ramshorn snails

[Kittycat]

An LFS gave me some of their ramshorn snails that came with their plants. But I'm rather confused as to conflicting information I read in the net about them. People say they're either great creatures that don't harm plants or overpopulate the tank, others say the exact opposite. Which is really true about ramshorns? Are they beneficial or pests? And how do they reproduce?

These tiny ones also came with them: (I figure they must be common pond snails or something)

 

[OohFeeshy]

I think they eat plants, and do haemaphrodidic (sp?) reproduction. Is that even a word...?

 

[The-Wolf]

Hermaphrodite; yes it is a word
borne of greek myth
Hermaphroditus
n. A youth in Greek myth, the son of Hermes(messenger and son of Zeus) and Aphrodite( goddess of love), who was joined in one body with the nymph Salmacis while bathing. The best-known telling of this story is in Ovid's Metamorphoses.

AFAIK
ramshorn snails can be a huge problem in aquariums, often devistating live plants.
is it possible you can add some kind of botia to your tank, they love eating snails.

 

[Kittycat]

Thanks. I don't have space for snail eating fishes, but I'm hoping to keep them under control, all snails are in my bare fry tank just cleaning up. Will just be careful not to transfer any to the other tanks.

BTW, I often catch one or two of the ramshorms floating upside down at the top of the tank, is this normal?

 

[OohFeeshy]

I know the story behind the word. I was looking through my book of myths and found it very funny. I meant the word haemaprodidic. By that, I mean adding the -didic bit on the end.