Apple Snails

[RossyBoy]

I'm not too wise on snails, just added one today.

Do they eat the algae? or my plants? or both?

Currently it's sat munching on my plant lol

 

[plecoperson]

Cana snails and brig/mystery snails are both apple snails. Canas eat plants like a lawnmower, brigs will only eat dead/dying plants (usually). If the snail is actually chomping pieces out of the leaves, that's a cana. If it's just scrubbing along, it's a brig.

Is it golden in color?

 

[mvigor]

Also, you have to make a point to feed the snails. Most aquarium snails left to fend for algea and leftovers slowly starve to death. They actually have quite an appetite.

Canas can be thrown fresh uncooked veggies, and Brigs need their veggies blanched until soft.

 

[shayfish]

It's true that they have quite an appetite. When mine were new, I threw in some zucchini for the pleco, and right away, I saw that both my big mysteries basically parked themselves right on top of it for quite a long time!

 

[RossyBoy]

yer guys i have a golden one, looks exactly like this-

http://invasivespecies.nbii.gov/images/organisms/Snail.jpg

It's not eating big chunks just sort of plodding along doing its own thing lol

Anyway, your help/advice on what yo put in for it to eat would be greatly appreciated...

 

[mvigor]

A Cana's favorite food for calcium content is fresh Turnip Greens. They'll also eat other dark green stuff like romaine lettuce, kale, collard greens, mustard greens. They'll honestly eat just about anything, but much "salad" stuff is just water and has no nutrition in it.

 

[RossyBoy]

ok then, so will the fish be ok in the same tank with these random vegetables?

 

[mvigor]

Oh yeah, definitely. Your fish will be fine. I raised a whole mess of guppies in a 46 gallon tub where I fed canas a variety of greens. I found out guppies love canned green beans. My cories enjoy peas too.