The store dude accidentally put one in a bag along with two sharks. So, in an attempt to keep it alive, we need to know if snails eat algae, and if they don't eat algae, what do they eat? Thanks alot. Oh yeah, I have no idea what kind of snail it is.
2007-03-31 13:38:18 · 11 answers · asked by najohodo 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
It really does depend on the snail. The ones the pet shops sell called "apple snails" are LOUSY algae eaters. Why do you think the pet shop tanks are always full of empty shells? The snails starve to death. They NEED foods like bottom feeder pellets and fresh soft foods like a slice of cucumber or zucchini or romaine lettuce. Just don't put in a whole cucumber or whole lettuce leaf for just one snail.
Apple snails require two snails to make more snails, and they will climb right out of your fishtank to lay eggs which you can easily see and remove if you don't want more snails.
The little bitty snails you sometimes see in pet shops are "pest snails" and If you have 2 you'll soon have 2 million. They do a much better job of eating algae, but even they cannot be relied upon to keep a tank completely free of algae.
A better bet if you have a suitable size tank that is well maintained and healthy is get get a dwarf species of plecostomus. Most of them are good algae eaters, but even they need suplemental foods to keep them healthy. Make sure if you do get a pleco, it is a dwarf type. The "common" pleco sold in most pet shops will reach up to 24" in length and rapaidly outgrow all but the biggest of tanks. Not to mention they are very descructive once they get to be about 6" long.
Gale
2007-03-31 17:28:48 · answer #1 · answered by Gale C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on what snail they are. Some snails eat algea but they're not very good at it and it should not just be relied on to clean the whole tank for you. You can feed it some things such as live plants or romaine lettuce. Or apple slices anchored to the bottom but do not leave slices in the tank for more than a day or the water will go bad. It can also be good to feed any plecos if you have any. Hope this helps.
2007-03-31 20:48:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yep, lots of snails eat algae. They also clean leftover food and debris out of the gravel and off of the plants and decoration. If you have live plants in your tank, keep an eye on them though; some types of snails eat those. And some of them don't even need another snail to reproduce! But if you keep your tank clean and don't overfeed, you won't have to worry much about being overrun.
2007-03-31 23:32:52 · answer #3 · answered by ceci9293 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, practically all snails eat algae. They aren't really that good as tank cleaners for algae but that is one thing they eat. They will also eat lettuce or other leafy veggies as well as algae wafers or sinking pellet food.
MM
2007-03-31 20:57:48 · answer #4 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the snail, the little ones in pet stores tend to be "nuisance" snails that reproduce like mad. They eat algae
I keep them in my tanks and feed the extras to my friends DP.
2007-04-01 00:40:30 · answer #5 · answered by Palor 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yup, they also eat leftover food. If it's a small one, he will find something to eat. They don't need much. Supplementing w lettuce or whatever will cloud your water.
Don't get another one. If you get another one, they reproduce like rabbits (they are hermaphrodites, so they will always mate) then you will have a snail infection.
2007-03-31 20:50:49 · answer #6 · answered by kitty98 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes but they dont eat alot if you want to get rid of alot of algae buy an algae eater they eat more
2007-03-31 20:53:16 · answer #7 · answered by suggie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes they do, thas why stores sell snails as fish tank cleaners
2007-03-31 20:40:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
yes
2007-03-31 22:44:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
no they eat dirt and lettuce
2007-03-31 20:45:25 · answer #10 · answered by eevee 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋