# Male betta and 2 mystery snails?



## Kpoo97 (Jan 9, 2011)

A few weeks ago, I got Comet. At the time I didn't know bettas didn't need friends to go along with them.

A week after I got him I went to Petsmart and I got 2 Mystery snails. I got a Blue mystery snail named Merry and a yellow mystery snail named Rosie.

I have them all in a 1 gal tank. So far so good on nobody being injured (except for the fact that Comet has the Ick). So, is this ok to have them all in that small tank?


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## Cravenne (Dec 20, 2010)

No, that's much too small for a betta and two Mystery snails. The Mystery snails can get quite large and generally need at LEAST 1G to themselves. They are quite messy creatures and they get fairly big!

Many people keep Bettas in 1G tanks, but it does require very regular and frequent water changes. I have a filtered 1G with a boy in it and I change 100% every other day.

You definitely need to get a larger tank and remove the snails..or return the snails until you can afford a larger tank.

In my opinion, even a 5G with one Betta and two snails in it is a bit overstocked (and would require frequent and religious maintenance), and that would definitely be the smallest I would go.


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## baylee767 (Nov 5, 2010)

Oh, also, Bettas don't need tank mates. In fact, many prefer to be alone. Mystery snails are SUUUPER messy, I sure hope you are doing daily 100% water changes. Because I housed the one I got in a 2.5 gallon for 3 days because my Betta kept on biting it and scraping his head on the shell, and the bottom literally turned brown. And that snail was the only creature in that tank.

Get him a 5-10 gallon at least, preferably a 10, with 2 so messy snails. Plus your fish will be happier without the stress of daily water changes.


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Mystery Snail is petstore code for 'we have no idea what kind it is'. Most Mystery Snails are Apple Snails. Apple Snails can grow as big as 6 inches and are one of the messiest to have. Most types tend to eat live plants and some kill other snails. Unlike most Snails, Apple Snails need a male and a female to breed. So if you have a male and female, expect tons of babies.
Also, expect to buy algae pellets for them to eat (the algae pellets alone are very messy), as they cannot survive on tank algae alone. They also enjoy lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and most other veggies (remember to remove the veggies at the end of the day so they do not rot and mess with water quality).

I have a Golden Apple Snail and he is messier than my mom's four Common Goldfish.


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## kholder (Dec 2, 2010)

I love my "mystery" snail - who is really an apple snail. He doesn't eat plants, and I haven't seen a mess. He is a diligent worker on my algae - although unable to keep up with it all - and is wonderful addition to my 10 gal.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Snails just POOP so so much.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

turtle10 said:


> Snails just POOP so so much.



oh muh gawd I know!

haha


I got a snail the other day from petsmart..he was an impulse buy really..I _reallly_ wanted a nerite not an apple snail, but whatever. :lol: I cannot believe the mess! I had to go get a little bulb syringe just for daily cleanup!:lol:
I couldn't image having two in my 5 gallon, not to mention a 1 gallon! :lol:



I would do 100% water changes daily until you can find something bigger to keep them in.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Haha I always see them gliding on the glass with little poop trails.


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

turtle10 said:


> Snails just POOP so so much.


They sure do! Found out first hand!! 

Purchased Hornwort at my local petsmart last week, only 2 bucks on sale and the guy gave me a nice size one. Rinsed it several times with old tank water in a container. Obviously didn't catch everything as I soon noticed few of them snails that we get from petstore plants, forget name but they about half the size of my pinky nail climbing on the front glass yesterday so I caught two of them and placed it in the little betta container petsmart/petco uses. This morning I grabbed the container to toss it and just these two little snails resulted in poop all along the bottom, was a gravel of poop (was clean when they were thrown in). I would say close to 50+ of individual little poop strands from just a single nght of these two tiny snails :shock:


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

scootshoot said:


> They sure do! Found out first hand!!
> 
> Purchased Hornwort at my local petsmart last week, only 2 bucks on sale and the guy gave me a nice size one. Rinsed it several times with old tank water in a container. Obviously didn't catch everything as I soon noticed few of them snails that we get from petstore plants, forget name but they about half the size of my pinky nail climbing on the front glass yesterday so I caught two of them and placed it in the little betta container petsmart/petco uses. This morning I grabbed the container to toss it and just these two little snails resulted in poop all along the bottom, was a gravel of poop (was clean when they were thrown in). I would say close to 50+ of individual little poop strands from just a single nght of these two tiny snails :shock:


WOW.. must have been a crazy night for them I guess lol. Haha I knew they pooped but geez, so much poop that it was like gravel is crazy! I guess it is hard to tell how much exactly when you have gravel/sand. I always see them just minding their own business then out comes like 20 poopies from their shell lol!


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

turtle10 said:


> WOW.. must have been a crazy night for them I guess lol. Haha I knew they pooped but geez, so much poop that it was like gravel is crazy! I guess it is hard to tell how much exactly when you have gravel/sand. I always see them just minding their own business then out comes like 20 poopies from their shell lol!


Was surprised myself. I mean you read and hear snails poops lots but don't realize just how much with the gravel hiding it. The clear container this morning was just nasty! Snails must not retain much nutrients. It's like they eat as they moving along but only digest 5pct of what's taken in and poop out the rest.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

They are so messy and wasteful lol. My shrimp scavenge through the snail poop lol.


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## Newtonbetta (Nov 5, 2010)

*snail and betta... scraping injury*

I had posted pics in the emergency section a week ago, my betta was missing a bunch of scales on his head. At first I thought it was fungus but it was just what fish skin looks like when the scales fall off.

The only thing I could attribute it to was that I had put a snail in with him last weekend. He immediately was nipping at it and harrassing it. I'm wondering if he scraped himself somehow, either on the outer shell or the sharp part of the shell where the snail emerges. I removed the snail to the other side of the divided tank and the betta's head has almost healed.


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## RosyFish (Feb 20, 2011)

Hahaha! These posts are hilarious.... I was thinking about getting a snail, but after this, I think I'll wait until I can set up my 10 Gal tank. I have three bettas (two males and one darling female). The female is in a 1 Gal tank now and she loves it!!


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