Apple Snail In With Large 5 Y/o Goldfish

[crmpicco]

Hi,

I spoke to the assistant in at my local Pets at Home store with regards to adding an Apple Snail to my tank to assist with algae build-up at the bottom of the tank.

She advised that I would not be able to add an Apple Snail to my tank as my oldest fish (Jack), who is 5 y/o and 15cm long would have the ability to suck the snail out of it's shell. She didn't explain the repercussions of this however I would imagine it would be eventual death for my fish.

Can anyone verify this or share their knowledge or experience?

Many thanks,
Picco
twitter.com/crmpicco

 

[crmpicco]

Hi,

I spoke to the assistant in at my local Pets at Home store with regards to adding an Apple Snail to my tank to assist with algae build-up at the bottom of the tank.

She advised that I would not be able to add an Apple Snail to my tank as my oldest fish (Jack), who is 5 y/o and 15cm long would have the ability to suck the snail out of it's shell. She didn't explain the repercussions of this however I would imagine it would be eventual death for my fish.

Can anyone verify this or share their knowledge or experience?

Many thanks,
Picco
twitter.com/crmpicco

A wee thread bump for this if that's ok

 

[fishyfeet]

what sort of rubbish advice is that, your fish prob wont even notice the snail, but it may be too cold for them, what temp is the tank, they do better the warmer the water and ive a feeling they might just go dormant.
algae eh right, what about an hillstream loach they are coldwater plec types and stay quite small. di

 

[mamahuberty]

What kind of fish is Jack, there are some fish that will eat snails

 

[crmpicco]

what sort of rubbish advice is that, your fish prob wont even notice the snail, but it may be too cold for them, what temp is the tank, they do better the warmer the water and ive a feeling they might just go dormant.
algae eh right, what about an hillstream loach they are coldwater plec types and stay quite small. di

I'm not sure what level of advice you would class that as? The woman seemed pretty adamant. It was a case of "sorry I am not selling you an apple snail today".

The tank is at a steady 20 degrees celsius. I think the apple snails at Pets at Home were in coldwater as they were next to the goldfish.

I have found this link that talks about this subject:
Yahoo Answers on keeping Apple Snails with Goldfish

Do you think my tank is suitable?

 

[crmpicco]

What kind of fish is Jack, there are some fish that will eat snails

He is a Comet (so i've been told) - I can't remember as it was 5 years ago that I bought him (2006). Does this affect the ability to add an Apple Snail to the tank?

 

[fishyfeet]

not at all, goldfish tend to leave snails alone, im just worried about the temp. di

 

[crmpicco]

not at all, goldfish tend to leave snails alone, im just worried about the temp. di

This site says "The optimal water temperature for apple snails lays between 18 to 28°C (65-82°F)."

Jack is quite big so I wouldn't want to jeopardize his health, or indeed the snail's, so is the snail a risk would you say?

 

[fishyfeet]

hmmm its marginal, the thing is the higher the temp the more happier and livelier the snail is, i guess there is not harm in trying it, also make sure the snail has food, with big fish it wont get a look in with the fish food, di

 

[Mikaila31]

If he eats the snail it will just be a tasty snack to him...

 

[crmpicco]

If he eats the snail it will just be a tasty snack to him...

Are you sure that it won't be too big for him and cause him harm? What size is the snail in the shell?

 

[nurglespuss]

I've kept apple snails at 20'C no prob, they live longer but stay smaller, but seem to eat just as much! ;p

 

[BigbruiserAl]

The colder the water the less active the apple snail will be this includes food,movement and growth. 20c is the min i would keep them even in winter

 

[three-fingers]

To add to above, it's worth trying an apple snail IME .

They are more suited for tropical tanks, and tend to behave very sluggish in water that's too cold, but you can usually get away with an unheated tank in a warm home. Just make sure the snail is active most of the time, eating (and therefore pooping) and isn't staying in one place for days.

However larger goldfish can occasionally eat apple snails and as this comet is 5 years old it could easily be over a foot in length depending on it's environment over the years.

There is no sophisticated hunting method but when large bottom-feeding fish such as goldfish are sharing a small floor space with a snail over many years there is a chance it will accidentally bite the apple snail one day, realise its edible, and eventually manage to eat it.

If the goldfish is still small then it shouldn't pose a risk, just remember goldfish should grow big fast, and that long-term they aren't suitable tankmates .

 

[nurglespuss]

Also, going from an article in a recen practical fish keeping, apple snails run the risk of a mauch shortened life in the aquarium (regardless of setup) because the need to estivate yearly (i.e. the water to 'dry up' and them to seal themselves shut until the rains come again).

I don't know how true this is of all the species available, but 'wild' apple snails certainly seem to achieve much larger sizes than aquarium inhabitants...

It would be very interesting to find out roughly how long peoples snails were living?