Snails or shrimp...or both?

[Lycie]

Im still in the process of cycling my 180 litre tank...and I'm trying to work out my stock list. I will definitely have guppies and mollies, as I'm transferring them from my smaller tank. I would also like a school of tetras of some kind and about 6-8 glass catfish. I was originally going to get a mystery snail or golden snail (from memory) but am getting more interested in the idea of having a few shrimp
Can I have both or will one eat the other? And will they get along with my current stock list?

 

[Cornstar]

For the shrimps, if you are starting I would recommend Red Cherry Shrimps. They are able to survive if you provide a lot of hiding spots such as java moss.

 

[mataichi]

H have mystery snails and ghost shrimp and they get along fine. If one of the shrimp dies the snails will eat the dead one but they leave the live ones alone. I have even seen the shrimp riding on the back of a snail before. I have a well planted aquarium with a lot of java fern and some hornwort and the shrimp like to hang out in the plants.

 

[Lycie]

Yes, I do like the look of the red cherry shrimp. So, they won't get eaten by my mollies if I give them heaps of hiding places? I don't think I can have a well planted tank, as I don't have any co2...will the shrimp be ok with artificial plants? And I'll get some of that java fern/moss too.

 

[rreekers]

Yes, I do like the look of the red cherry shrimp. So, they won't get eaten by my mollies if I give them heaps of hiding places? I don't think I can have a well planted tank, as I don't have any co2...will the shrimp be ok with artificial plants? And I'll get some of that java fern/moss too.

you can still do a well planted tank with no co2 .. there are quite a few low light plants that aren't demanding

 

[Lycie]

Oh good I will be on the look out for low light plants then! Yay, getting so excited about stocking!

 

[mataichi]

I have Java fern, hornwort, anubius nana and some type of crypt. The plants are all doing very well with no CO2. The lignting is nothing fancy just a single bulb for plant growth in the hood. I put in some liquid fertalizer once in a while but I don't think the plants even need it. I started with just one or two java ferns and now have it all over the tank and I have to remove about half the hornwort every two weeks or else it would overgrow the surface of the tank.

 

[Mckitrick]

I dont know much about shrimp but dont get snail unless you are willing to either scrap egg sacs off the side or get ridr of the babies

 

[Lycie]

I have Java fern, hornwort, anubius nana and some type of crypt. The plants are all doing very well with no CO2. The lignting is nothing fancy just a single bulb for plant growth in the hood. I put in some liquid fertalizer once in a while but I don't think the plants even need it. I started with just one or two java ferns and now have it all over the tank and I have to remove about half the hornwort every two weeks or else it would overgrow the surface of the tank.

Thanks for the information as soon as I get back from my trip, I'll take another trip to my lfs!

 

[Lycie]

I dont know much about shrimp but dont get snail unless you are willing to either scrap egg sacs off the side or get ridr of the babies

Oh, we'll I don't particularly want 100's of snails :/ and scrapping eggs off glass does not sound appealing. Are all snails like this? Maybe if I just get one apple snail...? Anybody know more about snails?

 

[rreekers]

Oh, we'll I don't particularly want 100's of snails :/ and scrapping eggs off glass does not sound appealing. Are all snails like this? Maybe if I just get one apple snail...? Anybody know more about snails?

if you get 1 apple/mystery (same thing) you will be fine.
nerite snails are awesome but leave white hard eggs on everything.. but they only hatch in salt water... you just need to search the web for different aquatic snails and see what's best for you!

 

[Cornstar]

Overpopulated snails can be avoided if you do not overfeed. And not all snails are bad, MTS are great for sifting sand. But not too visually pleasing

 

[Lycie]

I think I am liking the apple snail. But I see that there are different kinds and some eat plants and some don't. Gir. I will ask my lfs and see what they can tell me about their stock.
I'm not that fussed about how visually appealing they are, more so how beneficial they are and compatibility with shrimp and fish.

 

[Lycie]

Overpopulated snails can be avoided if you do not overfeed. And not all snails are bad, MTS are great for sifting sand. But not too visually pleasing

And I googled MTS - they have quite nice shells

 

[Cornstar]

In that case, I would recommend MTS. They dig around your gravel/sand and eat any left over food. They do not harm your plants unless your plant is already dying. I also believe MTS eat algae if you happen to grow algae, but keep in mind, MTS is not a solution to algae.

And they can grow pretty fast, I purposely bought 10 and overfed to increase the population to 100-150 in my 55g tank. And to this day, I maintain it at roughly that so they can swift my sand. They usually only come out at night, but occasionally you will see some during the day.

They are also quite cheap. Some stores even give them away for free because they have too much. Or you can buy them about .10 each. I personally like them.

I also have gold mystery snails, and they are pretty big. They did lay eggs and gave birth to at least 30 babies which is cool for now, but I know it will be nuisance in the future.

I think nerite snails look cool, but they only breed in salt water. And I do not like anything I can not breed.

Ramshorn snails look amazing in my opinion, but they like to eat plants I think. And they also breed really easily.

 

[Lycie]

They're so interesting. Looking forward to getting some interesting little critters in my tank in a few weeks I think I will do some research on both mts and apple snails, and see how I go. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[mataichi]

Ramshorn snails stay small but are able to breed asexually and the eggs are so small you can't see them. I found them in my tank just after buying new plants. My wife hates them but I don't mind them. Mystery snails do require both a male and female to breed but the female is able to store sperm and use it several months later. My lone mystery snail managed to reproduce after it had been in the tank for a few months and I had already removed one or two egg clusters. When the mystery snail population took off the ramshorn snails declined but now it's swinging back the other way somewhat. Both types of snails keep my glass clean and eat decaying plant matter but don't harm the healthy plants.

 

[Snorkleboy]

Snails are asexual meaning their doesn't need to be two to reproduce, but I only know of one tank that has has snails reproduce in it I hear it is fairly rare.

 

[Lycie]

Thanks everyone. You've given me a lot to think about. I'm not sure I'll be breeding the snails or shrimp, but if it happens - it happens.