.[/font]
[font color="#000080"] Other snails are Assexual, this means they can be either gender, male or female, but need another snail to reproduce with. I cannot think of a particular type of snail that does this right now. [/font]
[font color="#800080"] Some snails such as all Apple/Mystery Snails are Sexual. This means they are either male or female and need another snail of the other gender to reproduce. Male snails have a penis and females a vaginal duct. If you flip your apple snail upside down and wait for the moment it reappears, you should be able to identify the sex. Applesnail.net has photos that will help. Another way to know for sure without checking is: does your snail lay eggs? If yes, then it is a female. If no, then it is a male. You must have 2 of these snails to have baby snails.
[/font]
[Red] Really, snails if fed well and kept in clean water will reproduce. Just find out what type of snail you have and youre all set!
I hope this helps some! [/font]

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Must agree with inkodinko...

How can't you grow snails? What I've found is when the water in my tank is warmer 80-82 I end up with more snails...along with more guppy fry...

I began with one, and had that one for the longest time, then there were two, and then a third, then...oh forget it, I lost count one night trying to figure it out...If you want some, you can have them...:%)

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

- get a 1 gallon criter keeper
- put a tall rock at one end
- and some clean craft moss
- have a sand bottom
- fill with like 10 snails (i have trumpet and pond snails)
- fill it with water, leave .5-1 in of space between water line and the brim
i feed them when ever i think of it, i never clean the water, and at first after a while it will start to smell a little, but eventualy the smell will fade, and i feed them to the 10 gallon fish which have guppies, platties, a johney darter, an adult sword and a fry, and in a 30 gallon i have a small oscar to small to go into a 55, but i harvest when ever i see a need to, and its usualy a harvest of like 20 snais both adults and babys, (i have also found water fleas) and if u leave those in a container over night, u will have a fresh batch of eggs in the morning,
sorry this was so long, and hope this helps

Biggest thing, make sure you don't get Malaysian Trumpet Snails, their shells are too strong for GSP's teeth. I raise mine in a two gallon or so critter keeper. I have a small filter on it to circulate the water and toss a broken up algae wafer in once or twice a week, I've only ever used the small pond snails and have had a lot of success with them.

Also, HOB filters are an excellent breeding ground for snails, and you get the added benefit of them helping keep the filter clean.

i breed the trumpets because they look better, the ponds get eaten on a regular, if i had a digi i would take a pikie of the bottom of my tank, filled with turmpets and pond shels