# Snails 101



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Here you can discuss your knowledge and experience with all snails  

I'll be posting, too. 

Post away :-D


----------



## InfiniteGlory (Dec 17, 2012)

I have experience with MTS, ramshorn and pond. All do pretty well and the ramshorn and pond snails make great betta snacks. my betta wants nothing to do with the MTS so they have free reign of the tank.

A word of caution about MTS, they REALLY multiply. The ramshorn and pond snails IMO are slow breeders. Plus you can see the egg sacs and get rid of them to prevent the population from growing out of hand. The MTS are under the substrate so that breed without any signs besides seeing more and more of them over time.

The MTS are great at keeping the substrate clean and for providing some free root 'fertilizer'. The others are just messy but easy to clean after with a simple vacuum. I like to really stir the water up a few hours before a WC so that the filter can pick up most of the particulate. then I just rinse the filter out and do a light vacuum.

I have seen all three types of snails all over the aquarium, even during the day. They are all real good cleaners and prevent any algae from getting out of control. I do drop in algae wafers but they are mainly for my oto's but the snails get in on the action. If the food supply does get low some may die but it's pretty easy to remove the empty shells.

Thats it for now....


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Ramshorns? Slow breeders? Hahaha...


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks! 

My experience, is to have 1 snail per 2 gallons, as you will have extras, and snails usually are betta food. They might breed, but still betta snacks.


----------



## madyjane (Aug 10, 2013)

will a mystery snail be ok in a 6.6 gallon tank


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

MattsBettas said:


> Ramshorns? Slow breeders? Hahaha...


Are they?


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Nope. Not at all. Usually fish will get some of the little ones, but don't be fooled, they breed like rabbits. 

MTS have a much harder, less fish friendly shell.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

madyjane said:


> will a mystery snail be ok in a 6.6 gallon tank


 Yes


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

MattsBettas said:


> Nope. Not at all. Usually fish will get some of the little ones, but don't be fooled, they breed like rabbits.
> 
> MTS have a much harder, less fish friendly shell.


Good. I might be getting some ramshorns soon, and I have a rescue, so hopefully they do. I need extras incase my bettas decide to be snail-killers.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

> will a mystery snail be ok in a 6.6 gallon tank


Depends on filtration and tankmates... Large snails have quite he bioload.


----------



## InfiniteGlory (Dec 17, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Nope. Not at all. Usually fish will get some of the little ones, but don't be fooled, they breed like rabbits.
> 
> MTS have a much harder, less fish friendly shell.


Mileage may vary with any snail, but the egg sacs are easy to remove. When I got my last batch of ramshorn and pond snails I saw egg sacs for about 2-3 weeks. but then I haven't really seen any at all. I still see some small baby snails but not like before.

I am starting to see empty shells at the bottom since they have settled in and realized the food source was not as expected.


----------



## Lyslee29 (Aug 24, 2013)

Hello everyone...

Today I went to Petsmart and was planning on getting a nerite snail but ended up with a mystery snail instead. I got cuttlebone from the bird section and made my own lid for the tank. I hope all goes well.. It's my first experience with snails. 

I also heard that you can wash romain lettuce and they will eat it?
Anything else I need to know to keep it healthy?
Thanks


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

You can feed them cucumber and other veggies. I used to feed mine algae wafers. They love'm. Be careful with pet store snails. 

Also, be sure that there are no escape-routes in the lid of your tank. You don't want to come home to a dead snail in your living room. 

The thing with snails...especially mystery snails......THEY BREED LIKE CRAZY. But they could make a good snack for your betta or other fish. 

A lot of people end up with too many and sell them on this forum. You can do that if you find 100+ babies in your tank. If you have enough, you can make money for extra supplies.


----------



## MorganC2010 (Jul 7, 2011)

I just brought home 1 mystery snail today for my 55 gal tank. He (or she) has been isolated for a while so here's to hoping I won't get any baby snails lol. Anyway! So I've read around about people putting a cuttle bone in the tank for calcium for the snail. Is this something I should do? I already have the algae wafers and since it's just 1 snail I was going to do like half a one every two days to start. Am I on the right track or has my train left the station on this one? Lol


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

You're on the right track! Um, I never used a cuttlebone. I guess that is more of a bonus rather than a must.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

PetMania said:


> Be careful with pet store snails.


Why is that? Can't tell people too be careful and not say why....


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

jaysee said:


> Why is that? Can't tell people too be careful and not say why....


be careful of petstore snails as they are not the best quality. I, and so many others, have brought snails from PetCo or PetSmart and have them die 2 days later without reason. I would rather spend the money on good quality snails on this forum, than diseased, dying snails from filthy tanks. But that's just my opnion. For the people who have pet store snails that are still alive, good for you. 

_This is an opinion-driven thread where people can express their opinions on the care of aquatic snails. _


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

There is also a larger chance of petstore snails carrying disease...


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

PetMania said:


> be careful of petstore snails as they are not the best quality. I, and so many others, have brought snails from PetCo or PetSmart and have them die 2 days later without reason. I would rather spend the money on good quality snails on this forum, than diseased, dying snails from filthy tanks. But that's just my opnion. For the people who have pet store snails that are still alive, good for you.
> 
> _This is an opinion-driven thread where people can express their opinions on the care of aquatic snails. _


thanks for sharing the_ reasoning _by which you formed your opinion. People learn a lot more when they know why someone has a particular opinion, as opposed to hearing just the opinion.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i only had one case where pet store snails died in two days...i assumed they had a bad batch, and haven't purchased more in awhile. those were nerite snails. other snails i purchased from pet stores did just fine.

maybe people aren't acclimating them properly? i admit sometimes i just toss snails in. they're a lot more sensitive than people think.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

djembekah said:


> maybe people aren't acclimating them properly? i admit sometimes i just toss snails in. they're a lot more sensitive than people think.


I think you're on to something. I'm sure there is a degree of user error involved in many cases.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I followed the rule of thumb: 15-30 minutes of acclimation. Though I think I had a trace of AQ salt in my tank.


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

You drip acclimate them?


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Yes


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

idk, i take forever acclimating the snails that matter to me. my rabbit snails cost a LOT compared to pet store snails, spent at least an hour.


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

A proper drip acclimation is doubling the water volume every hour, for 3 hours. You then take a random species member, add them to the tank, and observe. If any time during this acclimation you notice any distress slow down the drip. 15-30 minutes isn't much different from just plopping them in.


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Tolak said:


> A proper drip acclimation is doubling the water volume every hour, for 3 hours. You then take a random species member, add them to the tank, and observe. If any time during this acclimation you notice any distress slow down the drip. 15-30 minutes isn't much different from just plopping them in.


Acclimation is such an important topic with regards to snail care - it's great that we have been able to discuss this in the Snails 101 thread.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yes, it's important, but I'm pretty sure freshwater snails don't need a three hour acclimation...


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Depends on the water they've already been acclimated to. If you're unsure of that source it's best to err on the side of caution. If you've been having issues it's an easy variable to eliminate.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Sure, I guess, but snails are pretty hardy when it comes to water parameters... I've started to selectively breed ramshorns, and I just toss them into a new container... They're out of their shell before they even hit the bottom. I would be more careful with something like rabbit snails, but not even my expensive Thai fish got a drip acclimation, and they were perfectly healthy. 

I'm not saying don't acclimate. I'm just saying that if you don't have time for a three hour acclimation for snails it isn't the end of the world.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

MattsBettas said:


> Yes, it's important, but I'm pretty sure freshwater snails don't need a three hour acclimation...


 Not all species, IMO. But maybe the really expensive and hard to get ones. I would do that because I am a very paranoid person and yeah.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

I can't think of a snail that is expensive or hard to get... And like I said, not even my (expensive) Thai fish, which, may I remind you, came from very different water parameters then I have got a drip acclimation and that all survived and did quite well.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I won't have time to acclimate 12 snails over 3 hours, though. That will take up all of my time for my personal pets and my rescues. I surely won't be able to do that for all of the other snails that I am breeding.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

a hardy fish is totally different from an invertebrate. if you throw a snail that's lived in hard water it's whole life into softer water without acclimating properly, you're gonna have a bad time.

but i guess if you don't want to properly acclimate a creature, no one to blame but yourself when it dies.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

i agree with that. 

What i have learned from snails......AQ salt is BADDDD:evil:


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Aq salt isn't really good for any freshwater fish unless you're using it for a reason. But that's another debate for another time. 

If drip acclimation for three hours is considered proper, I guess I've been doing it improperly for a very long time... Yet it has never harmed my fish. Usually I just float the bag for ten minutes, then use a turkey baster to gently squirt water in every five or ten minutes or so until the water in the bag has doubled or tripled. 

I'm pretty sure the reason snails don't do well when they go from hard to soft water has nothing to do with how you acclimate them. 

Your point does stand though, if you don't acclimate them properly and they die there's no one to blame but yourself. The way you worded it made it sound like "proper" acclimation is done over three hours, which isn't always the case.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i'm sure it depends on the hardiness of the fish. sometimes i forget what section of the forum I'm on, since I don't post in many betta threads, but bettas are really hardy compared to a LOT of other fish. i've never had a problem dumping them into my own water. other fish though, i'd be more careful.


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

If a bit of float & squirt with a baster works for you, then great. If you start having problems you've got a potential variable to eliminate, and a method of eliminating it. The three hours is a traditional method, taken from marine aquatics, and it will eliminate a variable; differing water parameters. Once set up it needs a bit of occasional checking, not 3 hours of sitting staring at fish. You go do other things, looking over fish sites is one of my usual, or watching TV.

I'll regularly get in fish, in a quantity most people don't. Yesterday was 200 angels, barely made a dent in the fishroom. I've gotten in 500 angels, on top of 300 already in stock, that made things a bit busy. I'm no stranger to dropping money on fish, I'll buy overstock from breeders to augment the sales of the angels I do breed. Careless acclimation is not a write off here, it's negligence. But, it's your money, your fish, it's up to you to make it work. I'm not about to take that risk on a sizable investment, cutting corners can teach a really harsh lesson. I'm just hoping folks learn from the trials & tribulations of someone who has been there, without having to be hit by any losses. 

Not being able to do a 3 hour drip on a dozen snails was mentioned previously, I got more than a dozen snails as contaminants yesterday. Regardless, those dozen snails someone is getting in are as important to them as the dozen bags of 25 angels I'll get in, and should not be treated with any less importance.


----------



## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> I can't think of a snail that is expensive or hard to get...


I beg to differ....I have been looking for chocolate rabbit snails and have yet to find any online :evil: Of course when I dont have money, thats when I will find them...

Dont think I have ever really acclimated my snails either - except the ones I took from a lake. Aparently they liked my water as I started to find one baby a day shortly there after...


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

I'm seeing some chocolate rabbits on AB, might want to check them out. Seller is a mod on another fish forum, from what I know he's a reputable guy.

I've got some ivory mysteries going ATM, as well as some MTS. Once I shut down my outdoor tub I'll probably be overrun with mysteries.


----------



## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

I haven't ever acclimated any of my snails, just plopped them in pretty much...and they've all survived. Some from pet stores, some from online. 

Ramshorns breed like CRAZY. I have 3+ pink rams in each of my tanks and there are egg sacs and baby snails everywhere!!! And that's only after two weeks. When the babies get bigger, im going to put a lot of them into my pond, my koi can eat them, or they can live in there. They poop a lot, like all snails, so you must must MUST vacuum up after them at least once a week. Their eggs are easy to spot, because the jelly around them looks brownish, so it stands out.

Nerites lay a lot of eggs...all over the glass and decor! They are becoming an eye sore for my sorority, so I am going to be removing the females when I spot them laying. I have one in my 5 gal, and I assume its a male, because I have yet to find ANY eggs in/on that tank. They are also the BEST glass cleaners Ive personally seen. My tanks that house nerites, are SPOTLESS (except for the eggs lol). They do poo a lot though, big poops, so gravel siphoning is a must. I'd say one nerite snail per 10 gallons. And a lid on your tank, because they can and will get out.

Pond snails are fast growing little buggers, and they breed like crazy. Their eggs are harder to see than rams, because they have a clear jelly around them. They are ugly and they just annoy me, I think Ive read they eat plants too, but I have not kept them long enough to find out!

Mystery snails are new to me, but I have a couple of babies in with my fry. They are great at cleaning up the leftover food and crap on the bottom. These snails lay eggs above water, in a cocoon looking shell, so you can easily remove the eggs and never have to deal with overpopulation. I'd say one snail per 2.5 gallon tank, more room would be better of course. They also need an inch out of water to lay their eggs, so that's an inch less of water, so a bigger tank would be better.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks shannon! 

Did you get the pink ramshorns from riverotter?


----------



## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Yup that's where I got them! They are really beautiful! So I can't wait to see the babies grow up! As an experiment, I put one pink in with my one brown ramshorn to see what they produce. This brown ramshorn was my only snail for so long, I watched him grow up from a tiny tiny size. And now he's about the size of a nickel! I love snails now though, I have so many! They don't survive long in my sorority though if they're too small, I have a snail eater in there it guess but I don't know who it is! So that tank is never overrun by tiny snails thankfully haha.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I ordered 12 from riverotter because they are so pretty! Hopefully they will get here pretty, too. She did an awesome job breeding them. I love watching snails grow. My goal (one of the many) is to get all sorts of colours and species of snails. 
My breeding project has begun mwuahhahahahahah


----------



## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I rarely see a MTS in my tank. They must be somewhere under the dirt but I might see one or two on the tank wall a week. So far I don't feed frozen foods (bloodworms ect) which I hear they like and makes them breed more. I don't know that is fact but I've read it before.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

As far as i know, mts actually eat fish poop too. And they eat everything.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I might get some of those. They sound like really great tank cleaners (I have an algae problem)


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

djembekah said:


> As far as i know, mts actually eat fish poop too.


that is correct.


----------



## JadeSparrow (Nov 9, 2012)

where would the best place to get mts be?


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

shannonpwns said:


> Mystery snails are new to me, but I have a couple of babies in with my fry. They are great at cleaning up the leftover food and crap on the bottom. These snails lay eggs above water, in a cocoon looking shell, so you can easily remove the eggs and never have to deal with overpopulation.


Or you can remove them & float them on a piece of styro in a tightly covered tank. In a week you'll have plenty of new ones, I'll do this in 20 gallon angel grow out tanks.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

lots of people on the forum like to get rid of their MTS. Every once in awhile i'll have a noticeable population explosion and sell a few hundred off. right now i don't have them available though. gonna need more in my 55.


----------



## JadeSparrow (Nov 9, 2012)

Thanks, I'll have to keep an eye out for them.


----------



## InfiniteGlory (Dec 17, 2012)

jadesparrow. I just got an assassin snail from another member to help with my MTS population. Right now the AS is floating in a cup with one MTS for a snack. If you would like some MTS just send me a PM.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I would recommend getting an assassain snail if you want MTS. This helps with population control. I don't know if assasain snails keep other species under control, though.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i think they'll eat anything small enough. which is why i don't have them, baby rabbit snails are about adult mts size


----------



## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I have MTS in every tank and don't have any assassin snails. I recommend people get their feeding under control rather than get an animal to correct a problem that they themselves are causing.


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Acclimation? for snails? ha! 

I kind of just plop mine in. my first nerite lived forever in my 2.5 gallon tank. I remember keeping the water in the tank relatively hard....forgot the figures now, forgive my memory.

I did try to put him in a tank with softer water and he hated it. how did I know? he decided to take a hike... found him on the carpet and plopped him back in the 2.5... he went right back to work.

Living in NYC I know snails HATE soft water. With a second super soft water tank(which the otos and shrimps absolutely loved), I tried pond snails, MTS and nerites. the pond snails moved sluggishly and the trumpets wouldn't even come out of their shells. The nerite made it's way up to the water line and camped out there... 

Additionally I believe the softness of the water dramatically hinders their reproduction rate. I have to keep restocking on pond snails as the older ones will die due to shell erosion and the smaller ones simply never make it to adult hood...

Despite the circumstances, I prefer to keep the water softer. Curly fins on my bettas is high on my dislike list... I get especially annoyed when the nice straight fanned out ventrals become a curly mess


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

You're not kidding me. I rescued Zeus, but i still loved his perfect halfmoon. Then, his fins started curling. The water is softer now, but his fins don't un-curl themselves.


----------



## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

if you use a water softener you will not have luck with snails for obvious reasons.7.5 and above ph is best for shell formation.any lower and they require calcium supplements.the only excessive acclimation is needed for nerites switching from brackish water to fresh or vice versa for breeding or drastic ph differences for all snails.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Alright, 7.5+ is good. 

Mystery snails are probably the easiest to tell gender.


----------

