# Bettas CAN NOT be housed with Mystery Snails



## MonteCarlo

I apologize for sounding upset, but I am, and I hope you understand why. In my 10gal heavily planted tank, I originally bought 4 mystery snails, all decent sized. After reading on these forums that they're okay to be housed with bettas (and seeing tanks with both in there) I thought it'd be okay too. Well, the first betta I got completely tormented them and nipped off half of their tentacles before I could remove him from the tank. He would literally hover above them and nip them despite me tapping on the tank to shoo him away. I returned him to try a different betta, maybe I just got an aggressive one. I got a smaller betta too, as the first one was pretty big. The same thing happened, once the new one got warmed up. He was okay in the beginning after I fed him, but in a little time, he started attacking them too. My poor snails barely have any feelers left beside one of them.

On top of all that, I look like a fool in front of the Petco people (lol) since they even warned me it probably wouldn't work after I returned the first one. I said no it's okay I see other people who have them! Well, now I'm going to have to go back with this one, can't wait for that. I guess I'll just get some cory catfish and not get any betta, the reason I spent time on this NPT in the first place.

Unless your temperature is low and which will make your betta not that active, or he's being overfed like a pig, I can't imagine bettas getting along with mystery snails.


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## Xaltd1

Interesting! I have 2 Betta tanks (1 solo mail, 2 females) each with their own mystery snail. Initially, the fish did harass the snail; but it both cases, the snail pulled in and played dead until the fish got bored (about 2 seconds). Then each snail sped (as fast as snails can go) into the decor and started being a snail. No problem ever again. The only thing I saw happen is my male knocking his snail off the front center of his tank, as if to say "EXCUSE ME- blocking my view!") These are young snails; maybe they were raised with nippy fish and knows how to react. The only thing I can think of is that, in both tanks, I have those glass aggregates as accents- maybe the fish confuse them?
The only other Snail Incident I had w/ the Bettas is that, before getting the Mystery snails, I asked the LFS for some of the free baby snails that come on the plants. They gave me 6. The tank is lit well, the snails were small but visible, but after about 2 days I never saw a single one again. I tried questioning the girls (whose tank they were in) but all I got were innocent looks. Hhmm.


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## Oldfishlady

Thats too bad.....I have never had any problems keeping Betta and snails together...Just shows us that every Betta can be different in their tolerance of other livestock and if your Betta won't tolerate snails-they may not tolerate corydoras either-but at least they can swim away and hide a bit faster than the snails...Good luck with your corydoras....


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## colorxmexravyne

Initially, my betta didn't really like my mystery snail either. In fact, it took about two and a half weeks for Bandit to leave the snail alone, and even then he would pick on her every so often. The two of them have been living peacefully since about the end of September now. I got the snail in July. It's taken some time, but they don't mind each other anymore. The snail rarely hides from Bandit these days and it's not uncommon for me to see them literally right next to each other in the same corner of the aquarium, either. But I guess it's just like OFL said - every betta is different.


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## LebronTheBetta

Your Bettas must be quite aggressive. I have 2 mysteries with a sorority of 6 girls, they hardly bother them. They get plenty of food, and the temperature is a warm 76F and stable. (76 due to Cory)


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## aemaki09

Wow! Interesting!
I have atleast one ramshorn snail in every one of my tanks and never had much of a problem.
It always took a few days to a week for the betta's to get used to them and till they got used to them they'd nip them and push them off walls, but afterwards payed no mind.
How long did you let the fish get used to the snails before returning them?


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## xjenuhfur

I have a barebottom temp tank set up while I'm home, and I have 2 rabbit snails in with Goblin. He tormented them for a few days, but I floated him in his cup and made sure he could see them. I'm not sure if he enjoys their company, but he tolerates them.


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## Silverfang

I'd have to say it depends on the fish. I've had apples in my sorority. And they were quite fine. Granted they learned to shrink up when one would bump their shell. It would get quite funny when they were sitting at the feeding spot at lunch time.


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## Tikibirds

*shrugs* I have all sorts of snail species with my females an NEVER had an issue.


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## Xaltd1

LOL- As I type, my male EE is pestering his snail. It only bothers him when Mr. Snail decides to crawl directly in his view of me! He just nudges it once or twice- the 1st time he did this, he knocked the snail off the glass. Now he just poked it once to express his dislike of the snail's position. He is exhibiting territoriality- snail in the plants; fine- snails in his way, not so much. He didn't harm the snail. The girls don't even notice their snail. All my fish are very chill.


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## ChoclateBetta

Try Pygmy Cories. If you want Cories.


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## MonteCarlo

I envy those who have no issues, but for those that say the betta only tormented for "a little while" or only if the snails are in sight, I guess i simply don't have the backbone to let that happen. I think mystery snails are just as cool/adventurous as fish, and I don't think I could have sat there and watched the betta continuously pick off their antennas until he got "used" to them. What if that never even happened? And what if even if the betta DID settle down, the snail would still live more stressed than he would normally be, always having to hide when the fish came around (what mine were learning to do). Guess I just couldn't let that happen

edit: and yeah I'm guilty of only giving both the betta about 2-3 days, but the snails didn't even have enough antennas left to bite off, I was scared he might start attacking eyes n stuff.


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## Xaltd1

But, can you imagine what a snail goes through in the wild? They can grow back eyes & antennae. I think the're cool, too. My females totally ignore their snail. The male is a little more bored than they are, so hence the nip and bump. There are good buys on nano tanks this time of year; mabe have a snail-only tank? I treat snails as my fishs' pets, but maybe they deserve their own habitat.


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## Friendlyfishies

Moonie picked off my nerites eye/antenna thingies while Miyagi is very sweet to his snail...just depends...poor things.


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## ChoclateBetta

Xaltd1 said:


> But, can you imagine what a snail goes through in the wild? They can grow back eyes & antennae. I think the're cool, too. My females totally ignore their snail. The male is a little more bored than they are, so hence the nip and bump. There are good buys on nano tanks this time of year; mabe have a snail-only tank? I treat snails as my fishs' pets, but maybe they deserve their own habitat.[/quote/]
> We should never compare what they go through in the wild too aquariums.


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## Xaltd1

Funny, someone posted that they have an algae problem but doesn't want snails b/c the don't like them! Aw!
I'm feeling terrible b/c my girls ate the baby snails I got for them. I guess it's better than a slow death in a dirty tank, but now I know: if I want (free) pond snails, I have to put them in a different tank and let them grow up. I happen to like pond snails b/c they're relatively small, so there's less of a bioload concern, and their egg clutches can make good fish food if you don't need 100 baby snails...
I used to pull mature pond snails from our fish pond. They don't have the long, yummy anntenae for munching.


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## ChoclateBetta

Some people find snails creepy. Me I love assassin snails.


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## Xaltd1

I love all snails!!!


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## ChoclateBetta

I am okay with most other snails.


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## fishy314

it depends on the betta.


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## Xaltd1

The moral of the story is that bettas are as individual as we are. Some harass snails, some ignore them. I have a feeling, if the snail is the only other living animal in the tank, it will be in more danger that if there are other fish/inverts to keep our bettas busy. They are smart fish! They'll always inspect a snail, then decide on it's entertainment value. My 1 large snail in with my male is smart enough to tuck all appendages IN if he sees my betta hovering near by. I guess you need a smart snail, too! (I look at the snail each day w/ a magnifying glass just to be sure s/he is not getting hurt.)


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## ChoclateBetta

Bettas are more diverse than people.


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## Xaltd1

And I never met a betta I didn't like! I don't think a betta will break up with you, have an affair, drink too much, and leave you for another person!!! You also don't have to spend $$ on a lawyer to get alimony payments....


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## LadyVictorian

I was one of those people who didn't like snails, now I am on the snail band wagon with my golden mystery snail Tesla. He will be living with Nix in the big 10 gallon and she is fairly small so I am not expecting too many problems. I tested her aggression with my frog knowing he will snap back and in a 2.5 gallon for 2 hours she ignored him. I also got two shrimp...we shall see about them.


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## Skyewillow

I've had horror stories of bettas and shrimp. I had a sorority kill 3 BIG pregnant ghost shrimp JUST to get the eggs.

Onto the original topic of snails and bettas. It's been stated into overkill that bettas are individuals, some bettas won't tolerate ANY sort of tank mate, others, you could probably get away with throwing anything into their tank, and they won't care one bit. On the other hand, snails are individuals too, and it's the ones that learn to protect themselves that tend to live longer. Some snails just don't develop those particular survival instincts. I have a trapdoor snail of some sort that I collected from a lake last summer, and this is honestly my most successful snail out of all of them!

About comparing what snails go through in the wild, compared to tanks. I feel it's appropriate to make that comparison, because the inhabitants of our underwater worlds don't really know to act any differently than they would in the wild. Bettas eat small invertebrates, shrimp, snails, bugs. And people culture these things specifically for their bettas to consume. Since they're trying to replicate nature as much as possible for their pets, is this wrong too? Knowing as much as we can about the wild relatives of the animals we share our homes with, helps us to better care for them.

In closing, just like some bettas don't do well with other livestock, some snails don't do well with other stock either. And I would consider an invertebrate (shrimp and snails) tank for your snail, and fish only setups for your bettas rather than returning them (because they deserve good homes too). I hope your snails recover from the social experiment that the bettas didn't comply with. They must not have gotten the memo that they're supposed to be nice


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## ChoclateBetta

The only snails I can keep alive are assassins and Physella Acuita.


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## Skyewillow

Assassins are one of my new favorites... Mine always looks kinda blah though.


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## ChoclateBetta

Mine are so interesting. At Petco they only live a day.


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## Xaltd1

Thank you, SW. When you see a fish "break character" (attack something that says "FOOD" to them), we are seeing what happens in nature. Snails are food for fish and birds. We forget that humans have only recently been toying with DNA that goes back millions of years. Somehow, we expect them to behave like fully tame pets. Dogs bite; cats claw; horses kick. Fish eat what is fish food to them, even if we see that food as a pet. I would return a "harassed" snail to where I bought it.


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## ChoclateBetta

I would not return it Adopt it too a member here.


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## Skyewillow

I wouldn't return either one. I would just work out accommodations for both. A snail isn't any less valuable to me than a betta, nor are my bettas any less important than my rabbits, frogs, or cats. Even with them, it's hit or miss whether or not they'll get along. I have an 8lb English Lop rabbit who would constantly try to attack my 1lb Lionhead Kit whenever she was out of her cage. (of course, the 1 lb lionhead won, because he's a jerk, but regardless) Everyone was housed separately if they couldn't manage to get along.

But yes, our pets are still going to rely on instinct despite the habitats we build for them. Bettas are a lot newer to domestication than dogs, snails are probably still newer than that, and it's taken thousands of years for us to get dogs to where they are. A little understanding goes a long way. And I'm glad the OP did express concern for the safety of their snails too. A life is a life, no matter how "insignificant" it may seem


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## ChoclateBetta

If you decide to setup a new apple tank try 5 gallons.


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## Xaltd1

I'm simply saying that the quickest solution to the nipped snail problem is to return it to a snail tank at the LFS. It costs $ and space for a snail-friendly tank. Not everyone can start a new tank, says this poster w/ 4 tanks!


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## Skyewillow

From what I'm gathering, the snail was there first. lol


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## ChoclateBetta

The Betta might have been establishing its territory then.


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## MonteCarlo

Skyewillow, that was a great post, but also highlights some of my problems/guilt. Yes, I consider the snails as important as a betta, and they WERE there first, but I also know the betta deserves a good home. I already returned them as I mentioned, so the guilty part of me hurts when I know that they were just acting according to nature when they bit my snails. I wish I didn't introduce them to a home and go back on it, but I honestly would never have tried the "experiment" if I had known there was a pretty big risk. I read multiple posts here, and they all warned of a risk of bettas eating shrimp, but I had never read any negative feedback about apple snails until this thread. Ive seen pictures of snails + betta multiple times, and many threads talking about the benefits of snail+betta. Thankfully some of you agree that they sometimes don't get along, otherwise I'd think its only me and im crazy, haha.

So I apologize for not keeping the betta and switching (eventually) to a more snail-friendly fish, but let this thread serve as a sign that snails (even apple snails) have a risk of being attacked by bettas, not only just shrimp.


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## babystarz

My bettas will attack mystery snails on sight. They leave all other snails alone. Weird right?


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## Skyewillow

MonteCarlo, I would honestly chalk it up to a learning experience. I know you feel guilty, but I can understand that you'd rather have living snails than try waiting it out at the risk to the snail's life.
My fiance's female (Jade) is a notorious snail eater. She'll pick apart almost anything that hits her water. She's made friends with a guppy that my fiance tried to feed her, but she has killed a Green Cory before, and a few other guppies. Even my babies ate some baby snails we dropped in with them, but they were part of our "food colony" of snails. My Assassin has to eat, and so do our fish.


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## Skyewillow

And every time you try to give a betta tankmates, it's an experiment. They're all hit or miss.


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## FishFriend9292

I have never had a problem with bettas and snails. The first time i got it he did hover aroung it, and even pushed him around once. But now they just leave each other alone. Although my betta has gotten a liking to my snails algae wafers.


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## ChoclateBetta

I wonder how easy Pygmy Cories are? They seem like Carters perfect match.


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## Skyewillow

We have about 8 of the cute little boogers, they're pretty low maintenance, just make sure that you offer them places to hide from the betta.

They do well in a planted tank, with driftwood, and they're a schooling fish, the more of them there are, the happier they'll be. They're also timid in nature. If there's even the slightest conflict over food with another fish, the cories will flee. They also like swimming space up in the midwater zone (where your betta usually hangs out)

We LOVE our pygmy cories, they're so cute, and entertaining. But they frequently make themselves scarce. So you may or may not see them all of the time.


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## ChoclateBetta

What do I feed them?


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## Skyewillow

we feed ours algae discs, spirulina, and they pick up whatever is left over from the other fish. they also like to clean off the morimo ball, driftwood, and plants.


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## Xaltd1

We haven't touched on the color/size of the mystery snail vs. betta. Someone could do a Master's thesis on this. My 2 mystery snails are dark blue. I wonder if the white or gold snail gets harassed more?


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## ChoclateBetta

Bettas react differently to different colors. Carter harrsed a yellow snail but ignored a blue snail.


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## LebronTheBetta

I have 2 albino snails with my sorority, the snails thrive with no one harassing them. They're bigger than the girls, around 2 inches and a half. The girls are probably scared due to the size. lol


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## ChoclateBetta

I have heard some apple snails getting the size of a baseball.


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## Skyewillow

I should try it with my 3 snails. I have a golden mystery, a blue mystery, and my trapdoor is brown. My trapdoor (who has lived with Mushu, and my recently departed "king" betta who was 3" long) is about the size of one of those big "shooter" marbles. Nobody ever bothered it one bit. I haven't tried housing the blue or gold with anyone, but it'd be worth a shot to see if it makes a difference.


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## ChoclateBetta

I would get pieces of paper that are different colors and see how they react to the colors.


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## homegrown terror

we've got mystery snails in three of our betta tanks, and the only aggression we've ever seen was when we introduced Perry to Hannibal's tank. Hannibal circled around him like a shark, investigating this new thing, for about half an hour, and then ignored him. the only other problem we've EVER had was that Hanny likes to carry around Perry's algae wafers like a dog with a bone.


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## ChoclateBetta

Carter ignored a black snail in black sand.


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## Juicebox

ive got my male betta with a golden mstery snail around a month now,no issues what so ever,the snail has never been bitten,when i first put the snail in the betta was curious and swam next to him checkin him out but he has never bit while ive been viewing them and the snail has never lost any of his whiskers,i have witnessed my betta suck some pond snails off the glass from time to time mistaking them for pellets but he always spits them back out, this has happened maybe 4 times..

his tank has alot of snails now and he dosnt seem to mind, hes in a 5 gallon with them so the mystery snail is usually always in sight of him, maybe it just varies from fish to fish but for now my snail and fish are co existing in my 5 gallon


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## Phaydra

You can house an apple snail with bettas but some are just overly aggressive. 

Red loved his apple snail. It was his sleeping perch. I wish I had taken pics before the snail died.
Bubbles well he was extremely docile. Nothing bothered him.
Fluffy tormented his snail so he lost snail buddy privileges. 
A-tsh-hi could care less so long as the snail isn't blocking her view of the bubbles.

I would avoid a snail that is a similar color to your skin tone if you have a finger biter. Fingers mean food (literally) with some Bettas. I think Fluffy's problem with the golden we had looked too much like our fingers and that young man is a finger biter. I will be trying him with Blue Apple Snails as soon as they grow a bit more. I have 3 more Bettas now and do foresee a similar issue with my purple EE and snails because he is a finger biter as well.


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## ChoclateBetta

I have heard red and blue are Bettas favorite color.


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## MonteCarlo

Slightly off topic, but I just put in 5 white cloud minnows in my 10g tank, and wouldn't you guess, I see them (or atleast maybe one that is a bit aggressive) nipping at my lone mystery snail's antennas in that tank. Obviously im not gonna remove them, but thats because I know their mouths are too small to do serious damage. I don't like how my snail hides in the cave all the time tho.

But Im seriously beginning to think that when you have a big snail that has large antennas (mine are over 2 inches), fish just cannot resist those things waving around in their face.


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## bettaboy123

mine showed a little aggression so I put my snail in a 1 gallon. will he be able to get used to my snail?


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## Fishmon

MonteCarlo said:


> I apologize for sounding upset, but I am, and i hope you understand why. In my 10gal heavily planted tank, I originally bought 4 mystery snails, all decent sized. After reading on these forums that they're okay to be housed with bettas (and seeing tanks with both in there) I thought itd be okay too. Well the first betta I got completely tormented them, and nipped off half of their tentacles before I could remove him from the tank. He would literally hover above them and nip and them despite me tapping on the tank to shoo him away. I returned him to try a different betta, maybe I just got an aggressive one. I got a smaller betta too, as the first one was pretty big. Same thing happened, once the new one got warmed up. He was okay in beginning after I fed him, but in a little time he started attacking them too. My poor snails barely have any feelers left besides one of them.
> 
> On top of all that, I look like a fool in front of the Petco people (lol) since they even warned me it probably wouldn't work after I returned the first one. I said no its okay I see other people who have them! Well now I'm going to have to go back with this one, can't wait for that. I guess I'll just get some cory catfish and not get any betta, the reason I spent time on this NPT in the first place.
> 
> Unless your temperature is low and which will make your betta not that active, or hes being overfed like a pig, I can't imagine bettas getting along with mystery snails.


I’ll be honest, it’s the sad truth to say that the exact opposite has happened to me. I recently purchased a gold mystery snail to put in my betta tank. It’s been about 2 days since. I just got home from work and I see my mystery snail chomping on my betta, unfortunately killing him. I have searched the whole internet and could not find any instance in which a snail are the betta....


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