# should i add a snail?



## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

i have a 10g tank with 4 females, do you think a snail would be ok with this setup?


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## MattD (Apr 25, 2007)

1 or 2 mystery snails will be fine.

Good luck.


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

what do you feed a snail? and i heard that they can breed like crazy! still interested in a couple though.. thanx


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

Mystery snails can't breed unless you let them. They lay pink egg clutches above the water line that are easy to just throw away if you don't want anymore snails. I have 2 mystery snails they are neat little additions to any tank. Oh and you could feed them algae wafers or any kind of flake fish food. They are good at getting extra food off the bottom of the tank.


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

i just saw some inca snails at petco that are a pretty yellow color! does it matter what kind of snail you put in with the bettas?


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

You could put inca snails in there. I like mystery snails just because of the variety of colors they come in (Black, golden, ivory, and blue)


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

is it ok to feed them lettuce, and do they need filtration or can they breathe from the surface? thanks!


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

copper08 said:


> is it ok to feed them lettuce, and do they need filtration or can they breathe from the surface? thanks!


Definitely feed a variety of dark leafy greens. The snails need them for the calcium. Also consider adding a calcium supplement to the tank for their shells. You can either buy a version of this for snails and crustatians (expensive) or go to Boots or whatever your local equivalent is and simply buy calcium tablets that are intended for humans (not expensive). As long as it's just calcium that's in them you're alright.

7.5 is a good ph to maintain for the snails, much lower and their shells would start to deteriorate. The bettas will certainly cope with this increase in ph (just do it gradually) which you can do by adding crushed coral to the subtrate of filter. Maybe you don't need to bother, my water is very soft so it's a must for me, but I find many folk here have much harder water.


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

They breath from the waterline. Lettuce is fine to feed them. You can also feed them cucumber slices.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

I meant to add about the filter as well, sorry.

Lindsey is right, they do breathe from the waterline, however snails are very messy so a filter and frequent water changes are adviseable.


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

ok i can take care of everything except for ph, which i have never really considered even with bettas.. i thought everything would be fine if you just kept to a water change every 3 days and full tank cleaning 2X a month or so! umm could you fill me in on PH or am i ok?


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

copper08 said:


> ok i can take care of everything except for ph, which i have never really considered even with bettas.. i thought everything would be fine if you just kept to a water change every 3 days and full tank cleaning 2X a month or so! umm could you fill me in on PH or am i ok?


In a low ph their shells will erode and the snails would be very uncomfortable, keeping inside their shells a lot I think. What is your current ph? Would it not be possible to add some crushed coral to the tank or filter? 

Trishfish and fish4all are the snail experts so if I were you I would wait until one of them is able to help you but what I have said is based on information form them in previous posts about my snails. I certainly wouldn't add the snails in a low ph personally.

What do you mean by a full clean twice a month? I hope you don't do 100% water change? This will kill of much of the good bacteria in your tank and can cause mini-cycles. Snails, also it is worth adding, are often more sensitive to bad water quality caused by mini-cycles, than fish.


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

I think all 10 gallon tanks should have a filter. I have also heard that female bettas should always be in groups of 6.


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

i don't have a filter, i think i shouold pick one up.. and crushed coral! i'm not very experienced :? 
ive had the 10 gallon for about a week now and have a water heater, thats it. i thought bettas didnt nesessarily need filters because they can get 02 from the surface!
i am starting water changes every three days but now i wont do the full tank cleanings!! i didnt know they were so bad..
so i need to get filter, crushed coral, then snails
wow its kinda confusling!

ps what do you need to figure out what your ph is?


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

You can figure out ph and all the other important water parameters by getting a master test kit from your local petstore.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

copper08 said:


> i don't have a filter, i think i shouold pick one up.. and crushed coral! i'm not very experienced :?
> ive had the 10 gallon for about a week now and have a water heater, thats it. i thought bettas didnt nesessarily need filters because they can get 02 from the surface!
> i am starting water changes every three days but now i wont do the full tank cleanings!! i didnt know they were so bad..
> so i need to get filter, crushed coral, then snails
> ...


It's the same sort of test as you would use to check for your other water parameters. Do you test for amonia, nitrite and nitrates? If not then I recommend you getting a master *liquid* test kit (the test strips are unreliable) which will test for the above 3, and ph. They usually run about £20 but last for AGES and are well worth the money. It's important to check your water parameters even after your tank has cycled. 

Is your tank cycled? If not, please, please hold off on adding anything else, especially the snails until it is. Like I said snails are often more sensitive to bad water quality than fish.

Wait until you can check your ph before you add the coral. Maybe you won't need to add it. Add it only if your ph is too low, and do it gradually so as not to shock your bettas, though they will do fine in a higher ph as long as they are acclimatised by doing it gradually.

You can add it to your filter, but the way I do it in my betta tank is simply to add it to the substrate in amongst the gravel. It's easier to do it gradually that way as you add a little, then monitor your ph after a day or so and add more if need be, monitor your ph after a day or so and so on.

Just to let you know though, you may need a lot ofit. I added a full bag (about the size of a bag of sugar) to my 8g to bring my ph up form 6 to 7.5. Of course how much you need, if any, will depend on your current ph.

Sorry to overwhelm you with information, just didn't want to see you buying a snail and finding it doesn't do well. It's best that you find out as much as possible before adding anything new to your tank. [/i]


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

ok thank you soo much for the info! one last question though.. if i get a liquid test kit, and find that my ph and others are fine, will the filter and coral be necessary?


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

Filters are pretty inexpensive and will make your life easier. I couldn't imagine maintaining a 10 gallon without a filter.


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## Lindsey88 (Nov 23, 2007)

http://fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3738


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## copper08 (Dec 9, 2007)

and what does the tank being cycled mean?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

copper08 said:


> and what does the tank being cycled mean?


Tank has finished nitrogen cycle process wherein ammonia and nitrites fall to zero with nitrates not exceeding 40 ppm as per recommendations. Zero nitrates is achieved only if tank contains plants.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

copper08 said:


> ok thank you soo much for the info! one last question though.. if i get a liquid test kit, and find that my ph and others are fine, will the filter and coral be necessary?


If your ph is high enough, like I said, you will not need crushed coral.

You will still need a filter.


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