# Intense Flaring at the New Snail



## fgradowski (Nov 27, 2012)

So...I decided to get Algernon a snail today. I put it in his tank and he instantly starting flaring at it. )= He's head butted him once and flipped him with his tail several times. I thought I'd put the snail in with Algernon because he is much more mellow than Vardaman. (Vardaman will bite my finger if I put it in the tank. Algernon will totally ignore my finger.) I don't want Algernon or the snail to get hurt. Is this normal? Should I just keep an eye on them?


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

I got a Mystery Snail for Fishie once, and he attacked it twice within the first 20 minutes it was in his tank, including biting off one of the eye stalks, so I had to move the snail to its own tank (and then it died a week or so later... I'm not sure that it was from the betta attack, though). 
Now I have a 10 gallon divided tank for my 3 bettas and I have an algae problem, so I decided to get 2 nerite snails. I didn't put one in Fishie's side because of the way he acted with the mystery snail, and I was wary about putting one with Jasper because of the fact that she bites my finger whenever I put it in the tank. But there hasn't been a problem. She got really curious at first and would swim up really close and stare at him, and one time she pecked him when he was on the glass (not hard enough to knock him off, though). Now she pretty much ignores him. 
So I think you should probably remove the snail if he's always being harassed, but maybe try to put him with your other betta, even though he seems more aggressive- he might be like my Jasper who likes to chomp human fingers but doesn't have a problem at all with a snail.


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## JadeSparrow (Nov 9, 2012)

I put a mystery snail in with Osiris and he flared and headbutted it a few times till he figured out what it was. He nipped at it some but never really inflicted damage. They now coexist quite peacefully. Osiris does flare every time I put one of the nerites in to help control some of the algae but has never really attacked them.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

What size is that tank?


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## fgradowski (Nov 27, 2012)

callistra said:


> What size is that tank?


It is a 3 gallon tank.

He has stopped flaring now. It took about two hours, but he has stopped and was staring at him when I left for class. I just got back from class and they both look fine.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

I'd be really careful about additional ammonia build up. Snails are a lot dirtier than people give them credit for and I personally would not house one in less than 10g.

Do you have a way to test water?

What kind of water changes do you do now? Is it fully cycled or are you doing weekly 100% changes?


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## fgradowski (Nov 27, 2012)

callistra said:


> I'd be really careful about additional ammonia build up. Snails are a lot dirtier than people give them credit for and I personally would not house one in less than 10g.
> 
> Do you have a way to test water?
> 
> What kind of water changes do you do now? Is it fully cycled or are you doing weekly 100% changes?


I usually end up changing it every 2 or 3 days, and I usually change about 75%.

I don't have a way to test my water yet.


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## lpfanatic2003 (Aug 21, 2012)

Furred was really abusive to his snail for the first few days but after that they got along really well. I think it's just them getting used to the new tank mate.


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## fgradowski (Nov 27, 2012)

Yeah, Algernon only took about 2 hours, but now he acts like Squidward isn't even there! They're buds now.


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