Mystery snails

[SteveJP]

I think my snails were breeding. I have a black mystery snail and a yellow mystery snail. How do I know which is male or female (I want to say the black one is male based on next observation). As I was getting ready to do a water change, I saw my black snail on the yellow one and it looked like he was trying to take it out of the shell. Then, it looked like it was trying to join the yellow one in its shell. Is this common? If they do have babies, how many eggs/living snail will I get? Thanks for any info

 

[vaquero]

I think my snails were breeding. I have a black mystery snail and a yellow mystery snail. How do I know which is male or female (I want to say the black one is male based on next observation). As I was getting ready to do a water change, I saw my black snail on the yellow one and it looked like he was trying to take it out of the shell. Then, it looked like it was trying to join the yellow one in its shell. Is this common? If they do have babies, how many eggs/living snail will I get? Thanks for any info

Just went to clean the glass on my wife's 25 gallon tank, and on the inside of the lid, (not in the water) is a large clutch of eggs. here is some info and a picture of the egg sac (clutch)


Mystery Snails are most likely a species called Pomacea Bridgesii. These are freshwater aquatic snails which lay eggs ABOVE the water.
Pomacea snails are MALE and FEMALE. They are NOT asexual. So you will have to have 1 male and 1 female, at least, before you see breeding and egg laying.
The male will climb onto the females shell, slightly over to one side, his penis looks like a flat white tube (similar to his breathing siphon, but shorter and fatter) and he will insert it into the female's shell and up into her body.
She will usually continue about her life, walking around the tank while the male continues his deed riding on her shell.
Females may or may not lay eggs after the male breeds her. Pomacea species snails can carry sperm in their bodies for many weeks.
When ready to lay eggs, the female will climb up the side of the aquarium wall and leave the water. She will continue up as far as she can go, or about 3-4 inches.. depending on how much room she has. If you do not have a lid on your aquarium, she can and most likely will, fall out of the tank.
My snails enjoy laying their eggs near the light bulbs in the light canopy. The eggs are a small hard mass, usually pale creme in color. Though some other Pomacea species lay bright red, dark pink, lime green, and solid white eggs.
If eggs are kept warm and moist, baby snails will hatch on their own in about 2-3 weeks. Sooner if they are kept warmer. Baby snails will eat their way out of their egg cluster and drop down into the water. They look just like their parents, only tiny. It takes some color-varieties a few weeks before they show their adult coloring, but wild- and golden-colored babies look pretty much like their parents from day 1.
Sometimes the eggs won't hatch. This is usually due to lack of humidity, though sometimes a virgin snail can lay eggs which are infertile. Usually if you leave the eggs alone, and let nature take it's course, you will soon have a lot of babies in your tank.
One single egg clutch can hold anywhere from 20 to 2,000 eggs depending on the species. Asolene Spixi, which is a rare forum of apple snail, usually lay egg clusters that only have 15-20 eggs. Pomacea Canaliculata can lay clusters with up to 2,000 eggs.
Pomacea Bridgesii, which is what you most likely have, usually have around 100-200 eggs in a cluster... and on average, about 50-75 babies will hatch and start their lives in your tank.
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In two tanks: 3 Balantiocheilos melanopterus,2 Schreitmuller's Metynnis ,1 Metynnis maculatus 2 Platydoras costatus & 4 Trichopodus trichopterus 6 Devario aequipinnatus 1 glowfish,2 Kryptopterus bicirrusand 2 Pterophyllum scalare 6 Paracheirodon innesi

 

[brennae]

My mystery snails lay eggs all the time. Its very interesting to watch them laying the eggs and its fun waiting for them to hatch. Good luck!!