Snails

So what is it? Why doesn't it look like an apple snail. The shell is covered in alge. Theres no way you could tell if it is or isn't an apple snail. I don't know why were even still posting the guy probably hasn't come back to read what we wrote. At least he's not making it obviouse.
 
wwestar2000 said:
So what is it? Why doesn't it look like an apple snail. The shell is covered in alge. Theres no way you could tell if it is or isn't an apple snail.
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*sigh* you know everything

EDIT: oh and btw, it isn't algae on the shell...that is how ramshorn snails naturally look as juveniles...i think i would know as i have dozens of them, and if i could get a picture (they are way too small and most come out like the OP's pictures) you would see too...you are much more likely go get any other type of snail on your plants than apple snails...

then again, you just argue and disagree for the hell of it...but you don't ever question google...weird
 
Are those Ramshorn? I had one in my tank that died a while ago. It was rather small and I've had some of these for a long time. None have grown at all to resemble a Ram. Just like the pic only bigger.
 
Ramshorn snail are generally the ones who hitch rides from lps plants. They also love to gobble plants. Their eggs are generally found in clusters and can be removed.

Malaysian Trumpet Snails do not eat plants, turn the substrate, and, IMO, are pretty nice to have around. They reproduce like mad if I over feed (livebearers I think), but I don't mind the over-population: I use the babies in my puffer tank!

Another reason for plant destruction could be the fish you have. My clown loaches nearly took out my amazon swords. At one point, if the leaf wasn't already chewed up, it at least had a few nibbles.
 
wwestar2000 said:
So what is it? Why doesn't it look like an apple snail. The shell is covered in alge. Theres no way you could tell if it is or isn't an apple snail. I don't know why were even still posting the guy probably hasn't come back to read what we wrote. At least he's not making it obviouse.
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the marks on the shell arent algae, thats just the patterns that come on the shell with the snail :p


thanks for the feed back, im gonna chuck in a lettuce leaf in a sec

one other question, other than puffers, are there ne other fish that might kill them off if this doesnt work?
 
Clown loaches are cool guys. They school, are community friendly, and clean up scraps on the bottom. They are playful. I like the tank bred best. Snails are a favorite of theirs. They will keep them in check if not wipe them out. So far my clowns aren't interested in my plants. The clown loache gets very big, over a foot and is recommended for a minimum fifty gallon tank. The big BUT is that they grow very slowly and lfs routinely exchange for a smaller one if yours get too big.

My objection to the snails that come free on plants is that they leave their eggs everywhere, including but not limited to tank sides, inside filters, inside filter media. They will clog up the filters requiring more frequent diassemble cleaning. I much prefer watching my loaches play (they even get my very serious peacock dwarf cichlid to attempt play sometimes) to cleaning filter tubes. I hope someday someone will breed a dwarf clown loache and none too soon. :wub:

I also remember reading of another loache that would eat snails, but I don't remember if it was non-aggressive. You might try the catfish forum.
 
thanks jolly sue :D

think ima go head to the lfs this afternoon and grab a couple
 
I thought clown loaches would be catfish, but they are in the Cyprinids, Characins and Atherinids forum.

I did mention that they need a bit of room and are recommended for a minimum tank of 50 usg? I have three in a 100 usg and wish I could have more. They are personality plus.

You might find a favorable substitute in the forum though. Be sure to ask about them. They are scaleless and therefore get ich easily under stress. I treat evey water change with aquarisol.

Let me know if you get them and how it goes.
 
yah id need a reasonably big tank for them. thats why im reconsidering getting them atm

but i was thinking of bagging all my fish and leaving them with a friend and then letting my friends axototly (sp?) (you know those creatures that look like under water dragons?) go nuts in my fish tank for a day or two and chow down on the snails lol

or i could borrow my friends clown loaches for a day rofl

either way thanks for the help.
 
one other question, if i was to get the loaches, will they go eat my mystery snail?
 
just keep in mind they don't usually just all-of-a-sudden eat all of the snails...some never do, some take time to "learn" it, and some will kill them all within a matter of minutes....as i say in nearly every single snail thread, you need to keep the population in check by not feeding your fish as much and removing some a couple times a week (using the lettuce trick)...you can't count on a fish doing it for you...so what, you get a clown loach to eat some snails...those snails already laid eggs and within a couple weeks you will have another outbreak...then what?
 
Keep in mind - this snail just looks like a regular 'pest' snail. But bear in mind it's there for a reason - you are overfeeding! Cut down the feeding instead of getting the loaches. These particular snails (I would argue!) are actually pretty useful - they don't eat plants and consume a lot of excess food which could otherwise be more harmful for your tank.

Here's a snippet I wrote in a pinned thread in this forum- which you might find useful: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=30

The snails are there - not because they eat fish mess (it has low energy value as well as probably not tasting nice), they are there because there is excess food for them. Perhaps you are overfeeding your tank - cut back the feeding to every other day and reduce the amount you feed to your fish - they should be furious at the surface fighting for food everytime you feed them not lounging about in the middle of the tank and waiting for it to sink down to them and looking bloated. Cutting back feeding will also solve any algae problems you are likely to be suffering.
So the snail population will decrease over time - not because snails die off and pollute the tank, but because - well yes they will die over time but the fact is the food is no longer in great excess and so they don't rapidly multiply in a period of relative "snail boom".

To help them on their way you can manually remove them, there are many "methods" for making it easy to remove vast amounts of snails but unless you are SERIOUSLY overun with pest snails I have found them to vary in success never the less I will list them later. One solution is to pick the snails off in the tank - this is time consuming you drop them and they then lurk in the gravel, a modified solution to this is crushing them when they are in the tank instead of taking them out - i do not know a single fish which will not eat squashed snail! They make a sort of crunch - perhaps pest snail squashing isn't for everyone though.
The two main methods I hear as the "miracle cure" may work for you, but didn't for me.

1) Anchor a piece of lettuce under something, leave it overnight and when you turn on the lights the next morning it should be covered. Just pitch them in the trash. Simple and completelty safe.

The second method varies only in that it uses courgette /zucchini (I believe you Americans call it that?) inside a glass, and feeding the caught snails to a tank of puffers or clown loaches instead of throwing it into the trash.
 
I do so agree, snails multiply when there is plenty of food. They will gather on some foods that can be then removed. I actually favor bottom feeder algae tabs for that job, but it annnoys me to have them competing with the other inhabitants. Clowns probably won't completely wipe them out. If the've been around for awhile they are already in the filters and hidden places, They seem to always come back.

Nevertheless, I love my clowns. :wub:

Snails do clean out the excess food, which is good. And I may have more algae than before my loaches. But I love my clowns. :wub:

Snails don't do well with goldfish either. The goldfish are ravenous scavengers. And don't leave much for the snails. They may even taste the smaller snails.

I prefer my clowns to squashing and picking. I think there is a matter of preference. I certainly wouldn't expect snail keepers to put clown loaches in with their snails.

The whole idea is to give milba some options and resaonable information.

Cutting back on overfeeding is always good advice though. :whistle:
 

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