# Tell me about snails!?



## LittleRose (Sep 7, 2013)

I'd like to add someone(s) to my tank that will help clean up dead plant material, algae, leftover food etc. I've tried ghost shrimp, but I can't seem to keep them alive. The first group (3 of them) I got about 9 months ago right after I thought my tank was established enough for something more than my betta but they all died after about 3 days. I contributed it to the new tank- maybe it was not fully cycled yet like I thought it was or maybe it was "too clean" for them. Fast forward to present day- last week I got another group of them (4 this time) and once again they were all dead within about 5 days. They did great for about 3 days but then one by one they all started turning white, darting around like crazy, and laying on their backs kicking their legs. They definitely had enough to eat, plenty of decaying plant matter, a little algae and I gave them each a piece of blood worm when I fed my ADF's. So I'm guessing it was a water quality issue- which makes me wander if a snail would meet the same fate...? My betta and ADF's were perfectly fine but I read that shrimp are very sensitive to unstable parameters. I added some safestart (a BB booster) when I added the shrimp and as soon as they started having issues I started doing daily 25% water changes and dosing prime to cut back any ammonia or nitrites (I don't know if there were any, I don't have a test kit :/ ) but it didn't seem to help them any. 
So, snails, are they pretty hardy? 
Do they stress easy- my betta and both ADFs are kinda nippy 
They won't eat my plants (water sprite, anubias, pennywort, adding more soon) will they?
What type of snail? Are there any I should avoid?
My driftwood leeches tannins like crazy, this won't bother them will it?
Anything else I should know about snails?

Oh and if I didn't say- its a 10g tank with one male betta and two dwarf froggies. A couple live plants, some driftwood, sand substrate...its filtered and heated to 80F.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

First off, get a API liquid Master test kit (for fresh water). Its good to have and fairly cheap! Its the most commonly used test kit in the hobby.

As for the ghost shrimp they could have died for several reasons: not fully cycled tank (they do not tolerate ANY ammonia or nitrite), sick shrimp (these are feeder shrimp and mass bred in farms with no quality control, death is common), stress (need an VERY densely planted tank to let shrimp hide and feel safe or the stress will weaken their immunize system and lead to sickness and death like it can fish), or food (a well aged tank is needed for shrimp-4 months + of it up and running cycled with plants is best to generate the microfauna they forage for all day and night).

While shrimp and snails do eat algae *they do not eat all forms of algae,* usually only eating brown algae (diatoms). If you have other forms of algae its best to id what you have so you can know what caused it and fix the problem (example: hair algae is generated from too much/too strong/too long lighting-raising lights and reducing photo period stops the excessive growth then removal is best to get rid of what's already grown though some algacides can be used with care (some plants do not tolerate the forms of chemical algae removal)). The constant water changes probably killed your second batch of shrimp. Shrimp are sensitive to changes in pH, temperature, and TDS (total dissolved solids), and rapid water changes will shock them and can lead to death. Its best to do small water changes and use an airline tube to gravity feed new (dechlorinated and at same temp and pH) water back into the tank. I've found cupping in 25% of new water in less than 2 minutes can kill shrimp (that backwards darting and half dead on their side action your saw was the result).

I can't speak for adf as I've never kept any but snails may or may not do well with a betta.. I've had 3 bettas that I've confirmed are snail eaters (ramshorns, mini ramshorn, mts, pond, and bladder snails) but I have some that don't touch snails at all. I've also read horror stories on this forum or bettas picking up large snails (mystery or nerite) and smashing them against the tank glass... or eating their eyes and antenna. 

If you have nippy inhabitants I'd not bother with snails or shrimp, they probably won't last. Just clean off the algae and siphon out dead plant matter at water changes.
The snails I listed in "(__)" don't eat plants, nor will nerites.. don't know about mystery snails though.. never kept that kind.

*Snails have huge biolaods,* as do all "algae eaters". Usually the trade off of having to siphon out more poop does not outweigh the benefit of their "cleaning".


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Snails are great. I keep and breed mystery snails for friends and I always have people coming back saying "the snails are my kids favorite!!!". They can overshadow the fish. 

The betta may take a bite of an antenna (looks like a worm) but that's usually a one time thing...I am guessing they taste funky. A lot of times if the snail is threatened by a nippy fish they will coil their antenna around their eyes like sunglasses...so cute.

As for cleaning...I like that they will pick up extra food on the substrate, but you can't just expect they will eat fish poop like some people expect and as for algae, you still have to clean your glass with a paper towel. I've never had an algae problem, and maybe it's the snails and maybe it's just my water quality...but I feed mine veggies. I throw in a carrot chip or zucchini peel. Fruit is bad (fouls the water). I also use algae wafers and crab cuisine. i keep a cuttlefish bone in the tank in case they need a boost of calcium for their shell. This can harden water if your fish are pH sensitive. You also cannot use copper based treatments in a tank with snails. If you have copper piping in your house, you may need to bring in outside water.

All in all I love them and recommend them (breeding is so much fun and culling is very easy). I always get unsolicited compliments from the people I give them too. That being said, get one because you want to observe it (they are comical) but it is gonna create as much waste as it cleans, so don't think you are getting a little janitor...more like a comic. I have read many times they pull 2.5 gallons of space out of a tank(water quality wise). I've never had a problem with water quality even when I had a ton of juveniles.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

I don't think I would use driftwood in a snail tank if tannins mean tannic acid comes into play. If the PH drops too much they won't be able to get a nice shell...shell erosion = death. They can't live without it.


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