Apple Snails

[FishBlast]

I love my apples, but they don't half add a massive bioload. And they do poo like crazy. Fortunately, mine have never laid eggs. Mine eat whatever flake, peas, and algae wafers are left over from the fish and shrimp.

I am terrified about one of them dieing though, so I may look to rehome them soon.

How long do apple snails live though?
And trumpets, if anyone knows.

 

[Akasha72]

my apple snail is HUGE - he must be a good 8cm in diameter maybe ..


I have a trumpet - got it for free when I got my last two cories (found it in the bag) it's so small I have to really look for it. It can't be more than about half a cm - no idea how big they grow.
They spend the daylight buried in the substrate but apparently come out at night to eat algae - I've never seen mine doing this but it does move around at some point

 

[FishBlast]

my apple snail is HUGE - he must be a good 8cm in diameter maybe ..


I have a trumpet - got it for free when I got my last two cories (found it in the bag) it's so small I have to really look for it. It can't be more than about half a cm - no idea how big they grow.
They spend the daylight buried in the substrate but apparently come out at night to eat algae - I've never seen mine doing this but it does move around at some point

well, if I don't find big enough trumpets, I might settle for an apple or two. I don't want to have a tiny snail and then lose him to random fish.

On wiki it says this about trumpets:

The average shell length is about 20–27 mm[7] or 30–36 mm, but exceptional specimens may be up to 80 mm long.[6] Shells of this species have 10–15 whorls.[7]

Would be cool to find 2-3 cm long snails (shell).
Maybe I'd get 1 trumpet and 1 apple, depends what I find. Just hope dad won't find something else to do tomorrow -.-

 

[BigbruiserAl]

A reminder that apple snails will die if you try just feed/graze algae

 

[willowstwin]

+1 with Al. Mine eat algae wafers, but ADORE peas (I put frozen peas in a cup, pour boiling water on and leave for a few minutes. Then drain, pick the "shells" off, split them in half - and crush a few for the fish - and drop them in the tank). My apples "hug" the peas - they'll pick an entire half up and wrap their bodies around it while they munch on it. I'm guessing this is to stop the shrimp getting it. I've also noted that they eat bloodworms not sure if this is normal or not?

I have no idea how big my apples are. The Ivory one is the biggest. She's about the size of a pingpong ball, maybe a little bigger... you definitely dont spend long trying to find her.

The reason why I picked apples, was because I didnt want to be over run with babies - apples lay their eggs above the water line, so if you look, you can find them and either cut the line of eggs in half (so less babies) or knock them off into the water (a tasty treat for the fishies and no babies) or just remove them completely.

 

[FishBlast]

A reminder that apple snails will die if you try just feed/graze algae

I wasn't even planning on getting them for algae though as I don't seem to have any (and it's been over a month since I have this tank).
Maybe the plant's been using up everything just to grow the new branches. Old ones seem to go yellow though.

I mainly want snails to remove the old leaves that fall on the sand for me. My ramshorn and its babies have been eating some of them, but they're not enough to remove not even a tiny leaf completely.

And as usual, dad has other stuff to do today. I cannot charge my traveling card without his help so I cannot go anywhere myself.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I'd like to have apples again, but I think my assassins kill them off. I've had two, and both died mysteriously. They certainly are beautiful.

 

[FishBlast]

And in the end I got 2 tiny apple snails. They didn't have any trumpets, only assassin snails.
They're currently in a bowl, being acclimatized (and I'll wash them a bit in there too) before putting them in.

They're in, but now my hoplo is playing football with the one that keeps coming out...

I hope he doesn't develop a taste for apples...