snails in my tank ?

[matthew_raw]

i seen a small snail in my tank and after looking online it says that they reproduce fast so i stripped my tank and saved all the water but cleaned the rocks, is there any chance of them coming back and i moved the 2 snails i found to a small container with some tank water in it. is there any value in them sounds like a stupid question but if they are going to reproduce i might as well use them.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Pond snails I'm assuming. They are worth nothing. Very common and fast breeders. They are of no harm to your tank. They will only reproduce to excess if you over feed your tank or leave excess organic matter in the tank. I have them in all my tanks but they do not take over.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

I don't like pond snails, they bred in my filter, now i have an invasion

 

[matthew_raw]

okay thanks for the info i removed the snails to a seperate container, whats do they eat as i plan on breeding them for food for a clown loach, anyone know how to breed them without the benefits of a tank, heater, filter ect ?

 

[Fishfur]

They may be pond snails, or bladder snails, but either way they lay eggs in little blobs of jelly that are hard to see. So you may see more snails, despite cleaning the tank as you did. If so, just take them out when you see them.

If you want a steady supply for the loach, give the snails a clean tank, as they prefer clean water and plenty of oxygen. They are hermaphrodites, so they can reproduce with or without a mate, but they prefer with a mate, it gives them a survival advantage.

Feed them fish flakes or a bit of algae tab. If they have not eaten it all by next day, feed less, so as not to foul the water. They also eat dead plant matter. If happy and well fed they can reproduce quite quickly, but if you let their tank get dirty, it will slow them down. They can survive in bad water for awhile, but do much better if it is clean.

I keep ramshorns, MTS, mystery and Poso, or Rabbit snails. They all do a lot better in tanks that are clean and well filtered, just like fish or shrimp.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

They don't reproduce with themselves but are both male and female. All you need is two snails.

 

[Fishfur]

Technically, you only need one snail if they are hermaphroditic. They can lay viable eggs without mating with another snail, but it is a genetic advantage to the snails if they have a mate.

Chances of the snail being unmated are small, they are everywhere and each new plant you bring in can have eggs on it, which soon hatch into many more snails. And they don't care about who they are related to when it comes to reproduction.

I keep blue and red ramshorns, and I have to be careful not to allow any other colour in with either colour form, or they will mate and produce the ordinary brown version. Kept alone, they maintain their colours, even if there is only one, it will lay eggs and give me more of the same colour.