# Choosing a Snail?



## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I was thinking of adding a snail to my 5g but I am completely at a loss as to which snail to pick and once I've chosen a snail what do I feed it? (I don't have a algae infestation and my betta girls eat everything I give them. Does it eat poop? There's plenty of poop. xD) 

How does it reproduce? (Is it asexual or no? I only want one at the moment.)

How much waste do they produce? How much would I have to do water changes? 

Having these questions answered as well as some tips/facts would be mighty handy. I don't want to add anything to my tank without knowing a ton about it.


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## jman828 (Aug 15, 2011)

birdielikestomatoes said:


> I was thinking of adding a snail to my 5g but I am completely at a loss as to which snail to pick and once I've chosen a snail what do I feed it? (I don't have a algae infestation and my betta girls eat everything I give them. Does it eat poop? There's plenty of poop. xD)
> 
> How does it reproduce? (Is it asexual or no? I only want one at the moment.)
> 
> ...


Feed it algae wafers every 4 days and/or fresh veggies that sink. They are NOT assexual, there are males and females. The produce a fair amount of waste but nothing excessive, and with only one you shouldn't have to adjust your water change schedule


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Thank you for replying. I have heard that some are asexual like the Malaysian trump snail. Do you have any suggestions on what breed of snail I should be looking for?


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

if it's got more than one betta in your 5... a nerite would be the only choice. Apple snails poop so much. They poop more in one day than my sorority did in a week.


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## jman828 (Aug 15, 2011)

birdielikestomatoes said:


> Thank you for replying. I have heard that some are asexual like the Malaysian trump snail. Do you have any suggestions on what breed of snail I should be looking for?


Mystery Snail
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3954040



Silverfang said:


> if it's got more than one betta in your 5... a nerite would be the only choice. Apple snails poop so much. They poop more in one day than my sorority did in a week.


True, apple snails are bad. But a mystery would be fine


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## shadowpony (Apr 15, 2012)

I just wanted to warn you that petsmart doesnt feed their snails. Feed your new snail extra when you first get it


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I wouldn't got for a mystery either.


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Yall do realize mystery snails ARE apple snails, right?

Avoid thing like pond snails and ramshorn snails, they are asexual and will reproduce crazy fast.

Nerites are usually the snail of choice as they're algae eaters. Trumpet snails live the substrate as do assassins.

Here check this out: http://www.planetinverts.com/snail_species.html


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i really love rabbit snails. they poop lots, and in my 3 gallon i was cleaning up poop like every other day its true. they reproduce sexually THOUGH both snails i purchased were females and already had enough male genetic material stored up (yes stored up) and had babies. the second one actually was probably already pregnant since her baby showed up like two days after i bought her. but my first one has had two babies since i bought her like a month and a half ago. they are cute, awkward little guys <3

nerites would probably be your best bet since they are small and they can't reproduce in fresh water.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Thank you guys! I'm thinking the best snail for me would be a nerite, from the information you have all given me plus some google research. However, I'm going to hold off on the snail for now. Since my 5g only has two girls I'm going to add two more girls to kind of lesson the aggression until I have the funds to buy them a bigger tank, and then I'll get the snail once they've upgraded.  I've been seriously putting off adding any more girls though since I didn't want to overstock my tank but while the girls are acting decent enough to each other I'm getting tired of constantly worrying about them.


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

5 gallons is faaaar too small for 2 bettas, let alone 4! i'd upgrade your tank before you get more girls.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I personally wouldn't put a snail in a 5g tank with 2 Bettas, or even 1 Betta. But if you do chose to get a snail, Apples are OUT 100%. I have one nearly the size of a tennis ball. They get big. My 20g tank has 6 girls and 3 Apple Snails and my bioload is nearly maxed lol 

I would upgrade to a 10g, get 3 or 4 more females, a nerite and call it a day


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Are you positive? The tank is cycled and I'd be doing 25% water changes every few days plus there's quite a few hiding place and I'd be buying a few more silk plants to add even more. Plus while the tank is only a 5g the girls are quite small even though they're full grown so they have plenty of swimming space. I wouldn't even be considering adding two more girls if I didn't think they would be able to live happy, healthy lives. 

I'd love to upgrade to a 10g but in addition to not having the funds I'd need to convince my mom. But that would be amazing to have a 10g with a few more girls plus a snail. For now it'll have to wait.












This is the tank and you can see the two girls.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I wouldn't house two females together in any tank honestly, to much of a chance of aggression. With two females, one will be the Queen and she will eventually harass the other female. I had 3 in my 20g tank while I was waiting for my new females to arrive, and one of them tore the fins right off my oldest girl  Sadly she did not make it. It's not so much ammonia or space, but the fact that females NEED to be in larger groups to space out aggression. Personally if I couldn't upgrade, I would divide the 5g and keep them apart.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I know. >_< That's why I want to get two more to kind of lesson that aggression, I've been very lucky so far though, these two have been living together for 5 months now and I've only had them flare at each other when they were first introduced and just recently they've had a power struggle and Hilda is now queen of the tank but they've settled down again. I adore Hilda but I wouldn't have bought her, I had planned for this tank to just house Eugeney but my mom had other ideas and brought home Hilda.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I would either upgrade to a 10 G and get 3 or so more girls OR maybe you can divide the tank? Not sure how hard it would be to divide up a bow front tank.

mystery snails poop ALOT. I have one in a 5 gallon with a male betta and that thing poops more then trapdoor snails and they are 2-3 inches in size! I suggest getting a gravel vaccume if you don't already have one.


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## Batmantha (May 27, 2012)

Tikibirds said:


> mystery snails poop ALOT. I have one in a 5 gallon with a male betta and that thing poops more then trapdoor snails and they are 2-3 inches in size! I suggest getting a gravel vaccume if you don't already have one.


Mystery's definitely leave a lot of waste in their trail but they are very entertaining to watch


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

I LOVE when my mystery goes in thr bubbler, or ilter  they can be stupid! 

I can ship you a mystery snail ($2 fr snail $5 for shipping) and maybe I can give ya a discount! My snails come young, so you get the logest life out of them, and they are much more active and less skittish than pet store snails, not to mention, healthier.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

If you h ave questions about mystery snails, feel free to email me!


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I do have a gravel vacuum which I use whenever I do water changes. The snail was only to be a pet as I don't have an algae problem. 

LOL does the snail ever float up to the top when it's sitting on the bubbler? That yellow color is gorgeous though. I'll definitely consider getting one from you, Pog, when I upgrade. 

I have no idea how I'd split their tank, right now I'm just keeping an eye on them and while they have set up who the queen of the tank is they've very good about not nipping. The one time they did nip at each other Eugeney was put into a bag and floated in the tank, they haven't nipped since. When I separate them I always bag the aggressor.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

If you want,, you can take a piece of plastic with small holes and measure distance from one corner to the other. then make it about that size, and fill in the extra space with sponges. Dont go across, I have spent forever tryign to split thet one acress, but the bulge gets me every time!


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## jman828 (Aug 15, 2011)

thekinetic said:


> Yall do realize mystery snails ARE apple snails, right?
> 
> Avoid thing like pond snails and ramshorn snails, they are asexual and will reproduce crazy fast.
> 
> ...


They are actually "NOT" the same.... As stated in many articles


> Not exactly. Mystery Snails (Pomacea diffusa) are a single species which belongs in the Apple Snail family (Ampullariidae), which also contains about 100 other species as well.


EDIT: They are similar though but have very unique differences such as size being the most noticable.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

no apple is liek an umbrella term. like apple snai is like "dog" and mystery snail is like "labrador" see?


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

Good news everyone! After weeks of going on about a 10g and being even more persistent this past week I've finally convinced my mom of getting a 10g for a sorority. I'll be getting three more girls in addition to the two I already have and I'll be getting another boy for the 5g. Hopefully we'll head out tomorrow and grab everything.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Awsome :-D
Make sure you have LOTS of plants for them - the more stuff you stick in there, the less likely they are to fight. You want to break up their line of sight as much as possible, so the bigger, leafy plants are the way to go. 
Ones like this:








http://www.amazon.com/Vibran-Sea-Fl...uarium/dp/B001LUO5UY/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_5
and you want cover at the top too so they can get air. Some females will chase away any other female when they go to the surface. you can use real floating plants but I use plastic plants by tetra. If you take off the plastic bottom part, their plants will float.








These are the ones I have. 








I just stick them in there horizontally and they float at the water surface.
http://www.amazon.com/Water-Wonders...?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1338959840&sr=1-8

I also have a few of these stuck on the side of the tank.









http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-BP-23-Betta-Salvia/dp/B004H2D3J2/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_4


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

I just use really tall plants, an inch or 2 taller than the water level. I only have them in one area right now :/ but my females get along very well, they school like my tetras!


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Btw, that water wonders packet: LOVE those


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

I wasn't able to get to the shops today.  My mom had an ear infection so she couldn't drive me. Also, I've decided to keep Eugeney in the 5 gallon and just get 4 more girls for Hilda's sorority. Today I realized just how bad her eyesight has gotten and because of this she wouldn't do well in a group. You guys probably think I'm completely daft with all these idea changes but I'm just trying to do my best for these fish and your suggestions have been helping me so much. As for plants I plan on getting quite a lot of silk plants from Petco, I absolutely adore some of the newer ones they've gotten. I need to get a picture of Steve's new tank but it is filled with silk plants, I plan to do something similiar to his.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Actually, I had a blind fish in a sorority once. She did okay. The fish didnt pick on her and she got her food. She mostly stayed by the ground in the plants and ate what fell, lived a normal life for a blind fish, and interacted with other fishies OKAY.


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## birdielikestomatoes (May 2, 2012)

That's actually good news. After I posted last I started thinking and Eugeney has spent most her life with another fish and when her last tankmate died she got really depressed, wouldn't eat and just listlessly swam about. She didn't have any illness that I was aware of and the only thing that had changed was that Betty was gone. I don't want to see her mope about like that and she can still see shapes, it's just the pellets she has trouble with. But when I do set up the sorority I'll keep a close eye on her and make sure she gets fed, whether by eating with the rest of them or by luring her into a zip lock to eat.


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