Snails, Microworms, Fry Tank

[JoLtNbolt]

Will snails eat excess microworms in my fry tank?

 

[Never2ManyBettas]

Some will. I have had the best luck with Pomacea bridgesii (aka Mystery snails... applesnails) and some ramshorns.

Pomacea Bridgesii is the best.... but many lfs have cannas thrown into the mix. Applesnail.net is the best place to learn how to tell them apart. Other than that.... just know that only bridgesii come in blue, purple, pink, jade (yellow shell BLACK body). Stay away from wild type coloring and gold as both cannas and bridgesii come in those colors.

Cannas get huge..... really hefty. Problem is they devour plants at a crazy rate. Bridgesii are scavengers and prefer rotting stuff... dead plants... fish food... They will eat microworms.... and grindals.... but DO NOT put microfex in with them. Microfex are carnivorous and will eat away at the applesnails. Bridgesii will also eat dead fry. They do not catch them.

When getting a new applesnail.... remember to quarantine them. It is not because they harbor anything contagious ... but it is because lfs treat them horribly. 1 dead snail and you tank can crash really fast.

Look for a good sized foot.... and that they are active. Bigger is not better. Bigger means older... and they do not have the longest life span. Eroding shells or yellowing means they were/ are in bad water. Yellowing happens with really really high nitrates. Erosion happens with ph under 7.2. Their shells are mainly calcium... and acidic water eats away at it.

They are not hermaphrodites. They are either male or female. They lay their eggs above the waterline and it is easy to control their population.

They do not digest food well. Great for promoting infusoria.... bad if you hate cleaning you tank.

OK...... that covers most of it.... good luck.

 

[JoLtNbolt]

I have 2 types of snails in my betta tank:

5 Malaysian Trumpet Snails
more than i can count - small brown snails and plenty of their eggs - I'm not sure what kind they are, but the larger ones are about 1/4 of an inch or less in size.

 

[Never2ManyBettas]

MTS are noctournal and the babies hide in the gravel by the hundreds. Bonus to MTS is they are always moving about in the substrate.... good for the roots in planted tanks. Downfall... lay eggs underwater and population is hard to control.

The brown snails.... if they are more turban shaped (or kinda football shaped I guess)... those could be physa acuta. They are tough... very tough. As in leave them in a bucket... and the bucket can just freeze over... and they are just fine. Not something you want to encourage in your tanks unless you are intending them as a food source.

IMO Neither of those 2 are as good at cleaning up MW remains as a bridgesii is in a fry tank.

 

[Synirr]

MTS are noctournal and the babies hide in the gravel by the hundreds. Bonus to MTS is they are always moving about in the substrate.... good for the roots in planted tanks. Downfall... lay eggs underwater and population is hard to control.

I thought MTS give live birth? That's what makes them so difficult to control... practically nothing can eat them, and there are no vulnerable eggs either. I use MTS and ramshorns in my fry tanks with great success, but I've never tried other kinds so obviously I'm biased

 

[JoLtNbolt]

I thought MTS give live birth? That's what makes them so difficult to control... practically nothing can eat them, and there are no vulnerable eggs either. I use MTS and ramshorns in my fry tanks with great success, but I've never tried other kinds so obviously I'm biased

All of the research i've done on MTS says that they have live births. I can't seem to get them to reproduce in large numbers. Every now and then i'll see small ones in my tank, but then it seems that the larger ones disappear, never to be seen again.

 

[JoLtNbolt]

The brown snails.... if they are more turban shaped (or kinda football shaped I guess)... those could be physa acuta. They are tough... very tough. As in leave them in a bucket... and the bucket can just freeze over... and they are just fine. Not something you want to encourage in your tanks unless you are intending them as a food source.

IMO Neither of those 2 are as good at cleaning up MW remains as a bridgesii is in a fry tank.

I just googled Phsa acuta, and I beleive that is what I have. They are extremely prolific, and they've already taken over 2 of my 2 gallon betta tanks. I'm going to try not to spread them to my 25 gallon or my other 3, betta tanks.

 

[JoLtNbolt]

MTS are noctournal and the babies hide in the gravel by the hundreds. Bonus to MTS is they are always moving about in the substrate.... good for the roots in planted tanks. Downfall... lay eggs underwater and population is hard to control.

The brown snails.... if they are more turban shaped (or kinda football shaped I guess)... those could be physa acuta. They are tough... very tough. As in leave them in a bucket... and the bucket can just freeze over... and they are just fine. Not something you want to encourage in your tanks unless you are intending them as a food source.

IMO Neither of those 2 are as good at cleaning up MW remains as a bridgesii is in a fry tank.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of Physa acuta? There are hundreds of baby snails all over the plants... I'll never be able to pick them all off.