Tiny snails

[Divinityinlove]

So I've had a continuous outbreak of these tiny snails since I bought some moss and overlooked the small print that they might come with these.

However, I'm wondering why the heck none of them grow? There's constantly dozens of them, but never have any reached a bigger size than maybe 5mm.

I have one original hitch hiker, this one:... is it likely she eats them? her mouth is only about 2mm.... doesn't seem like she could be responsible. Only fish in my tank are guppies, tetras and 1 female betta.

Could there be another reason they die off?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

You don't want too many of these in your tank, if was me I'd be squishing them against the glass and letting the fish feast! They don't grow much bigger than what you've got there and they may be dying due to lack of food for them...which is a good thing

 

[Essjay]

The tiny ones in the photo on the plant don't grow any bigger because that species of planorbid snails only grows that big. I've had these snails in my tanks for as long as I can remember and they never grow bigger than that. Some planorbids (ramshorns) do grow a lot bigger but they are different species - and we usually have to buy the large species, it's the tiny ones that arrive on plants..
If there is a lot of food for them they will multiply. Food means uneaten fish food and algae. I rarely see the few I have as I don't over feed the fish.


The second snail, the one on the glass in the photo, is a nerite snail and if you got that as a hitchhiker you are lucky - we usually have to pay for nerites. Nerites do not eat other snails - and they do not reproduce in a fresh water tank. They do lay eggs but they need brackish water to hatch and for the larvae to survive.

 

[Divinityinlove]

You don't want too many of these in your tank, if was me I'd be squishing them against the glass and letting the fish feast! They don't grow much bigger than what you've got there and they may be dying due to lack of food for them...which is a good thing

Why do you not want too many of them?

 

[Rocky998]

Their ramshorn snails. Harmless when in small numbers

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Why do you not want too many of them?

Because they can very quickly infest your tank and all you'll have is snails if you don't mind that then cool, but for me that's a nightmare