What snail is this?

[ALAW]

Hi hoping somebody can identify this hitchhiker that has made its way into my tank I presume in a plant I recently bought?

 

[Essjay]

It's a physid snail, common names pond snails (though those a really a different species), trapdoor snail, bladder snail. They are the first type of snail listed in this thread

Freshwater Snail Species In The Hobby

Basic Terminology for Identification Anatomy: Foot: the bottom, muscular portion of the animal used for locomotion. Siphon: a proboscis-like appendage appearing on the side of the shell in some species. Mantle: the soft tissue inside the opening of the shell. Spire: the conical part of a...

www.fishforums.net

Many people do not like these pest snails but they are actually a useful part of a tank's ecosystem. They are a problem when their numbers get out of control but controlling their food supply controls their numbers. Uneaten fish food and other organic matter in the tank will cause a population explosion. I've had these snails and the tiny ramshorns in my tanks for years but because I take care not to over feed there are not many of them.

 

[ALAW]

OK thanks a lot, as far as I can see there o ly the 1, do I need to worry about a population explosion? My tank is 13g and already fully stocked, I don't mind if its just gonna be the 1 on its own.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I'd dispose of it, and I'd be willing to bet you find more, sooner rather than later...there's probably unhatched eggs, as well...they ARE beneficial, but prone to breeding uncontrollably

 

[Byron]

OK thanks a lot, as far as I can see there o ly the 1, do I need to worry about a population explosion? My tank is 13g and already fully stocked, I don't mind if its just gonna be the 1 on its own.

As long as you have fish in the tank, you will never have "just 1" of these small common-type snails. As @Essjay posted, not overfeeding your fish partly controls them. They do not add to the bioload, because they are feeding on organics which are already in the tank--stuff like all the fish excrement, any dead plant matter, excess fish food. This is their benefit, they eat all this and break it down faster for the various bacteria to then deal with more effectively. They will reproduce if food is available--and in any fish tank it always will be to some extent; the fish load and what you feed the fish determines this. They are thus in a way a good "barometer" as to the biological state of the aquarium. They also gently graze plant leaves, eating algae.