what kind of snails

[cassandra]

what kind of snails is best to have in fresh water, and little alge

 

[Starry^]

I dont really know what kind of snails you are looking at keeping, but we have an apple snail, he is quite big, and can only reproduce if we had a female in the tank, we have had an outburst of common snails in our tanks, which isnt a problem yet but could become one, as they just keep laying eggs, due to being asexual reproducers(they all lay eggs with out breeding with another sex), and the tank will become over run, but an apple snail, will eat algae, and if you dont have enough algae growing in the tank for it to eat, you can feed him algae wafers, or some cucumber, ours especially loves cucumber, though I have been told that lonely apple snails will die earlier without a friend.
They are oki to have males and females together as they lay their eggs above the surface of the water and are easy enough to see and remove them.
but i would recommend an apple snail most definately
our ones name is gary check out this site for more info! apple snails



Starry^

 

[Alien Anna]

I agree about golden apple snails - nice creatures. However, I wanted to point out that they aren't male or female - every snail is both. They do need a partner to reproduce however. I don't think snails experience loneliness - that would require some things they don't have (like a brain, for instance)

 

[Starry^]

actually, no, Apple snails are gonochoristic (separated sexes) so one needs a male and a female snail.
- Apple snails reproduce when the temperature rises in combination with enough food available.
- For those species that lay their eggs above the water, one should provide enough air space (+15cm/6 inch).
- Some apple snail species might need an aestivation period in the mud before they breed successfully.

It is also important to mention that female apple snails can store the sperms for months, so even with a single snail, the egg clutches can be fertile.
With no male snail present, female apple snails occasionally produce infertile eggs. Obviously, these eggs do no hatch.
Last but not least: not all apple snails do lay their eggs above the water and eggs that are laid above the water should stay there, just like the aquatic eggs should stay below the surface.
At the right circumstances an apple snail can produce one clutch of eggs every 4-7 days during several weeks. After such a period, there often comes a less productive period in which the female snail regains strength. The species, temperature and availability of food are the main factors in the egg production.

if you check out applesnail.net you can check for yourself
I also thought all snails were asexual and could reproduce without a different sex

They do need a partner to reproduce however

why would they need a partner if they are asexual?

In asexual reproduction, one individual produces offspring that are genetically identical to itself. These offspring are produced by mitosis. There are many invertebrates, including sea stars and sea anemones for example, that produce by asexual reproduction.

As for dying at an earlier age , why is that so ridiculous?I dont have any facts to back that up, but the fact that they are male and female, gives just cause for them to become lonely,lonely may be the wrong description, but in general, thats what it is, without the company of a snail of the opposite sex.
no matter how small brained an animal is, they all have their own ways of communication.




Starry^

 

[Zak Ursulo]

my snail has a brain he keeps moving one of my plants out of a corner and pushing it to the other side of the tank.. thats along way. i couldnt figure out what was going on untill i caught him pushing it along

 

[cheirodon]

I too thought all snails had both sexes, but I'd heard that worms for example, need intercourse to procreate, as the 2 sexes are apart within the body, and cannot mate with themselves ?

One thing is sure though, regular snails will colonize your tank. They multiply like a virus. It's a job to keep them at bay...

 

[cassandra]

how can you tell the differents in male and female snails