basic snail care?

Question

I'm looking for any info on snails available...food, care, needs, habitat, anything...
I'm under the understanding that they eat algae and left over food debris around the tank...
also that they need a heater and a good filtration system within the tank they live...
I've heard that they molt and that they need a special substration to bury themselves in when they molt but I have no idea if that's true or how to handle that...
any info on snails greatly appreciated...I haven't gotten one yet but I have always wanted to and now my friend says he'll get me one for my new tank if I do all the research needed by the time he visits this weekend (already have two fresh water tanks set up currently -this will be my third for now..I already have a kitten, a dwarf hammie, a Euro hammie, and one tank I have is a ten gallon with four zebra danio, an african dwarf froggie, and a male betta which has been set up as such for almost a year my other tank is a five gal with two feeder goldfish)
info plz

ps...for this tank that I'm setting up...I haven't gotten anything yet (it's all a present from my friend this weekend) so I need to know whether to get a ten gallon or a five...I was thinking about putting fancy guppies or some sort of semi aggressive tetra in the tank---just a school of one breed or the other not both and no other fishes except those and snails...should I get one snail or two or three---how many is a good number
also, would a live plant be good for the snail? is it a neccessary or a good thing to have?
---what kind of breed would be best?---

does anyone know any good websites...the website I normally use for tank info doesn't have much about invertabres much less snails

thanx everyone!

Answer 1

Hi, it's so very nice to see someone who does their research BEFOREHAND! I don't know a lot about snails but several people on the Goldfish forum I'm in keep Apple (or Mystery) snails & they are very attractive & large so I can recommend those-I was going to send you a link to a good site but Anna C has already done so!, that has just about everything you could want to know about these snails! Apple Snails & Goldfish make extremely good tank mates & as you have 2 feeders (well done for rescuing them!) who would really appreciate a bigger tank than 5 gallons soon as they need loads of space so a suggestion that your new tank be at least 20 gallons with filtration (a Fluval 3 Plus is a good filter) & put your Goldies & your new snails in that? Just a suggestion-good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Answer 2

The apple snail is the one most aquarists prefer - it needs both male and female to have babies, although the female can lay fertile eggs for a few months after having been with a male. They lay the eggs above the waterline, so they're easy to remove if you don't want the babies.

I also like Malasyian trumpet snails, but these are a like 'em or not species. They can reproduce by themselves, which they do in great numbers if the tank is above 74o and there's a sufficient food supply. But they're small (under 1 inch) and stay in the gravel during the day and only come out at night. If you don't overfeed your fish and clean your gravel regularly, they don't overpopulate. They do a good job of keeping the areas around the base of live plants aerated and clean as well as other hard-to-clean areas with a gravel vacuum. They don't eat the plants themselves. http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/invertebrates/trumpetsnails.shtml

There's also one called a nerite snail that can only reproduce in saltwater, although they can live in freshwater if you don't want babies.

Also, snails don't molt - you might be thinking of a hermit crab here. Snails just continually add on to their shells, so there needs to be a calcium source available to them - otherwise, their shells become pitted and get thin. You can get a liquid calcium supplement to avoid this happening to yours.

I'll put some links to more snail info below:

Someone above already gave you the applesnail.com website (a good one for them!), so I'll give you this one: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/snail2.htm

Answer 3

Ramshorn snail is an aquatic snail - this means it lives UNDER the water. It does not need to come outside of water for any reason. It will lay eggs under water and it will live happily throughout its growing phases under water. You can use just about any substrate for them. Sand, gravel, anything. Just make sure they are clean. They will also eat just about anything. Regular fish food will be eaten by them too. I have a separate tank full of cherry shrimps co-residing with these red ramshorn snails. They breed readily but you need two of them to breed. Ramshorn snails are one of the easiest snails to keep and breed. They reach about 1/2 inch in size when fully grown up. The only thing to watch out for is pH. If your pH is below 7, their shells will be very weak and you may even see some holes developing.

Answer 4

Honestly, snails dont need nearly any of the care you mentioned. Within time, snails generally appear in your tank from eggs on fish and supplies (which isnt bad). Normally, given a couple months, small brown snails and/or trumpet snails will appear in ares around your tank. Trumpet snails are beautiful that have long, thin, marble colored shells. One of the easier ways to get snails (that are bigger too) is to buy them at a local pet store like Petco or Petsmart. Places like this generally sell apple snails.
Snail care is pretty basic. Temperature should be anywhere fro 65 to 80 degrees, and gravel with some sand mix is best, but gravel is just fine. Snails will lay thousands of nearly microscopic eggs anywhere, but it is best to have grassy plants for them to lay there eggs in. But take warning! Snails can reproduce like crazy! Even without a mate, they can lay eggs monosexually.
Snails will eat any left-over food particles on the ground,but lettuce is a good treat. They also sell algae tablets for feeder fish that snails will enjoy just as much.
To tell you the truth, snails dont require nearly as much care as you think. As long as you have a healthy aquarium with healthy fish, within a month or two, you'll have snails all by yourself.

If you have any questions, email me at [e-mail]

Good luck!

Answer 5

Here is a wonderful site, everything you need to know; check it out:

http://www.applesnail.net/

Basically: They eat algae, left over food, and some species will eat plants. Many people feed them cooked vegetables; kale for example.

They need hard, basic water for their shells; if it is too soft or acidic, their shells will erode.

If you're talking about the big kinds, i.e., apple snails, they do need a heater. Pond ("pest") snails, which are smaller and reproduce very rapidly, don't need a heater at all.

They do not molt, that's crabs and lobsters. If a snail is out of it's shell, it is either dead, or will be soon.

Good luck!

Answer 6

The most common variety of "pest" snail is the Ramshorn snail. Apple snails (Ampullaria sp), which can grow to the size of a small grapefruit, are often purposely introduced as part of the aquarium display, whilst Trumpet snails, with their characteristic "cornet" shaped shell, burrow through the gravel turning it over, introducing oxygen and preventing wastes from clogging it. Unlike their more common relatives the Ramshorn snail and Pond snail, the Trumpet snail does not harm plants and is often welcomed by the fish keeper as a sign of a healthy aquarium. The exception to this is the Wandering Snail (lymeaea ovata peregrai) which produces a poisonous substance that can cause convulsions in fish.

How do they get there?

Snails are usually accidentally introduced into aquariums when new plants are added; their jelly-like eggs are attached to the leaves of the aquatic plants.

Prevention

Snails can be prevented from entering the tank on plants by bathing the plants in Potassium permanganate (available from pharmacists, use just enough crytals to turn the water pale pink), or a commercial snail killer for a few hours, although once introduced, snails can be removed from the aquarium by a number of means.

Note: Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizer, and can cause burns to any area of contact. It is harmful if swallowed or inhaled.

Why do they stay?

Snails thrive in an aquarium environment because there is a regular food supply. Over-feeding is often a problem and if your snail population is increasing, you need to decrease the amount you feed. This will not harm your fish, as the increased snail population is a sign that you are already feeding more than necessary.

Are they beneficial?

Snails forage on left over food and graze on algae therefore a small colony should not be of concern. In fact, they are doing you a favour by eating excess food (and can be amusing to watch and even add to a more "natural" look in your aquarium!). Some species also help by burrowing through the substrate thus preventing compacting and dead spots and even to help dispose of dead fish. However, as with all living creatures, snails produce excreta and thus large colonies of snails can result in quickly deteriorating water quality. Some species do damage plants, and large numbers may look unsightly.

How to remove them

There are various methods of removing them, either 'biologically', physically or chemically.

If they are suited to the set-up, the best and most natural way is to add snail-eating fish. The best candidates are usually loaches. Clown loaches are one of the most popular snail eating fish, and usually do a good job. If your tank is not large enough for these (recommend 3ft minimum), the smaller Pakistan or Zebra loach may be more suitable. Certain catfish like 'Dorids' (talking catfish) or banjo catfish will also eat snails.

Even if physical removal daily can never completely wipe them out, this is a good way of keeping the population down. "Baiting" often works - if you place a slice of cucumber or lettuce in the tank at night (weighted down so that it stays on the substrate), the snails will congregate on it and then you can just pull them out of the tank with the cucumber slice. One way to avoid the fish eating the slice is to stick it inside a clean bottle, or beneath an inverted plate.

The use of any of the available chemical products is not generally recommended because anything that can kill a snail may also be harmful to your fish and plants. Adding chemicals to your tank is always a risky thing unless you know exactly what you are adding and exactly what the effects will be. Most of these snail-killing chemicals use high levels of copper. A result of this method is the massive die off of snails and the resulting decaying of their bodies. High ammonia levels are the most likely result of this method, so be sure to follow up the treatment with a partial water change. It may be wise to continue with at least 10% every other day for a week or more and make sure to check the filter often during this time - daily monitoring with an ammonia and nitrite test kit after such a treatment is also suggested.
Clearly it would be best to physically remove as many snails as possible before treating with a chemical killer.

Article Source: http://www.articlefishtalk.com

www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/

Answer 7

what type of snails, I'd be happy to help you with info on mystery/apple snails. and I know a bunch of great websites for other types.

Answer 8

ooh, its not much.. but DON'T put salt on them. 8) the same goes for slugs. eww.