New apple snails in my tank

[igongora]

Yesterday I wento to my LFS to get some falkes form my fish.. and suddenly I looked at the tanks, and there they were.. apple snails, I asked for the price and it was 5 cordobas (US$ 0.25) each one.. I couldn't resist and I purchased 2 of them.. I hope they reproduce.

Should I take spacial care about these snails, special feeding? water? etc?

Thanks

 

[martins]

these will reproduce like mad rabbits... they dont need any special care... good thing about them - they eat junk - algae and food leftowers

 

[OceanMaiden]

Yes, they reproduce quickly, provided he has both a male and female. They are not hermamphrodites like most other snails. These snails love left overs and eat just about anything. I give mine algea wafers, shrimp pellets, litle bits of spinach and french cut green beans in addition to the scraps they eat so they get a good varied diet for the nutrients they need to build their shells strong. They should be fine with any other peaceful fish or invertabrates. Barbs and loaches are a no no to have in the tank with these snails as they will eat them. If your snails do turn out to be a pair, a boy and a girl then they will eventually mate and lay eggs. These can be found above the water line or even on the hood next to the lights. So if you find a clutch of eggs and want to know more about raising the babies you can pm me if youd like. I'd be more than happy to help. I have many apple snails of my own and I'm currently raising baby snails myself. Good luck with your new beautiful snails igongora!!

 

[Gena575]

these will reproduce like mad rabbits... they dont need any special care... good thing about them - they eat junk - algae and food leftowers

Actually, apple snails (most often pomacea species) do need more food, and more types of food, than just "junk." They need a diet high in calcium. They enjoy a wide variety of foods such as cooked or canned green beans, collard and other leafy greens, dandelion leaves (no pesticides/herbicides please), zucchini, broccoli and such. To ensure my snails are getting enough calcium I feed them snail jello (jarred baby food, unflavored gelatin, reptile insect dusting powder and crushed fish food) in addition to the cooked veggies.

Also, while they will be quite the prolific breeders, their population is simple to control. They lay egg clutches out of the water (check the underside of your hood!) that can easily be removed, frozen or crushed and then simply flushed.

If you'd like more information about apple snails, www.applesnail.net is a GREAT resource!

 

[Mosaic]

I have two of these guys. They're the most interesting things in the tank, I think. Not sure if its a pair. No babies in the 55g yet, but there's suddenly a bunch of snails in the 10g quarentine they were in. I'm still trying to figure out if they're babies or hitch hikers from the plants.
I was wondering about the calcium issue myself. So thanks for that info.

 

[Musket]

Enjoy the new additions
Keeping a good strong shell and water changes (like we do with the fish anyway) will help then grow big and strong. My snails are such characters and a real joy to watch. None of my fish bother them.