# Mystery snails eating plants



## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

I have a 5g NPT that had two baby betta boys, divided, and a few remaining "algae cleaner shrimp". My plants are finally doing well and a variegated ludwiga was looking very nice. I was getting some brown algae and I wanted to see if my two mystery snails from Peachii would clean it up a little (and if they might have little snails) so I added them to the tank. I went away for two days over Christmas and came home today to a very munched on ludwiga. These are the only occupants in the tank. I thought that mystery snails wouldn't eat plants. And I'm pretty sure Peachii knows her snails. Any experiences?

Sally


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

The plants may have had some leaves that weren't adjusting to your tank or that were light blocked by floaters and had started dying off a bit. The snails (all snails) will eat the dying, sick or otherwise not healthy leaves but they will not eat healthy leaves or plants. 

I currently have about 15 juvenile and growing mystery snails in my 40 gallon (that's where yours came from) and they only eat the not-healthy leaves. I don't have any of the type of mystery snails that eat plants. Snails are a great indicator of healthy plants because they ignore healthy plants but do clean up the not-healthy leaves.

They will grow back provided they get enough light. I usually go through my tanks once a week and pull off the unhealthy leaves and throw them away and vacuum out the leaves that have fallen off from the substrate. This helps new leaves to grow back faster. If the bottom of the plant gets raggedy looking, I'll clip the tops, replant them and the bottoms will recover slowing in time.


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

I knew they aren't supposed to but these were fresh leaves, new growth on the ludwiga and the green hygro. They haven't even touched the older leaves and there are lots of leaves not looking too good. So they have plenty of other stuff to eat. I've taken some of the melting leaves out but I had just noticed the other day how well the plants have started growing because I put up a more powerful light and started with Excel. So I don't know what it might be that could entice them to eat the fresh growth.


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

I started out with a few snails (mts's and peachii snails- mystery and I think ramshorn??) and now...now..I have more than a few snails. I haven't had any eat healthy plants. I haven't had them long, but they seem to stick to the dead leaves and hang upside down on floaters eating algae. 
I do have holes in my plants in my non-npt tank that I thought was snails at first but seems to be from a nutrient deficiency. Possibly potassium. 
Link!

 Another Link!
Maybe since you dosed with Excel things are out of whack?


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

Overall, my plants are not doing great. I've got some Flourish on the way so maybe that will help. The plants look eaten, just like garden plants do when something chews on them. I moved the ludwiga to a tank without the snails and voila, new growth is not eaten. My sags and vals are melting from the top down, no one eats the bad ends. So I don't know if there is something missing or what. But I'm working on it. I love watching the snails wander around.


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

So someone is still eating my plants. Since mystery snails aren't supposed to, I thought I'd try baiting for other snails that might be hiding. I put some blanched zucchini in overnight. I had found a tiny little ramshorn snail yesterday and he was the only one who showed up overnight. I will try again tonight with some spinach. Out of the most common aquarium snails, I believe only pond snails would eat plants. I have found two of those over the last two months so maybe there are more.


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

Are you dosing the tank you moved the ludwiga into? 

The leaves that have holes in them in my tanks are in tanks without snails. They look chewed up.

Maybe you should stop dosing with nutrients for a week and see how they do? 
Sorry, not trying to be pushy, just wanted to say that in my experience (which is limited  )with my tanks, the plants that look eaten look that way because I was dosing with Flourish when I didn't need to. I also had a bunch of algae grow because of it. 

Or maybe you have pond snails.


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

I have been using Excel and just started with Flourish. I will try stopping them both and see what happens. My snail bait isn't getting any takers. Whatever it is, it is only affecting the ludwiga and hygro, as far as I can tell. 

Here's what they look like


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## Joshaeus (Dec 8, 2013)

You sure you got mystery snails and not the normal apple snails? The species sold as apple snails, while closely related to the mystery snail species, are ravenous live-plant eaters. True mystery snails are usually fine.

Judging from the fact that only your hygros and ludwigias have holes in them, and the other plants are simply melting, I'm going to guess that it is some sort of nutrient problem that the plants are just responding to differently, or even that the plants are having trouble adjusting to the excel being added to the tank. Vals, at least, are said to be sensitive to abrupt increases in excel dosage.


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

The snails she has are absolutely not the plant eating apple snails as i bred them and have the same batch in my planted tank with no issues.

Judging from the picture the plants are having some sort of deficiency or are just adjusting to your tank and will slowly recover with time. Hygro grows really fast and sometimes the leaves just deteriorate usually a light issue from what I have noticed so far with them.


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

Well, last water change I skipped the ferts, see if that helps/hurts/causes no changes. My lighting on the AquaTop 6.6g cube is a 13W 7200 CFL and on the 5g Fluval long is a Sunlight lamp (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M5CUL4/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#productDetails) that is 27W equal to 150W, 1300 Lumens, 6500K. Those are the two tanks that seem t be affected.


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## erinbirdsong (Jan 16, 2013)

I have 2 mystery snails in my 7 gallon and the do eat my healthy plants. The are herbivores and are known to eat healthy and dead plant matter. I actually was talking to my LFs about that this week. They suggested adding zuccinni to supplement the diet and help save my plants...


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

Solved! It IS the mystery snails! I just watched one up close eat almost a whole healthy frogbit leaf. Now the question is why. I'm still thinking it could be some missing nutrient. Now to identify how to provide it.


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

Note: don't google nutrients for snails because it brings up why to eat escargot!


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## Sally M (Nov 14, 2013)

I think they are just _really _hungry! I dropped a piece of algae wafer in each of the two tanks that have a snail. One landed about 3 inches away and on top of something and the snail found it within 3 minutes. The other snail was at the water line taking a nap and I dropped a piece in that landed on its shell. He took it in his foot and started eating it. Now he's dropped it and going down to get it! I think I just need to feed them more! I don't really have any visible algae, just some diatoms maybe(?) growing on the glass.


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## fidget (Aug 18, 2013)

Sally M said:


> Note: don't google nutrients for snails because it brings up why to eat escargot!


Ha!! 
Good to know about the snails; thanks for the info. :-D


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