Id Mystery Snails

[stanleo]

Is this possible? I read the article on freshwater snails and there were two that had the common name of mystery snail. I think they are Ampulariidea but could they be Viviparidea? The two have different reproductive habits and different care requirements. I thought they were easy to care for snails like nerites so bought them. Will they be ok in my 55gl planted community? I usually have about half an inch of space above the water line, so is that enough?

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

They could be apple snails, which will eat plants and grow the size of an apple, or mystery snails that don't eat plants and grow the size of a golfball. If you got them from a pet store labeled "Mystery Snail" they are probably are a mystery snail

 

[LilyRose Tank]

However there is large number of hobbies ts and breeders that classify apple snails as mystery snails, and visa versa. And as far as I am aware they don't eat your aquarium plants. Mine never have

 

[star4]

"Golden apple snails" Pomacea canaliculata and pomacea maculata will eat any plants they can and devour a whole tank in a pretty short time. These snails are now banned in the UK.

 

[Donya]

The terms "apple snail" and "mystery snail" are pretty meaningless when it comes to what species the snail actually is. 
 
These snails are Pomacea diffusa, formerly called Pomacea bridgesii (the taxonomy of Amullariidae was shaken up recently by DNA testing). P diffusa is the only Ampullariid still legal in the USA and they should be fine with most plants but need a LOT of food compared to Nerites and also make a lot of waste compared to them. 1/2" above the waterline isn't very much for these snails when full grown and you almost certainly will get snails overboard if it's open-topped with that little space. Usually 1-2" is better, particularly if you have a female that needs to lay eggs (otherwise the snail can become stressed and/or risk injuring itself falling out or trying to force through gaps if there is not enough room). For open-topped tanks, 3-4" is safer to avoid injured escapees.