Mini Snails??????

[Auttie_Pie1]

I recently bought some duckweed from this guy and now I have these mini snails and I have no idea what they are. Can someone help me identify them and answer my few questions. I don't have a problem with snails but I've heard horror stories about them so I don't know if I want to risk my tank...

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QUESTIONS:
1) Do they breed? like if I put 3 in there will I end up with 50?
2) Do they benefit the tank? Is it worth it putting them in there?
3) What type of snail is it?
4) If I get an assassin snail will it guarantee a fix?
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Any other information about these little buggers will help so much!

 

[MattW]

Snails will breed prolifically if they are given the right requirements. Overfeeding and waste/detritus are the main things I can think of that will benefit snails such as these. If you can control the amount of food you put in the tank you can control the population of snails.

IMO they do benefit the tank. They will clean up dead plant matter + excess food left from the fish. As my tanks are heavily planted I always get the occasional plant that starts to wither away which the snails clean up for me. When it comes to breeding fish I would say they are a no-go in any aquarium, especially in those that have egg-laying fish.

Freshwater Snail Species In The Hobby

(Thread rework in progress - please pardon our dust!) Freshwater Snail Species In The Hobby (Two Clea helena assassin snails and a Planorbid ramshorn - photo by CassCats) Index Basic Terminology for Identification Physidae: Bladder Snails and Tadpole Snails Lymnaeidae: Pond Snails...

www.fishforums.net

I'm guessing a bladder/mud snail. Do look at the guide in the link above as well.

I've never used an assassin snail but I guess their job is in the name . Another way to get rid of snails is to have a piece of vegetable in the water which will quickly get swarmed then you can manually remove them. Lettuce seems to work well.

Some people do squish them against the glass which fish will feed on if that takes your fancy.

 

[MaloK]

QUESTIONS:
1) Do they breed? like if I put 3 in there will I end up with 50?
2) Do they benefit the tank? Is it worth it putting them in there?
3) What type of snail is it?
4) If I get an assassin snail will it guarantee a fix?

1) Yes, If you put 3 you will end-up with 50, then 500, then 5000.
2) Yes, they do, as long as there's not too much and there is no sudden mass death.
3) Bladder snail.
4) You might need a team.

Any other info:

They don't keep the glass clean.
They block water pumps.
A large population depletes water from carbonate.
They can become a significant bioload.
They compete with shrimps for food.

But most of all:

They are Ugly !!!

 

[Auttie_Pie1]

Snails will breed prolifically if they are given the right requirements. Overfeeding and waste/detritus are the main things I can think of that will benefit snails such as these. If you can control the amount of food you put in the tank you can control the population of snails.

IMO they do benefit the tank. They will clean up dead plant matter + excess food left from the fish. As my tanks are heavily planted I always get the occasional plant that starts to wither away which the snails clean up for me. When it comes to breeding fish I would say they are a no-go in any aquarium, especially in those that have egg-laying fish.

Freshwater Snail Species In The Hobby

(Thread rework in progress - please pardon our dust!) Freshwater Snail Species In The Hobby (Two Clea helena assassin snails and a Planorbid ramshorn - photo by CassCats) Index Basic Terminology for Identification Physidae: Bladder Snails and Tadpole Snails Lymnaeidae: Pond Snails...

www.fishforums.net

I'm guessing a bladder/mud snail. Do look at the guide in the link above as well.

I've never used an assassin snail but I guess their job is in the name . Another way to get rid of snails is to have a piece of vegetable in the water which will quickly get swarmed then you can manually remove them. Lettuce seems to work well.

Some people do squish them against the glass which fish will feed on if that takes your fancy.

I have 1 betta fish and 4 neon tetras. Will they eat the snail if I crush him?

 

[Auttie_Pie1]

1) Yes, If you put 3 you will end-up with 50, then 500, then 5000.
2) Yes, they do, as long as there's not too much and there is no sudden mass death.
3) Bladder snail.
4) You might need a team.

Any other info:

They don't keep the glass clean.
They block water pumps.
A large population depletes water from carbonate.
They can become a significant bioload.
They compete with shrimps for food.

But most of all:

They are Ugly !!!

Thank you for the information, I’m probably just gonna end up getting rid of them

 

[Magnum Man]

& BTW... if you get assassin snails, & there is too much food, or dead plant material, they will eat that, instead of the pest snails, and assassins can breed in your tank, giving you prettier pest snails

 

[MattW]

I have 1 betta fish and 4 neon tetras. Will they eat the snail if I crush him?

I can see the betta having a go. Mine used too

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I'll dissent--I like having bladder/pond snails in my tanks. They are harmless; they help break down waste, and since I don't feed them, they don't really add anything to the bioload.
So there.

 

[Uberhoust]

I have bladder snails in my 75 gallon tank for some time now. Their population goes up if I overfeed and goes down when I feed the fish a bit more sparingly. I suspect the angels eat a few but I haven't witnessed this. I used to spend a lot of time ensuring that I don't get bladder snails but now that I have them I like them.

1) They breed but, in my case, only get out of hand if there are too many nutrients, food, in the tank.
2) I believe they eat a lot of the fish food that the fish do not get, breaking it down to a form more easily used by the plants. Overall I feel their presence is a positive thing.
3) Pretty sure it is a bladder or pond snail.
4) I wouldn't use assassin snails, but that is a person opinion not driven by any real evidence as to why not.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it has been said. I find them interesting to watch as they feed. Of course this comes from someone who has raised land snails.