I don't know diddly about snails

[lbanner]

Just curious - is this a mystery snail? I know nothing of snails. And are the little things on the leaf snail poo poo?
I just noticed this little guy today... Stow away from some anubias I bought about 6 weeks ago. I have plenty of algae for him, as you can see.
Thanks!

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[Autumnsky]

That looks like it could be a pond snail, but the tell tale will be the side if it looks like a a spiral like Ramshorn (RH). The red colored one in my signature is a RH. there are different colors and some have spots. The black spots on the shell is a pattern, like Leopard.

 

[lbanner]

No spiral, so I'm going with your pond snail idea. And from what I just read online, I'll be working on population control pretty soon Thank you!

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[Autumnsky]

You can enjoy a few snails but if you tend to over feed they will really populate the tank, which it sounds like you already read.

I have had a bunch in a tank but they clean really well and are occassionally annoying but are also very useful.

You can always squish them and feed your fish, or start a snail bowl with some plants, stones, etc./ planted bowl.

 

[lbanner]

I just found another one... Here we go ?
They're cleaning a lot of the algae off my rocks and anubias, which its awesome.
I try to be careful not to overfeed , but I'm gone for work all week about once a month, and I think my fishsitters succumb to the begging behavior of my big old fantail goldfish...
I like the idea of a planted snail bowl. Thanks!

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[Autumnsky]

here is an old thread which was full of great ideas and pics
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/planted-bowls-256693.html

 

[lbanner]

This thread you sent is awesome...I have a big old vase that is now destined to be a snail bowl!! Gonna dust it off... After I finish reading the next 20 pages of that thread ?

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[Autumnsky]

Glad you liked it, was very fun to read through and get great ideas and participate. It appears some pics are gone since it is so old but the info is good.

 

[lbanner]

Oh no... Here we gooooo!! The little horn dogs.

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[Oto]

The ones in your picture look almost like ramshorns. Pond snails are wider in my experience.

 

[lbanner]

Thanks, Oto!

Question: If my pH is steadily at 8, do I need to supplement any calcium in any way? I get calcium deposits around the top of my tank at the water line, so I think I'm ok... But I want to do right by my new little snails.

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[Autumnsky]

Being 8 I doubt you need to supplement anything in the water.

You should feed them some shrimp food (not the one made out of shrimp as the ingredient, but formulated to feed TO shrimp) or cray food, like Hikari Shrimp Cuisine or Crab Cuisine (there are many other kinds), as it has minerals and contents specifically beneficial to shell health. It doesn't need to be their entire diet; it is always good to feed a variety of meaty and green foods.

 

[lbanner]

Good stuff! Thanks!!

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[Oto]

Oh, snails also love vegetables, especially blanched lettuce or spinach. They're also supposed to be fond of snail jello. I haven't personally had any experience with this, but there's a few recipes floating around here. If you're worried about calcium, you can add crushed tums to the jello recipe.

 

[Jaron]

I say ramshorn

I'm sure those are ramshorns. Look up "aquarium snails" and look over the common species, and you'll be able to positively identify yours easily. In my experience, you don't need to worry about any special food, as long as just a little bit of your fishfood makes it to the bottom of the tank for them. I have really soft water, so I generally add seashells or white rocks to my tanks to harden it up a bit and keep their shells from etching, but if he grew up as well as the pictures show, your water's ideal.

Also, be aware, ramshorns are hermaphroditic, so s/he will be breeding in no time. the eggs are little flat mats of gel with dots inside, and you'll see the babies grow before they hatch.