# Keeping Mystery Snails



## Aidy (Nov 12, 2013)

I am having trouble with keeping mystery snails. My last few died, and I'm not sure why. They were housed with two khuli loaches. The loaches were moved out, after the first two died. I thought they were out competing the snails for food. However the last one died last week.

I have since got 4 new ones. What do I need to feed them? I've tried sinking loach pellets and also blanched cucumber. They don't seem to be interested in the cucumber. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Adrian


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

They need algae tabs & fesh veggies such as Kale or other calcium rich veggies. I'm surprised they didn't go for the cucumber mine always did. They are sensitive to water parameters so make sure your water is good . . . ammonia/nitrites = 0, nitrates <20.


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## Aidy (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. They did go for some blanched zucchini. I'm going to try other veges as well.

How much should I be feeding them?

Thanks
Adrian


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I get cuttlefish bone calcium from the bird section to ensure the snail has calcium and I have broken it into smaller pieces. I am alternating between floating fish sticks for goldfish (which my snail likes best) and betta pellets. I saw the suggest for the goldfish sticks on a website somewhere. I like them they get eaten up completely and don't cloud the water. I don't put mystery snails with fish anymore some of them have gotten a fungus which my fish also got. My snail has a tank with other snails.


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## Perocore (Oct 4, 2013)

My mystery snails- we have 4 in one tank and 1 in every other tank- are given one whole Omega One sinking Algae wafer a day. They're in a fully established tank that is fully planted and also houses one betta, one pictus cat, and one shrimp. The water is heated, filtered, and fully cycled and established. They do perfectly well, we've had two die of age so far, and that's all. We actually now have 5 egg clusters (one is hatching right now). The shell color/condition is a great indicator of the snail's health, good coloring usually means you have a healthy, happy snail. If the colors dull or start to look "gross" then it's feeling sickly. They also go through a stage every now and then in which they simply go dormant for a day or two. This seems to be normal and necessary for their health. We almost thought one was dead the first time one did this, but since the shrimp wasn't trying to eat it yet we let it be and it eventually woke up and was her perfectly active normal self. 

Mine do not like veggies...they like shrimp pellets and algae wafers, that's all I can get them to eat. The wafers provide a lot of calcium, and that is important for healthy shells. Just not too much, since a larger amount of calcium in any invertebrate is unhealthy.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

I never fed my Mystery snails daily as I wanted them to scavenge from the tanks they are in. I would feed a veggie once maybe twice a week & drop algae tabs a few times a week. All of my Mystery snails munched on the veggies I'd feed them; cucumber, zucchini, kale, etc.


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## Aidy (Nov 12, 2013)

Well they are all active and healthy at the moment. They are eating the sinking pellets I feed to my kuhli loaches, algae pellets, lettuce and zucchini. I'll try them again on the cuumber. The food usually sits for a while, before they are eat it. They seem to like their food soft and squishy.

Thanks again.


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## knottymare (Feb 23, 2014)

I've got two mystery snails. First time I've ever had snails in my tanks on purpose! I noticed mine moving around the tanks quite quickly so I put a few spinach leaves in each tank and the snails gobbled them up! They are pretty cool creatures!


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