Nerite snails had babies in freshwater

[Lgoldman]

Hi! I have a 20 gallon tank with mollies, platys, a albino bristle nose pleco, and two nerite snails. Today I came home to both fish fry (I’m not sure if they are mollies or platys, and I am not removing them because I do not care if they survive), and at least one baby snail. I’m not surprised by the fry, but I’m confused about how the snails had babies. I thought Nerite snails couldn’t reproduce in freshwater. The only salt that has ever gone in the tank is aquarium salt, and not a large amount of it. Is this just super rare and a one time thing or could I end up with a lot of snails?

 

[Sgooosh]

Hi! I have a 20 gallon tank with mollies, platys, a albino bristle nose pleco, and two nerite snails. Today I came home to both fish fry (I’m not sure if they are mollies or platys, and I am not removing them because I do not care if they survive), and at least one baby snail. I’m not surprised by the fry, but I’m confused about how the snails had babies. I thought Nerite snails couldn’t reproduce in freshwater. The only salt that has ever gone in the tank is aquarium salt, and not a large amount of it. Is this just super rare and a one time thing or could I end up with a lot of snails?

super rare, nerite larvae are sooo hard to raise, you should be very proud!!!! pictures? it might just be a pest snail.../

 

[Lgoldman]

super rare, nerite larvae are sooo hard to raise, you should be very proud!!!! pictures? it might just be a pest snail.../

I can’t get a picture right now because I cant find it, but it looked similar to pics I saw online. Is it even possible for a pest snail to get into the tank? I don’t have any snails besides the nerites.

 

[Sgooosh]

I can’t get a picture right now because I cant find it, but it looked similar to pics I saw online. Is it even possible for a pest snail to get into the tank? I don’t have any snails besides the nerites.

no, some live plants or stuff have baby nerites or pest snails. i got my nerite from a plant, she was hanging from a plant as a baby

 

[Lgoldman]

no, some live plants or stuff have baby nerites or pest snails. i got my nerite from a plant, she was hanging from a plant as a baby

Oh, that makes sense. I haven’t gotten any new plants recently though. It’s fine as long as it‘s a one time thing. Thanks!

 

[Circus]

One ramshorn/pond/trumpet snail can aquickly turn unto a whole colony. It is almost impossible for nerites to breed in the home aquarium. The eggs you see them lay are actually about a hundred of tiny ones in a single sac. Nerites are not fully formed at birth, but actually have a larval stage, with no shell. If you did manage to get one of the larvae successfully to adulthood, congratulations. I hope it grows big and strong! Maybe you can find a way to keep them coming. Do you feed the tank anything in particular?

 

[Lgoldman]

One ramshorn/pond/trumpet snail can aquickly turn unto a whole colony. It is almost impossible for nerites to breed in the home aquarium. The eggs you see them lay are actually about a hundred of tiny ones in a single sac. Nerites are not fully formed at birth, but actually have a larval stage, with no shell. If you did manage to get one of the larvae successfully to adulthood, congratulations. I hope it grows big and strong! Maybe you can find a way to keep them coming. Do you feed the tank anything in particular?

The baby snail I saw had a shell. I never noticed any larvae but I could have missed it as I wasn’t looking and I have a ton of Java moss. I don’t feed the tank anything special. Just tropical flakes, frozen brine shrimp, algae wafers, and some vegetables for the pleco.

 

[Essjay]

The discussion on breeding nerites (near the bottom of the page in the link) explains why it is virtually unheard of to get baby nerites in a typical aquarium.

Nerite Snails – Detailed Guide: Care, Diet and Breeding - Shrimp and Snail Breeder

Nerite snails are a great addition to any planted aquarium and they will be really good friends the dwarf shrimp. They do not reproduce in freshwater.

aquariumbreeder.com