Apple Snails

[ceilidhgirl]

hey everyone

being a beginner to this lark

(i'm so new i've not even got a tank yet - i'm doing my homework first )

lots of people seen to have apple snails in their tank.

i was wondering do they serve a specific purpose like algae eating??

or is it just for looks??

many thanks

ales xx

 

[fishboytoo]

Hi and welcome,

Mystery snails (aka Apple snails)can be used for algae eating. They are prefered over some other varieties of snail due to the fact that they lay their eggs above the waterline. This makes them easy to remove and thereby prevent a population explosion. I have seen their algae eating capacity described as moderate to high. They may also eat plants to some extent if other food is not available. This also varies with the species, as there are dozens which fall under this name.

All this aside, they look nice too, which is another reason many people have them. If you don't like them there are other things that eat algae.

BTW, good idea doing your research before you jump head first into the deep end! Many people do not.

 

[Snick]

I recomend something that is not snails to keep algea under control... I have had negative experiences, such as a population explosion, and i mean an explosion.... LOTS of them, everywhere! ou can remove the eggs, but this is tireing after a while, and sometimes you miss one or two... i recomend something else.

 

[fawnmodel]

brigs cannot reproduce without the opposite sex, so just get one. they also promote growth of infusoria, and really keep the aquarium spiffy. if you have live plants, they will not eat them unless starved for foods, they simply eat decaying matter, and you can add in algae or invert pellets too.

 

[T1KARMANN]

try esha snail away that should kill any unwanted snails in your tank

 

[ceilidhgirl]

thanks guys

what does everyone else have in their tanks to eat algae??

 

[morgan]

Hi, I have a Golden Apple Snail (never seen it make a mess) and a Common Pleco. I have a 65ukgal tank. I cannot see any algae. The Pleco will probably stop eating the algae when he gets older (I bought him last May) and he has other food as well. For now he is very amusing, he hangs upside down cleaning the plants and ornaments. He has also recently learnt how to float backwards and eat the flakes from the surface. He is about a foot at the moment (my sister had a look and she thinks he is more like 10", he is difficult to measure as he hides when he sees me!).