snails & LFS

[andyt_uk]

so..
spent all weekend checking out as many LFS's as possible so good, so not so good
but none selling snails
then popped along to the closest LFS the other night (one that claims to be "completely dedicated to your total satisfaction" and i am sure they claim somewhere to be the UK's biggest mail order or whatever) - should i name them?

anyway, just about every tank they have has snails in, so i asked if they had any for sale
LFS kid: "why"
me: "i want one in my tank"
LFS kid: "what for?"
me: "well i heard they were good, would keep the tank clean and just look a bit different to just fish"
LFS kid: "why? have you got algae?"
me: "no"
LFS kid: "cos if you have you can get fish that eat algae"
me: "no, no algae, i thought they would help clean up uneaten food etc"
LFS kid: "well if there is uneaten food you are feeding too much"
me: "yeah! fair point, but i was advised something like a golden apple would be a nice, usefull addition"
LFS kid: "right, well erm. no we dont sell them"

.. arggghhhh

so no where i can find near me sells anything like that at all

although at that LFS if i buy some plants i could see they were covered in snails - doubtful if they would be the nice useful kind though...

 

[platypus]

That sounds so annoying!

There is a company in the UK (cornwall) that does mail order fish that seems to be rated very highly by others on this forum. Called Tri Mar, maybe they do snails? I saw a Mystery (think that's the right name) snail in my LFS the other day and it was beautiful, shame I have clown loaches who would treat it as a lovely snack!

 

[andyt_uk]

what price were they?
TRI MAR charge £10 delivery, and certainly dont list snails on the online availability list.

i did see some nice yellow bellied turtles on my weekend travels, though i doubt they would get on with my fishies

 

[Lateral Line]

4 basic truths.

People who live in softwatwer areas want to keep hardwater fish.

People who live in hardwater areas want to keep softwater fish.

People who want snails in their tank can't get them.

People who are plagued by wretched snails can't get rid of them.

 

[andyt_uk]

LOL thanks LAT

 

[joshua]

i did see some nice yellow bellied turtles on my weekend travels, though i doubt they would get on with my fishies

honestly i would try my best to discourage anyone who wanna get turtles for this tortoise family... after a certain age they cease to age and only die of diseases or so i heard... anyway my terrapin has grown to larger than my hand and is even trying to bite my finger off lol.. just a personal opinion

 

[ticman]

a good snail site is applesnail.net

They might have some info re purchasing them. I have several apple and mystery snails. The apple snail is able to breathe out of water and can do so for up to six months if properly fed. Apples also reproduce fairly easily but you MUST have a male and female.

I also have loads of the small red snails. I like them. They keep tank clean and when they become too prolific they become great fish food. My large Angels go nuts for them.

 

[Lithril]

Yup Lateral I can add one more line to yours. People with 2 tanks and want snails in one and not the other always seem to get it the wrong way around... I've got a 10 gal which I wanted to be snail free - didn't manage and so far they've decimated most of my plants, I hook out all the ones I see and put into the tank the puffers are going into. Trouble is I can't put any more fish in the 10 gal so can't even put any snail control in there

May have to do a night patrol tonight come down after the lights have been out for a while with a net and a torch and see if I can catch the lil buggers then

 

[BlackWolf0503]

Snail Question time.
I had one pop up in my tank this morning, he was not visible yesterday-to my eyes. I know they come from plants. Are they good for a tank? Bad for a tank? What are their pro's & con's? I'm guessing that since I see one I probably have alot more on the way. I know nothing about these things. Thanks guys--

 

[Losi]

Andy,
where abouts are you as my local Maidenhead aquatics sells apple snails in Bourne End Bucks!!

 

[andyt_uk]

would u believe it
i get home from work tonight test my water (nitrites are up!) but while waiting for the test to dry i check out the tank and spot a tiny snail on one of the plants i bought last week!
of course it wont be an apple and will eat all my plants!
so to date the same lfs has kindly given me an anchor worm suspected ich and now the wrong type of snail all for FREE!
nice people!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi andyt uk

For quite a few years I've had a few of those little snails in my tanks. I don't know where they came from, but there were never too many. Actually, I thought they were cute. When the population started to increase, I'd just take some out and feed them to the goldfish.

Then, a few months ago, they had a population explosion. My fry tanks seemed to wind up overrun with them and I was no longer able to control them. By the time one batch of fry was ready to be moved from the tank, it was disgusting. The tank was literally crawling with them. So, I boiled the gravel and washed it, scrubbed the tank with salt and soaked the plants in salt water (which didn't do them any good).

After setting it up again using gravel and filter floss from my goldfish tank, which was snail free, guess what? They're back! I don't know if they transfer on the nets, or what. (For all I know they might be doing a Chinese fire drill in my living room once the lights are out!!!!)

Anyway, watch out for those little things. They can get to be a real problem.

 

[andyt_uk]

Andy,
where abouts are you as my local Maidenhead aquatics sells apple snails in Bourne End Bucks!!

in Bradford Losi, thanks for the heads up but a bit far to travel

 

[Harry]

"Apples also reproduce fairly easily but you MUST have a male and female."

Im pretty sure all snails are hermaphrodites (ie male and female at the same time).

-Harry

 

[Alien Anna]

I had a snail problem once. Then I bought some chain loaches (aka pygmy botia) and within days I didn't have a single visible snail. Now I have to harvest them from another tank to feed my loaches.

Its a pity chain loaches are so rare because they're great little snail eaters!