Nerite snail feeding

[Meg0000]

Hi, I am not sure if I need to feed my zebra nerite snail or algea in the tank is enough. I was not worried it would be hungry in the last 2 months because it was eating fungus on the wood all day long but now that I replaced the wood I am not sure if I should feed it?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I feed mine algae wafers/blanched cucumbers once a week. (Mine also eats any algae on the tank glass, but I wouldn’t recommend to feed them all the time like this)

 

[Meg0000]

I feed mine algae wafers/blanched cucumbers once a week. (Mine also eats any algae on the tank glass, but I wouldn’t recommend to feed them all the time like this)

Do you wait until the snail is on the bottom of the tank and put the blanched cucumber next to it?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Do you wait until the snail is on the bottom of the tank and put the blanched cucumber next to it?

No, my snails find the cucumber. Just put it in the middle of the tank.

(I personally blanch my cucumber’s, they sink faster and they get rid of any bad stuff that may be in the veggie)

 

[Retired Viking]

It will also eat any fish food not eaten by your fish. Most snails will find food rather quickly, I have dropped shrimp pellets for my cory and watched as my nerites snails "raced" to that area. They seem to be able to smell food from a distance.

 

[Meg0000]

It takes hours to my mystery snail to find the cucumber in a 10 gallon(maybe it's not enough hungry?) so I hope the nerite will be better at finding food in a 50 gallon

 

[Retired Viking]

Mystery snails are too busy looking for plants to destroy. When I had them they ignored food on the bottom of the tank on their way to destroy another one of my plants. I gave mine away and now they dine on plastic plants in my bother-in-laws tank.

 

[Meg0000]

Mystery snails are too busy looking for plants to destroy. When I had them they ignored food on the bottom of the tank on their way to destroy another one of my plants. I gave mine away and now they dine on plastic plants in my bother-in-laws tank.

I guess you had no luck, mine is not interested in plants at all. Who knew they grow so fast?! I think I only had it for 2 weeks and it is now twice bigger!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It takes hours to my mystery snail to find the cucumber in a 10 gallon(maybe it's not enough hungry?) so I hope the nerite will be better at finding food in a 50 gallon

I you have doubts, then gently remove the snail from the glass (or wherever it is) and place it on the cucumber. This is what I did with mine at the start, because he didn’t know it was food.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Mystery snails are too busy looking for plants to destroy. When I had them they ignored food on the bottom of the tank on their way to destroy another one of my plants. I gave mine away and now they dine on plastic plants in my bother-in-laws tank.

Are you sure you didnt accidentally get an apple snail? Those eat plants a lot

 

[Retired Viking]

Are you sure you didnt accidentally get an apple snail? Those eat plants a lot

could be, I was told they were golden mystery snails but you can never believe the LFS and I am no snail expert

 

[JuiceBox52]

could be, I was told they were golden mystery snails but you can never believe the LFS and I am no snail expert

I hear its quite common to get them mixed up

 

[Barry Tetra]

I have never feed my snail and they are still alive
Mine only eat remaining fish food on the bottom.

 

[Essjay]

In the UK, before they were banned by the EU, we used the term apple snails to cover all the various species of Pomacea. There were two species common in shops, brig apple snails and cana apple snails. Brigs were Pomacea diffusa (called brigs from their old name) which stayed smaller than a golf ball and did not eat plants; canas were P. canaliculata which grew bigger than a golf ball and did eat plants.

Just so that I know, what is the species that you call mystery snails, and which is the species you call apple snails? The photos of mystery snails I've seen on here look just like the brig I had years ago.



Nerite snails - I've never fed mine on anything. They eat algae and whatever they find - the fish are fed flakes, sinking pellets, sinking algae/kelp wafers (not all at the same time). I've had two of my snails for 9 years.

 

[Meg0000]

In the UK, before they were banned by the EU, we used the term apple snails to cover all the various species of Pomacea. There were two species common in shops, brig apple snails and cana apple snails. Brigs were Pomacea diffusa (called brigs from their old name) which stayed smaller than a golf ball and did not eat plants; canas were P. canaliculata which grew bigger than a golf ball and did eat plants.

Just so that I know, what is the species that you call mystery snails, and which is the species you call apple snails? The photos of mystery snails I've seen on here look just like the brig I had years ago.



Nerite snails - I've never fed mine on anything. They eat algae and whatever they find - the fish are fed flakes, sinking pellets, sinking algae/kelp wafers (not all at the same time). I've had two of my snails for 9 years.

Ok so I should be good without feeding the nerite. Were you talking to Retired Viking for the apple snail/mystery snail part? I know mine is a mystery snail because my LFS had both in different tank but I didn't know the scientific name