Snail Advice!

[Kyle E.]

Hey guys!

I currently only have 1 nerite snail but it turns out one nerite in a 30 gallon is not enough lol.

I have been wanting Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) for some time now to keep my substrate nice and clean. I went around my LFS looking for if they had any laying around but they didn't. I also now have some algae on my plants, and I would like it if it was eaten. Snails seem to be the way to go here.

So now it has come to ordering online. However, I found this seller.

It is a multi pack of Ramshorn, pond, and mts. I think it would be cool to have 3 types (4 with the nerite) of snails in the tank and they could all eat the algae and have a good time doing it. Is there any downside to getting multiple types? As far as I know none of these snails eat plants, except for dead/dying ones which is a good thing.

I know some people are heavily against snails, and I am aware that there is a chance of having a snail infestation but I am quite confident that I can handle one and I think the benefits of snails far outweigh the bad things about them.

Any comments?

 

[eatyourpeas]

I would avoid pond snails from internet sellers. If you get Physella acuta (bladder snail) you are ok, but if they send you Lymnaea stagnalis (pond snail), those can carry nasty parasites. You can tell the difference by looking at their shell: bladder snails turn to the left, pond snails turn to the right.

 

[Mick85]

How about a golden mystery snails? I've got 2 big ones in my 22gal community tank and they do a great job keeping it clean. They look awesome too!

 

[Kyle E.]

@Mick85 I kind of want lots of smaller ones, as well as the added benefits of mts, such as substrate aeration, which also helps bring water column nutrients down to the plant roots, and they just clean the mulm deep down into the gravel.

@eatyourpeas Thank you for the heads up. How likely is it that they carry parasites? And are we talking snail-only parasites, or ones that can affect fish as well? I can for sure get just mts but now I really have my heart set on mts and ramshorn lol. I care less about the pond snails, and I tried finding a mixed pack with just mts and ramshorn but there are none. If it is really a problem I can be perfectly happy with just mts though. Could I maybe quarantine? I assume they would eat normal fish food so I could feed them for a week or 2 in a bucket or something.

 

[eatyourpeas]

I think pond snails will make the bulk of your mixed order, unfortunately. @Colin_T has more experience on the parasite subject, and I believe if it gets to your fish, it is pretty much a death sentence. If you are set on MTS and ramshorn, get them as single species instead of a mixed pack. I know it will be more expensive, but worth it.

I quarantined my initial group and treated with PraziPro, then discarded two generations in order to make sure I have a safe source of food for my pea puffers.

 

[Kyle E.]

Oh well. thanks for the info!