Ramshorn Snail

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of introducing ONE ramshorn snail to my goldfish tank? Do they reproduce asexually or do they need two to reproduce?

 

[aly_starh]

They dont need 2 to reproduce, as long as your not overfeeding your fish, it shouldnt produce.

~betta_246

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

That was a quick response thank you I have a friend who has offered me just one snail; I had said I only wanted to try one and the shops only sell them in 5's.

I'm definately not overfeeding my fish; I watch them eat and the odd bit of food escapes them but generally nothing does.

 

[three-fingers]

Fast response, but it didn't really make sense.

You need two ramshorns to reproduce, however, any snail you get from your friends tank will almost certainly already have fertilised eggs inside it - so it will multiply, assuming the goldfish doesnt eat it and/or the baby snails (I never managed to get snails in my goldfish tank).

The snails wont multiply rapidly unless you have a lot of organic waste lying around in the tank (uneaten food, dead/dieing plants, lots of fish poop). So if you dont want loads of the snails, just keep the tank clean. The snails are beneficial, they clean up whatever waste they find and convert it into more snails, they also eat algae.

But like I said, there's a good chance the goldfish will eat them anyway.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I do also have a small pet carrier which I was tempted to put a snail in

I will have a good think about it first.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Or you could try Nerite snails. They can survive in an unheated tank, and will not breed in fresh water.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Really? Thanks. I'll have a look; thank you.

 

[pippoodle]

1 apple snail - wont reproduce on its own also if its already been mated they lay eggs out of the water so you can remove the eggs before they hatch

apple snails are fine in cold and tropical tanks

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Oh I liked the look of apple snails, but the man in the shop told me they don't go in cold water; even though they had them in with codlwater fish.

 

[saltynay]

Apple snails can go down to 14C happily they just are sluggish however they live longer due to the slower metabolism. Think of it like a car drive it very fast all the time and you will use up fuel in a lot shorter time then if you are slow and steady at a low speed the fuel will last longer same for apple snails between hot and cold water tanks basically. 14C is also the limit temp for feeding goldfish normal flake food below that temp they need winter food normally in pellet form which they can eat down to 10C then they will slow right down to a near hibernation state around 4-6C and shouldn't be fed as the food rots in their stomach. I am guessing yours are house goldfish so won't really need to know about such temperature extremes but still worthwhile just in case.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

It's worth knowing about the temperature things; thanks.

Yes mine are house fish. I don't have a thermometer in their tank but it warms up to room temperature pretty quickly.

I did half fancy an apple snail but the man in the shop said they were only tropical and wouldn't do well in the fish tank; I guess there is one way to find out.

Thanks for the help.